The Rangers have lost 4 in a row after winning the first 2 games of the season. From high hopes to no hopes in 6 games is drastic no matter which side of the fence you are on. There is no doubt that the team in not so many words told us all to temper expectations, but there have been many questionable roster decisions since the final roster cuts were announced. This is an attempt to try and understand those moves.

On Playing Brendan Smith

Let’s start off with defenseman turned forward, Brendan Smith. First off, it would be outright unfair if you didn’t admit that Smith has played hard and well. He’s actually earned all the praise that has come his way for the way he’s performed so far this season. That isn’t why people are questioning his utilization, it’s because in truth, Smith has no long term future as a forward on the Rangers and is taking up valuable minutes from either Lias Andersson, Filip Chytil or Vitali Kravtsov on the third line.

There is however plenty of value he brings to this young lineup as a 4th line player this season. Aside from being responsible in all three zones, he acts as a failsafe on any given night for David Quinn. If any of the young defenders struggle, the coach can simply slip Smith into one of their spots. Add to that he kills penalties on defense and you can easily see why Quinn has him in the lineup.

Smith has one year remaining at $4.35M next season and playing him as much as they are now is raising his trade value. Even if they find no takers this season, his contract is structured in such a way that after receiving a $1M bonus, his base salary is only $2.35M. That should make him more attractive to teams looking to reach the cap floor and not pay too much. It should also be noted that Smith has a modified no trade clause, which shouldn’t be an issue.

On Playing Michael Haley

This one is an absolute head scratcher. Michael Haley was signed on a PTO in what many thought was a move to pressure Brendan Lemieux to sign. When that took place, many did not even fathom Haley making the team. Not only has he made it, he’s now playing on the 4th line.

Quinn likes him, that’s an obvious fact. He spoke very highly about how smart a player Haley is, but the cold hard truth is that smarts alone will not cut it. Haley struggles to keep up with the play and provides almost no offensive support for a player like Lias Andersson. Simply put, it would make more sense to play Greg McKegg who has speed in that spot.

Bottom line is this one move alone is causing a chain reaction where everything else is magnified with a negative point of view. It certainly hurts the argument that this is a young team still rebuilding when Haley is in the lineup.

Developing Kakko

There’s no issues here. Stop making up false narratives about Kakko’s development after 6 games. He’s on the 2nd line and gets PP time. He has also been moved up to the top PP unit and continues to get valuable minutes, even late in games.

Line Balancing

This is my biggest issue right now and it becomes magnified when Smith is on the 3rd line and Haley is in the lineup. I am going to hold steadfast that Filip Chytil needs to be recalled immediately and that Artemiy Panarin and Chris Kreider should switch lines.

Both Zibanejad and Panarin are engines that can drive offense. While it is great to watch them work together, we can still get to see that on the PP. What Quinn needs to do is break up his two best offensive players and give the opposition more to worry about every game.

Conclusion

It’s okay to question what Quinn and the Rangers are doing. It’s also okay to be critical of a player’s role or performance. But after 6 games, it doesn’t make sense to start calling for Quinn to be fired or disparaging players without fully understanding what is going on.

With that said, David Quinn and the Rangers management should be a little more forthcoming with what the plan is here going forward. Using generic terms like “trust the process” or playing “the right way” is agitating for many in the fanbase that are as committed to the rebuild as the organization.

Rangers Lines for Opening Night

Not sure how much stock can be put into one is being seen from practice, but here were the lines today.

Another note, Boo Nieves cleared waivers and will report to Hartford.

In a bit of an unsuspecting twist, not only was Filip Chytil sent to Hartford, but also Vitali Kravtsov who showed tons of upside in his 5 preseason games. The biggest shock was not that Gregg McKegg made the roster over Kravtsov, but that Michael Haley appears to be sticking around as the 13th forward.

Trying to understand not keeping Kravtsov up

When it comes to Filip Chytil, it was clear that he didn’t earn his spot. As a 20 year old, it is still very early in his development process that a stint in Hartford is a good thing. Also, Quinn is a firm believer that nothing is given and everything is earned. Keeping Chytil here off of his preseason performance sends the wrong message.

Now when it comes to Kravtsov, the kid looked as good as Gregg McKegg did with a lot more upside. Of course, it is still extremely early in his development cycle that this is not the end of the world. It’s probably better in the long run to get that extra game in Hartford over the next two weeks since the Rangers only play 3 time over that time.

Here is how the 22 man roster looks:

No surprises on defense as I stated that it was basically preset going into the season with Brendan Smith being the 7th defenseman. But it still makes no sense to me why McKegg isn’t the 13th forward and Kravtsov the 3rd line RW.

We will have more later when David Quinn and Jeff Gorton address the media.

The Rangers officially kicked off the 2019-20 season with their first game of the preseason against their Hudson River rivals. The team from New Jersey came out victorious, but there were many bright spots for the Blueshirts.

Kaapo Kakko – You could see just what made the Finnish teenager such a hot commodity during the 2019 NHL Draft. He used his size, skill, and awareness throughout his MSG debut. Kakko tallied an assist on the first Rangers goal, a blast from Artemi Panarin, to go along with four shots on goal.

Artemi Panarin – The Russian sniper showed off his fantastic shot when he hammered the one-timer from Jacob Trouba during a second-period power play. Panarin would be forced to leave the game early with what was called a groin strain by the Rangers. We will see how long this keeps Panarin out but his first impression on the ice certainly was as advertised.

Michael Haley – Now in his second tour of duty with the Blueshirts, the veteran tough guy had himself a solid showing as well. Haley was hard on the forecheck, dropped the gloves after delivering a heavy hit to Connor Carrick in the first period, and scored a tap-in goal after some great work from Greg McKegg behind the Devils net. I don’t think Haley will be on the team’s opening night roster, but nights like this one will certainly help his chances.

Lias Andersson – Prior to tonight’s contest, reports on the Swedish forward were nothing but positive from the Rangers coaching staff. Andersson showed the MSG faithful exactly why he’s been praised by his head coach so early into training camp.

Throughout the game, Andersson used his body to protect the puck, was relentless on the forecheck, and got to the dirty areas, which is how he picked up his first goal of the preseason. Andersson cleaned up the rebound of Vitali Kravtsov’s side of the net shot from just outside the top of the crease. Andersson will be looking to take the next step in his development this year, and tonight was a good first step.

Brendan Smith – The most apparent sore spot in this one was the play of the veteran defenseman from Mimico, Ontario. Smith had the second least TOI – only trailing linemate Brandon Crawley – and he was noticeable for mostly the wrong reasons. He wasn’t able to successfully defend Maltsev after Crawley turned the puck over before the second NJ goal, and he had a giveaway as well. Smith did record five shots on net, but his defensive play is what needs to improve dramatically if he has any chance of breaking camp as a part of David Quinn’s roster.

Igor Shesterkin – The highly touted ”Czar Igor” made his MSG debut over the final 29 or so minutes of tonight’s contest and looked solid in net. Shesterkin made 12 saves on 13 shots after Alexandar Georgiev stopped just eight of the 11 shots he faced. Shesterkin made a handful of solid stops, including this one which got an ”I-GOR” chant from the MSG crowd. Shesterkin will likely start the season with Hartford, but he certainly made an excellent first impression at MSG.

Next Game: The Rangers are back in action on Friday night when they face the Devils at the Prudential Center. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

Training camp is here for the Rangers. As for the Wolf Pack, their training camp will begin in mid to late September, around when the Rangers do their first round of cuts. This year’s camp features four players that are trying out for the big club.

Tryouts

Former Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale players Connor Brickley and Michael Haley enter training camp in hopes to impress the Rangers brass. Joe Morrow and Mason Geertsen have also been invited. The situation with the cap space is a tough for the Rangers, however Hartford could give one of them a chance should they impress enough.

Looking at Hartford’s situation, they will be crowded with talented prospects and veterans as well. To be in the mix on the AHL level, these tryout players must be spectacular in order to be given any shot within the organization.

A deeper dive

Looking at the four tryout players, some are a better fit than others if they join Hartford. Let’s assess:

Connor Brickley

Connor Brickley returns to training camp after not getting an offer with New York. Last season the forward played in 13 games with Hartford (2 goals, 4 assists) and 14 games with the Rangers (1 goal, 3 assist). Prior to joining the organization through a trade, Brickley spent 39 games with the Milwaukee Admirals (7 goals, 4 assists). The 27 year old has solid experience on the AHL level while gaining additional experience in the NHL. Brickley’s playing style would fit well in Hartford as the Wolf Pack lack toughness in their lineup. The forward could provide a punch to the lineup physically.

Michael Haley

Michael Haley is back in the organization for training camp. The former Connecticut Whale/Wolf Pack forward (Wolf Pack was briefly the Whale from 2010-2013) spent two seasons in the AHL (2012-13, 2013-14). The 33 year old has quite the impressive numbers in penalty minutes for an enforcer. He is known to drop the gloves and will stir up the pot. Haley would fit the role of a tough guy for Hartford.

Joe Morrow

Joe Morrow enters training camp after a two season campaign with the Winnipeg Jets. The 26 year old spent his first four professional seasons in the AHL, then jumped to NHL full time excluding a three game stint with the Providence Bruins in the 2016-17 season. The defenseman has become a seventh man on the blue line and has played in limited games. Given the crowded blue line, Hartford does not need another defenseman.

Mason Geertsen

Mason Geertsen joins training camp after spending the last two seasons in the AHL. Last season with the Colorado Eagles, Geertsen produced 16 points (3 goals, 13 assists) in 58 games. In addition to offensive contributions, the defenseman is able to rack up high number of penalty minutes. Last season, Geertsen registered 134 penalty minutes.

As mentioned earlier, the Rangers have too many players on the blue line to justify another signing for Hartford’s blue line. The young prospect still has learning to do. On the plus, he is able to defend his teammates and is willing to drop the gloves. He can be an enforcer for the Pack, but given his position, sacrificing a prospect spot for an enforcer may not be ideal.

Pack could use toughness

Hartford has an opportunity to address toughness in their lineup as three of the four guys will address the toughness void in the lineup. The question remains if they want to take the spot of a younger player in order to do so. The AHL can be a rough and tumble league and it may be wise to have at least one tough guy in the lineup.

Training camp opens up this Thursday for the big club. Players are expected to report in and then take the ice on Friday. If both RFAs, Brendan Lemieux and Tony DeAngelo remain unsigned, don’t expect them to be there. The natural question is, who would jump in if they are out? Let’s address that here.

Replacing Lemieux

Brendan Lemieux is a rare commodity in the Rangers lineup. He is a gritty agitator that can actually contribute offensively. He won’t be easy to replace but the Rangers do have a few temporary options for pre-season at least.

1. Michael Haley: The 33 year old winger is no stranger to throwing fists, but he is also no stranger to the Rangers. He played 9 games for them way back in the 2012-2013 season and has been reportedly invited to training camp as a tryout. This works for exhibition but is not an option for the season should Lemieux hold out longer.
   
2. Matt Beleskey: I know what you are thinking; doesn’t he have to be sent to Hartford for the Rangers to be cap compliant? No! The answer is the Rangers are currently cap compliant with him penciled in. Of course they only have $1M in space to sign both Lemieux and DeAngelo so he won’t be here if either one signs. The 31 year old forward will be a UFA next summer, but could actually help fill Lemieux’s void heading into the season.

Replacing DeAngelo

Finding a suitable replacement for Tony D. is not going to be easy. This is especially so if you want to keep the whole lefty/righty combination as your defensive pairs.

1. Joey Keane: The only right-handed defenseman prospect that could fill the hole in DeAngelo’s absence. He certainly can skate and chip in offensively but still looks very green to me.
2. Brendan Smith: Just like Beleskey above, he currently fits under the cap. The veteran defenseman will have to play the off side but should be able to handle it.
3. Yegor Rykov: The 22 year old prospect from the KHL looked rock solid in the last Traverse City game. However, being a lefty he or Libor Hajek would have to play the opposite side and that might be too much to ask both rookies.