New York Rangers report cards: Grading goalies, defensemen at Olympic break
At the Olympic break, the New York Rangers sit in last place in the Eastern Conference and 30th among 32 teams in the overall NHL standings.
It’s not pretty.
Certainly, an ugly minus-29 goal differential is a big reason why the Rangers (22-29-6) are where they are, with a roster retool already under way. The Blueshirts don’t score nearly enough, and their team defense is tied for 20th in the League, allowing an average of 3.16 goals per game.
With that as a base, let’s break down the play of the Rangers goalies and defensemen through 57 games this season.
It’s report card time, and here are the grades:
Igor Shesterkin: A-
Igor Shesterkin is the highest-paid goalie in the NHL, and the Rangers MVP this season. The 30-year-old was among the best in the League at his position through Jan. 5, before a lower-body injury sidelined him at least to the Olympic break. His value to the Rangers cemented when they cratered and lost 12 of 14 games during his injury absence. Shesterkin is third among goalies who played at least 30 games this season, both with a 2.45 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. Per MoneyPuck, he’s fifth among all goalies with 15.5 goals saved above expected. Simply, he earned that big-time salary, and is the most irreplaceable player on the Rangers roster.
Jonathan Quick: C-
It’s been a tale of two seasons for Jonathan Quick. He got off to a fast start, pretty much playing once a week behind Shesterkin. In his first four starts, for example, Quick allowed five goals and won three times. The Rangers didn’t give him much goal support from that point though the end of the New Year, but Quick allowed more than three goals only once in his first 10 starts. When Shesterkin went down with his injury and Quick needed to play more regularly, he didn’t look like the same goalie. In fact, he looked all of his 40 years old. Yes, the defensive play was subpar in front of him. But Quick allowed four goals or more five times in nine January starts, and was pulled twice in atrocious blowout losses. He is 73rd of 91 NHL goalies this season with minus-5.3 goals saved above expected.
Adam Fox: B+
Similar to Shesterkin, Adam Fox’s value to the Rangers multiplied exponentially with how the team struggled so much without him in the lineup. Unfortunately, New York’s top defenseman missed nearly half the season so far due to a pair of injuries — first, an upper-body injury that wiped out most of December for him, then a lower-body injury sustained the same night Shesterkin was injured, which he’s still looking to come back from. Despite missing 27 games, Fox still leads Rangers defensemen in scoring and ranks sixth on the team with 28 points in 30 games. His 24 assists are tied for third most on the Rangers. Fox also leads all Rangers skaters with an expected goal share of 59.92 percent, per Natural Stat Trick.
Vladislav Gavrikov: B
The conventional statistics and underlying numbers for Vladislav Gavrikov are good, no question. But they don’t do justice to what Gavrikov means to the Rangers defense corps. Especially during Fox’s extended injury absences, Gavrikov remains the most reliable Rangers defenseman, a consistent force playing all 57 games so far. For sure, the 30-year-old is at his best partnering with Fox on the top pair — their 59.13 xGF percentage 5v5, per Natural Stat Trick, blows away any other Rangers combo, and pretty much any other defense pair in the NHL. It’s been a much heavier lift for Gavrikov when paired with Braden Schneider, no doubt. But Gavrikov’s been steady, leading the Blueshirts with an average of 24:04 TOI, and even contributing a career-high nine goals. Signing him to a seven-year, $49 million free-agent contract last summer is an absolute home run for general manager Chris Drury.
Matthew Robertson: B-
The most pleasant surprise on New York’s blue line this season is the emergence of Matthew Robertson. The 24-year-old earned the trust of coach Mike Sullivan and played 49 of 57 games, despite starting out the season watching from the press box as a healthy scratch. Robertson started on the third defense pair and graduated to second-pair duty alongside Borgen, though with less success than Carson Soucy (since traded to the New York Islanders) had in that role trying to shut down top-six forwards. Still, Robertson averages a surprising 17:15 TOI, has 11 points (four goals, seven assists), and is one of only two Rangers defenseman (Fox is the other) with an expected goal share of better than 50 percent (50.45 percent). He’s big (6-foot-4, 210 pounds), strong, and physical (70 hits), and showed plenty of skill with that coast-to-coast overtime goal to defeat the Boston Bruins on Jan. 26.
Will Borgen: C+
There’s nothing sexy about Will Borgen’s game. He’s a meat and potatoes, physical, shut-down, second-pair defenseman. So, his three goals and six points don’t jump out at you, nor does his 46.94 xGF percentage. But the 29-year-old is a defensive-minded defenseman playing most of his even-strength minutes against top-six forwards. And in over 368 minutes paired with Soucy, Borgen was on ice for just nine goals against 5v5. Add in that he’s a solid penalty killer, blocked 70 shots so far (second most on the Rangers), and one of the few players who brings a distinct edge to his game, and there’s enough there to like about Borgen.
Braden Schneider: C-
Trying not to scapegoat Schneider here, nor make excuses for him. But this most recent Rangers collapse in January had Schneider’s fingerprints all over it. Where he was OK – not great, but OK — moving up into the top pair in December when Fox was out, Schenider really struggled in that role in January. He’s a big reason the whole house of cards fell down. The Rangers are outscored 48-30 at 5v5 with the 24-year-old on the ice. Often caught out of position, Schneider’s been on for 20 high-danger goals-against, most among all Rangers defensemen, and his xGF is an unsightly 43.68 percent. Despite increased opportunity, including on the power play, Schneider only has two goals and 11 points. He does lead the Rangers with 90 blocked shots and their defenseman with 123 hits, averaging a career-high 20:19 TOI. But it appears, Schneider is better suited for a spot on the second or third pair, not the top one.
Scott Morrow: C-
It’s fair to say more was expected from Scott Morrow. The 23-year-old rookie underwhelmed with Hartford of the American Hockey League and been so-so with the Rangers. Morrow has six assists in 28 games, but isn’t trusted by Sullivan to run the power play in Fox’s absence, even though that’s his calling card as an offensive defenseman. Playing a fairly sheltered role on the third defense pair, Morrow’s been on for 15 goals-against 5v5 and 12 goals-for. Not bad. He’s likely headed to Hartford when Fox returns, to play big AHL minutes in all situations.
Urho Vaakanainen: D+
In the opening-night lineup, Urho Vaakanainen quickly lost the coaching staff’s trust, scratched more times (30) than games played (27) so far this season. The 27-year-old is back in a consistent role on the left side of the third pair since Soucy was traded to the Islanders, though hasn’t shown much to get excited about on either end of the rink. The thing with Vaakanainen is that he’s not terrible, per se. But he doesn’t add much value, either.
Vincent Iorio: INCOMPLETE
The Rangers claimed Vincent Iorio off waivers from the San Jose Sharks on Jan. 31. The 23-year-old played one game with them, the 2-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in the final game before the break. He logged 14:15 TOI on the third pair and blocked three shots. When Fox returns, the right-shooting Iorio likely is the seventh defenseman for the Rangers, unless he plays some on his off (left) side or if Schneider is traded.
