It’s no secret that Henrik Lundqvist is getting older. We’ve all watched enough Rangers games to know that the face of the franchise wants to play every game so he can have a direct effect on the outcome.

Fans wouldn’t have a problem with this if he didn’t start to show us his age last season. Yes, he did have a weaker defense in front of him, and yes, AV’s choices didn’t help either, but he did let up some soft goals here and there. With that in mind, a younger core could signal to Hank that this team is on the rise. Opting to stay with the Rangers during the rebuild and guiding the young Rangers through it, Hank could be rejuvenated and showcase his Vezina form once again. Although, the regular workload might be too much for Henrik and he might put too much pressure on a growing team. As cliché as this is, let’s look at the pros and cons of keeping his workload steady.

PRO: Veteran Leadership

He may be in the crease and not on the bench, but Lundqvist can still supply plenty of leadership with his actions on the ice. The 13-year vet has enough experience to know when it’s time for him to bump up his level of play. Being the last line of defense on a relatively younger team than what he’s used to, Hank can make up for some of his teammate’s mistakes. Instilling confidence within his teammates will be his primary role for this next season. Showing that he doesn’t crack under pressure can boost those around him into becoming the best players they can be.

CON: Young Core + New Coach = Little Support

As stated above, he’ll be the last line of defense for this young team. This is nothing new for Hank, as he has bailed out all of the weak play he’s seen over the years with guys like Nick Holden, Marc Staal, Brendan Smith, and even the occasional Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi slip-ups. With the arrival of new head coach David Quinn and a new system for these new and young players, Hank might be on the tail end of their growing pains. Penalty kills and backchecking might take the biggest hits if the team can’t adapt right away. Hank will be relied on more heavily in those situations and will probably give up more goals than normal. Frustration is a big problem that only goes away when getting positive results and if Hank can’t produce, his playing time will take a hit.

PRO: Georgiev A Fluke?

Though not a pro for the Rangers, this may be a pro for Henrik Lundqvist. Last season saw the emergence of a young stud by the name of Alexandar Georgiev. Georgiev showcased some of his play in the absence of the injured Ondrej Pavelec last season. A small sample size showed Georgiev can produce on the NHL level and get some decent results. The problem with small sample sizes is that it’s small. Who knows what next season could mean for Georgiev, maybe he’s not as good as we may think. This bodes well for The King and his playing time. Instead of potentially splitting time down the middle with Georgiev, we may see Hank take a larger load of games.

CON: His Age

Can Henrik even handle a regular amount of games or even an increased load? Last season we saw some cracks in his foundation. Starting 61 games and posting a 26-26-7 record only paints part of the picture. Hank let up a career-high 174 goals, which lead to his career high 2.98 GAA. Last year’s team let up over 2000 shots against when Hank was in net, and now that the captain is no longer with the team, that shot total may increase. For a goaltender of his age, Lundqvist is on the downward swing of his career and may not be able to handle more shots per game, which could result in more games the Rangers lose and less starts for the King.

PRO: He Wants to Play

Recently on MSG Network, Joe Micheletti spoke about how Henrik Lundqvist will be fired up to play with a younger roster of players next season. Motivation to play is a huge factor in a player’s production. If given the choice to play, Lundqvist will choose to play in every game. As stated earlier, age is a factor in this, but that won’t change the drive he has to be the best version of himself every game. Will there be some games to forget? Sure. But will that deter him from wanting to be the heart and soul of this team? Absolutely not. Up until his retirement, Hank’s love of the game will drive him to always be his best, and that benefits a rebuilding team.

CON: Always Been On A Contending Team

Speaking of rebuilding, Henrik has always been in the crease to ensure that the Rangers would be contenders, and we’ve seen how badly he takes losses during the regular season and postseason. But what can we expect from a team who just traded away a good portion of their assets and weren’t big buyers during the free agency frenzy? Well, we don’t know. Hank is approaching uncharted territory that may put a strain on his play and mental fortitude. There will be games where he lets up four or more goals and is still going to be in the net after the fact. We’ve seen goalies be left out to dry by rebuilding teams before. Frustration will need to be avoided, but if Hank can’t keep his play up during the tough road ahead, there’s a good chance whoever the backup is next season shares a significant amount of the workload with him.

PRO: Fully Aware The Rangers May Not Be Good

To immediately counteract what was just said, Hank is fully aware that the rebuild has picked up full steam. He is aware that there will be unwinnable games, but he still chose to be on this team. Loyalty and dedication like that are not found in many superstars these days, but it’s one Rangers fans should be happy about. Hank loves New York and the Rangers, and he wants to help them usher in a new era for the team. He’ll give it his all every night, and he’ll be rewarded with playing time. As G.I Joe famously said, “knowing is half the battle”, and Hank is going in prepared as he’ll try to shut down opponents at every turn.

Alexander Georgiev

Starting with Georgiev, who should be the lead candidate to be Henrik Lundqvist’s backup at the beginning of the 2018-2019 season, had his chance at playing time towards the end of last season. Starting in nine games, Georgiev posted a 4-4-1 record with a 3.15 GAA and a .918 save percentage. Not bad for a 22-year-old who didn’t have much buzz when the Rangers signed him as a free agent in the summer of 2017. At that time, with Ondrej Pavelec already set to be the backup for the Rangers, many didn’t expect Georgiev to get any time in net with the Blueshirts. The fact that we can include Georgiev on the roster for next season is a great sign for the organization.

Igor Shestyorkin

If Rangers fans want to get excited over a goalie prospect, Shestyorkin is the one to get amped up for. Shestyorkin, who was drafted in the fourth-round of the 2014 entry draft, is now just 22-years-old and is absolutely dominating the KHL. He is currently under contract through the 2018-2019 season in the KHL, so whether or not Shestyorkin will come over to North America won’t be known until this time next year. Over the past two seasons in the KHL, Shestyorkin has posted a record of 47-8-10 with a staggering GAA of 1.67. He was also named to the KHL All-Star game in each of the last two seasons and was most recently invited to play in the 2018 Olympics for Russia. The ceiling is high for Igor Shestyorkin, and we all hope to see him come across the pond sooner rather than later.

Marek Mazanec

The Rangers most recently signed 26-year-old Mazanec to a one-year contract after seeing him play some games for the Wolf Pack last season. After splitting last season between the KHL and the AHL, Mazanec started in 20 games for the Wolf Pack. He posted an 11-6-2 record with a GAA of 2.97 and a save percentage of .905. Some decent numbers for Mazanec, who has had some NHL experience as well with the Nashville Predators. The reasoning behind signing Mazanec seems to give the Wolf Pack an established goalie, with the Rangers having the capability to plug in Mazanec if needed.

Tyler Wall

Drafted by the Rangers in the 2016 Entry Draft, the UMass-Lowell prospect has had a rough go after being selected by the Rangers. After posting a 2.06 GAA and a .918 SV% in 37 games in 2016-17 season, Wall has done a complete 180. Starting in only 12 games in 2017-18, Wall struggled with a 3.98 GAA and a .868 SV%. The Rangers are hopeful that Wall will flip back around for next season; but after his poor showing this past season, Wall has fallen behind in the Rangers goalie depth chart.

Chris Nell

The 23-year-old Bowling Green State University alum has gotten some time in net for the Wolf Pack over the last two years. Although in the 2016-17 season he only started four games, Nell was able to get his foot in the door. In the following season, Nell started 18 games in the AHL posting a 3.12 GAA and a save percentage of .892. He spread his wealth around the ECHL as well last season, all posting respectable numbers. Chris Nell is expected to report to the Wolf Pack next year, hopefully to stay for longer than a cup of coffee.

Brandon Halverson

The 22-year-old Michigan product has had his share of time with the Wolf Pack, and the Rangers, for one start. His numbers may be higher than where he’d like, after posting a 3.45 GAA in 31 starts for the Wolf Pack. Halverson still seems to be high on the Rangers goalie board, but needs to improve if he wants to stay with the team and get his shot. With Georgiev seemingly passing Halverson to go to the big show, Halverson needs to kick his game into a new gear so he can continue his development.

None of us want to think of a time where Henrik Lundqvist isn’t between the pipes for the Blueshirts, but looking at some of these guys gives us some hope. With Georgiev getting a roster spot at 22, and Igor Shestyorkin lighting up the KHL, the future is bright for Rangers goaltenders.

Editor’s Note: UConn goalie Adam Huska was omitted from this list because we had an in depth post about him last week. To read the article from Ricky Milliner, click here

It is officially the offseason in the National Hockey League, despite our beloved New York Rangers being off for the last two months, but who’s counting. It is now time to dive into what this team may look like come October.

With Ondrej Pavelec becoming a UFA this offseason, his place on the Rangers roster doesn’t seem likely. Especially with the availability of some top goalie talent in KHL star Igor Shestyorkin, possibly Adam Huska and last year’s notable backup Alexandar Georgiev, the aging Pavelec should not be brought back by Jeff Gorton.

For this upcoming season, I believe the best available netminder to back up Henrik Lundqvist will be Georgiev. Again this is for next season. Over the long haul, it may come down to a duel between Georgiev and Shestyorkin.

I have expressed in the past that Georgiev should be the rebuilds backup. One, two or however many seasons it takes to return to being a Stanley Cup contender, behind the King should be Georgiev.

Success As An NHL Backup

In ten appearances last season, including nine starts, Georgiev proved to be a viable backup goaltender behind Lundqvist. He held a record of 4-4-1, allowing 3.15 goals against, and accumulating a .918 save percentage.

In five of those ten games in net, the Bulgarian native stopped 35 or more pucks. He faced constant pressure and showed the ability to hold his own as a 22-year-old in his rookie season.

Learning from Lundqvist and his guru, coach Benoit Allaire, is a recipe for success for Georgiev. Giving the kid room to improve behind Lundqvist in a rebuilding year with a nearly entirely new coaching staff should be considered. What is the worst that can happen?

He Is Ready To Go

The aforementioned Igor Shestyorkin and Adam Huska are other notable names for the backup role. However, Shestyorkin won’t be coming to North America for at least another year, and Huska is still at UConn. When will they get their opportunity to play at MSG is anyone’s guess.

Shestyorkin has been a brick wall in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg. His past two seasons have been outstanding in all aspects of the word. In 2017-18, he went 20-4-4 and allowed a measly 1.70 goals against, and boasted the sixth-best save percentage in the league at .933%.

Shestyorkin is slated to remain with SKA at least for 2018-19, despite the amazing numbers. Whether something changes during the summer, his arrival in New York doesn’t seem likely for at least a little while.

As Larry Brooks of the New York Post wrote back in April, this top prospect in the Rangers system is staying in Russia for the time being.

“Blueshirts’ goaltending prospect Igor Shestyorkin played a sum of 59 seconds in relief for SKA in the playoffs, but according to a well-placed source, “There is no chance,” the 22-year-old would be allowed to leave the KHL for New York before the end of his contract that runs through next season.”

Georgiev Deserves The Chance

Let him learn behind the best in the game. Let him learn through the worst of times to make an impact when the Rangers come out of this rebuild. New coach, new staff and a lot of unanswered questions on this roster will be looked at all summer long; but with Lundqvist and Georgiev, they can focus on the guys playing in front of them.

The Rangers have announced that Kevin Shattenkirk will not come back this season. In addition, goaltender Alexandar Georgiev has been sent back to Hartford.

Shutting down Shattenkirk is definitely the smart move with the final few games of the season being, for all intents and purposes, meaningless. This will allow him to not only make sure he has a full recovery but that he can strengthen his knee coming into training camp next season.

As for Georgiev, the move is not due to the way he has been playing, but rather because Henrik Lundqvist and Ondrej Pavelec are both healthy enough to be in the lineup. The Wolf Pack have eight games left in their season and barring any other injuries, Georgiev should start all of Hartford’s remaining contests.

Here is our recap of the Rangers 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals.

A Memorable Night – The highlights of this game were 2017 first-round picks Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil getting themselves on the scoresheet.

Andersson, who was taken seventh overall, picked up his first NHL goal late in the second period. Andersson turned away from his defender, spinning to the side of the net where he deposited Jimmy Vesey’s pass into the back of the net.

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Filip Chytil also made an offensive contribution in this game, recording his first NHL point early in the third period. Chytil’s shot attempt fluttered to the side of the net where Mats Zuccarello controlled the bouncing puck and slid it into the empty net.

As we all know, the Rangers are in the midst of rebuilding the team. Both Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson will be key cogs in that rebuild and their respective performances in this one should certainly give Rangers fans hope that the organization can get it turned around pretty quickly.

“It’s always fun to score, and especially in your first NHL game,” Andersson said. “It was fun.” – Matt Calamia/NYRangers.com

It’s A 60-Minute Game – Not surprisingly, the Rangers were trailing after the first period. There was very little defensive help for starter Alexandar Georgiev, who allowed three goals on six shots before being pulled in favor of Ondrej Pavelec. The four Capitals goals in the opening 20 minutes included two even-strength goals with brutal defensive breakdowns, Alex Ovechkin scoring from his office on the power-play, and a short-handed goal where three Rangers back-checkers couldn’t contain the two Capitals penalty killers. Pavelec did an outstanding job keeping his team in the game over the final 40 minutes, but it was too little too late for the Blueshirts, who inched closer to being mathematically eliminated from this year’s postseason.

Next Game: The Rangers will look to avenge this loss when they face the Capitals on Wednesday night in Washington. Puck drops at 8!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

Here is our recap of the Rangers 4-3 loss to the Flyers.

Top Line – Whether or not you think Jesper Fast deserves to be on the top line for this current iteration of the Rangers, he has been the perfect complement to linemates Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. Fast brings the never-say-die attitude to a duo of highly skilled and motivated players. This line would score all three goals in the losing effort, with each player extending their respective point streaks.

Mika Zibanejad got the Rangers on the board in the first period, tying the game after Philadelphia’s Travis Konecny gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead. Zibanejad took Jesper Fast’s pass in the neutral zone, faked a shot and then slid the puck through the legs of goaltender Alex Lyon. The goal was Zibanejad’s 26th of the season, which is a career best for the Swedish center, as well as extending his points streak to six games, and points in eight of his last ten. Mika will be this team’s number one center for the foreseeable future, and as long as he’s healthy, he will be a top point producer for the Blueshirts.

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As for Jesper Fast, he wasn’t content with just helping out on goals and picked up a pair of tallies that brought the Rangers to within one on both goals. On his first goal, Fast won the board battle in the corner and threw the puck towards the net where it banked in off of Ivan Provorov.

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Fast got the game to 4-3 early in the third, depositing the rebound of Rob O’Gara’s shot from the half-wall. The goals were the 12th and 13th of the year for Fast, who tied his personal best year in points with 30 in the game against the Flyers. Quickie is going to be a part of this team in the coming years, and his work ethic and “never take a shift off” attitude is something that the young players entering the lineup should learn from and impart into their own games.

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Line Juggling – For everything that you can criticize Alain Vigneault for, add constant line juggling to the list. Cody McLeod played 6.7% of the game playing alongside the significantly higher-skilled Pavel Buchnevich and Ryan Spooner. Meanwhile, Vlad Namestnikov was spending time playing on the fourth line with David Desharnais and Paul Carey. If you are juggling lines early in the season to try and find chemistry between potential linemates, that’s fine. But when Cody McLeod is taking the spot of Vlad Namestnikov in a “meaningless” game with two weeks left in the season, there really is no defense for such an asinine decision.

Alexandar Georgiev – The young goaltender made some stellar saves to keep his team in the game, including this sequence in the first period with his team already trailing. Georgiev has shown he has what it takes to back up Henrik Lundqvist next season, and he did so last night with Ondrej Pavelec backing up the young Bulgarian goaltender. Unfortunately for Pavelec, he will be remembered as the guy who gave his crease to Georgiev; but with the Rangers having a bevy of young and talented netminders in the pipeline, Pavelec’s days in the Rangers sweater were numbered.

Next Game: The Rangers host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night in one of their final home games of the season. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

Here is our recap of the Rangers 4-3 overtime win against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Chris Kreider – As Mike Milbury correctly said (I am just as shocked writing this as you are reading it) on the broadcast, Chris Kreider has all the tools to be an elite player in the NHL. And with the Rangers trailing 2-0 entering the third period, Kreider took the game over and led the charge for the Blueshirts. Kreider got the Rangers on the board with a power-play goal, potting the rebound of Pavel Buchnevich’s point shot.

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Kreider wasn’t done making his mark on this game, finishing the night with assists on each of the team’s three remaining goals to take down the Penguins. Kreider has all the potential in the world to be one of the best power-forwards in the NHL. His speed and strength make him very difficult to defend; and if he can put it all together, he will be racking up the points in no time.

Pavel Buchnevich – Regardless of what he would have done during the game, Pavel Buchnevich was already the hero of the night when he gave a fan one of his sticks during warmups.

But Buchnevich would also record the primary assist on Kreider’s goal, endearing himself to Rangers fans even more than they already adore him. Buchnevich has one more year on his entry-level contract and is appearing to be a key building block for Jeff Gorton and the rebuild.

Jesper Fast – After being absolutely robbed by Casey DeSmith minutes earlier, Jesper Fast tied the game with a nifty redirect of Marc Staal’s shot from the half-wall. Fast’s goal was his 11th of the season, a new career best, and as always, has been the hardest working player outside of Henrik Lundqvist. Fast is under contract for two more years and will be almost guaranteed to be part of the leadership group going forward.

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Mika Zibanejad – Playing one of his best games as a member of the Rangers, Mika Zibanejad netted the game-tying and game-winning goals to send the MSG crowd home happy. On his first goal, he was the beneficiary of some gorgeous stick handling by the aforementioned Chris Kreider, who found the center at the back post for a tap-in on the power-play.

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On the game winner, Zibanejad took a backhand pass from Kreider and snuck a shot through DeSmith at the near post.

Much like his teammate Mats Zuccarello did on Monday against Carolina, these goals were the 99th and 100th in Zibanejad’s NHL career. Unlike Zuccarello, Mika Zibanejad’s future will be spent on Broadway, and he will be one of the team’s leaders during the rebuild.

Growing Up So Fast – For a team undergoing a rebuild with young and inexperienced players, the Rangers look like they have found some young NHL-ready talent in the forms of John Gilmour, Neal Pionk, and Alexandar Georgiev. For the blue-liners, you are seeing Gilmour, and for that matter, Pionk, use their speed and puck-carrying abilities to get the team out of trouble, while also being smart and solid in the defensive zone. Pionk picked up three assists in the game, good for nine points since being recalled and fifth on the team since that point. Along with Brady Skjei, a hopefully healthy Kevin Shattenkirk, and Marc Staal, the Rangers blue-line looks like it will be in pretty good hands for the next few years.

As for Georgiev, he has made a very strong case for being the understudy to Henrik Lundqvist next season. With Ondrej Pavelec being out with injury, Georgiev has stepped in and taken his spot between the pipes with confidence. He made 37 saves on 40 Pittsburgh shots last night, with only the Hagelin goal being a “soft” one to let up. He has given the Rangers a chance to win in every game he has played so far, especially in this one, stopping a late penalty shot attempt from Evgeni Malkin. Georgiev is just one of a handful of Rangers goaltending prospects, and with seeming heir-apparent Igor Shestyorkin still a couple of years away from coming to the NHL, Georgiev looks like he would be the perfect backup for King Henrik.

(For more on Georgiev, read Justin’s story here)

Next Game: The Rangers will go for their third win in a row on Saturday in St. Louis when they face the Blues. Puck drops at 8!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

Here is our recap of the Rangers 6-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

Mats Zuccarello – The Rangers winger had a huge impact on this game, scoring the opening goal and the insurance goal to give the Rangers their 31st win of the season. On the opening goal, Zuccarello benefited from a purposely wide shot from Neal Pionk and put the caromed puck over top of Scott Darling.

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With the Rangers up 4-3, Carolina pulled their goaltender with just under three minutes to go in the third period. Zuccarello took the puck, after a defensive play by Ryan Spooner, and fired it into the net from inside his own blue line for his 14th of the season.

Zuccarello’s two tallies were the 99th and 100th of his NHL career, all of which have been spent with the Blueshirts. Zuccarello plays a big man’s game, despite being “vertically-challenged,” and is the perfect player to lead this team in their rebuild.

Pavel Buchnevich – After a twitter kerfuffle started mid-game when Buchnevich was called “lazy,” the young Russian shut down his critics with his performance in this one. Buchnevich recorded three assists, all of which were primary helpers, to help the Rangers on their road to victory in this one. As long as he can stay healthy, Buchnevich will be an important building block for the Blueshirts.

Vladislav Namestnikov – Since being acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning at the deadline, the young Russian forward has been a really solid player for the Rangers. He got his second goal with the Blueshirts in this one, redirecting Buchnevich’s point shot past Darling with the Rangers on the power play. Namestnikov is a restricted free-agent at season’s end, and his ability to play both center and wing will make him valuable to this organization going forward.

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Jimmy Vesey – He’s been one of the hardest working players on the team, but it hasn’t translated into a lot of pucks finding the back of the net. But in this one, Jimmy Vesey’s hard work paid off, earning his first NHL hat trick against the Hurricanes. Vesey’s first tally came off of a nifty faceoff win by Buchnevich, going forward and quickly sending the puck across the slot to Vesey, who corralled the puck and put it into the net.

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For an encore, Vesey made a defensive play in the neutral zone, chased down the puck that was pushed forward by Buchnevich, and made a perfect bardown shot to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead.

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Vesey finished off his hatty by taking a Jesper Fast pass and firing a laser into the Carolina net from about 175 feet away. Vesey scored his 13th, 14th and 15th goals of the season against the ‘Canes and if he can start producing more as his ice time increases, he will show his worth to team management.

Young Defense – The group of young Rangers defensemen has been impressive since being called into action over the last month. Aside from Marc Staal, the rest of the blue line of this game was all 24-years-old or younger. Though it has been a really small sample size, John Gilmour and Neal Pionk look like they will be solid NHL defensemen for years to come.

Tony DeAngelo was unable to finish the game after heading skate first into the boards. DeAngelo has been solid on the blue line in Kevin Shattenkirk’s absence as the lone right-handed shot on the point. He has started playing with more confidence and authority in his game, but now he will have to put that on hold as he heads for medical testing on his ankle.

Alexandar Georgiev – It is no secret that the Rangers have a top goaltending prospect in Russia named Igor Shestyorkin. However, don’t overlook the Russian goalie currently on the squad in Alexandar Georgiev. The baby-faced 22-year-old made 41 saves on 44 Carolina shots, including these two saves on young Finnish phenom Sebastian Aho in the third period.

Georgiev has given up just 12 goals on 172 shots, which gives him a .930 SV% and a 2.73 GAA in the five games he has played. And with veteran backup Ondrej Pavelec being an unrestricted free-agent this summer, Georgiev certainly looks like he could be Henrik Lundqvist’s understudy for the 2018-19 season.

Next Game: The Blueshirts will look to make it two wins in a row when they welcome the Penguins to The Garden on Wednesday. Puck drops at 8!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

It’s no surprise that Henrik Lundqvist has been the center of attention the last several days. After the 7-4 loss to the Flyers on Sunday, you could see it in his eyes that he’s just at his limit. I mean, for a guy that takes the game as seriously and as competitively as he does, to be laughing after a team scores seven goals against him? Yeah, there’s something wrong. And, here’s a shocker, it’s not all on Hank. Very little of it is.

Over Reliance on Hank

Yes, the Rangers have a backup goalie in Ondrej Pavelec. However, it doesn’t seem like the Goalie Whisperer Benoit Allaire has been able to work his magic on Pavelec. Lundqvist’s understudy has only had 10 starts, while Lundqvist has started 50 and played in 52 games. This gives him very little rest, and for an aging goalie, it can be detrimental. The question needs to be asked, before Pavelec’s injury, why didn’t he start more?

I don’t ever use age as a crutch. Henrik may be nearly 36, but he’s still in tip-top shape. He knows his body and keeps it in prime condition to make those stellar saves night after night. But at this rate, he’ll end up playing 65-70 games in the regular season. If they do make it to the playoffs, by some act of god, you know he’s going to be starting those games, too.

The Rangers really need to find a quality backup that can take some of the pressure off of Lundqvist and give him the rest he deserves.

Addressing that “Inconsistent Goaltending”

Rangers Twitter was in an uproar after Vigneault gave a press conference in which he threw Lundqvist and Pavelec under the bus. Let’s be real though, it was a slight directed at Hank. Inconsistent goaltending is the least of the Rangers problems. Probably because it doesn’t exist in the first place. The glaring issue that nobody seems willing to address, as far as Rangers’ management goes, is the defense. Really, it’s a lack of defense. That’s where the rebuild needs to focus, first and foremost. I could talk more about that, but this piece is all about the Swede.

By throwing the star goalie under the bus in the manner that AV did, he basically puts the entire blame on Henrik for the Rangers inability to win games. Well, unfortunately, Lundqvist can’t score goals, it’s not his job. And hey, for a goalie that’s “inconsistent”, he’s not doing too shabby with a .914 SV% and 2.89 GAA while the team is operating like a dumpster fire in front of him.

Hank clapped back in his usual classy way with a veiled reference to AV’s statements:

Playing the Self Blame Game

He could have a big head, but he lets his stats speak for themselves. But anyone who has had the pleasure of interviewing him will always hear the same thing after a loss “I’ve got to be better.”

Lundqvist is the type to take losses personally. He wants to do better, he blames himself for every loss, even when it’s not justified. Even when the team plays like utter garbage in front of him, he doesn’t point the finger. He simply takes the battle internally and tries to better himself. Even if he’s the best player on the ice, and he has a 50-save game, if they lose, he carries his fair share of the blame.

Over the last several weeks, and really for the entire season, he’s done that even more than normal. Of course, this is going to affect him. Henrik gets stuck in his own head and that’s more of a detriment to his play than his competitive streak. And let’s face it, your own coach throwing you under the bus and failing to acknowledge the real issues? It doesn’t help.

The Infamous Bronx Cheer

Now I’m gonna rant for a minute, and this is just my opinion. Take it with a grain of salt, or with a glass of wine as I often do.

One of the most disrespectful things you can do to a goalie is to give him The Bronx Cheer, let alone Henrik. As a matter of fact, it’s not something you should ever do to your own goalie. I mean, this man has kept the Rangers from floundering since his debut in 2005. He’s a generational goalie with the stats and records to back it up. He’s the reason they’ve made the playoffs in eleven out of the twelve years he’s been in net. He’s hidden a lot of flaws. Perhaps that’s part of the problem, that he’s played too well for them. But honestly, if you Bronx cheered Hank, shame on you for calling yourself a Rangers fan.

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The last two games have not been Hank’s best, with an average .813 SV%. But after all that he’s done and continues to do, he doesn’t deserve that. And the death stare Hank gave AV this weekend is all we need to know how he feels about his coach.

The New York Rangers are going to look very different next season both upfront and on the blueline. As you all know, the rebuild is starting soon and many big names will be moved out within the next few months. We’ve written about it quite a bit on the site but today we’re going to look at the ideal Rangers lineup for next season. Now full disclosure: this lineup isn’t based on any rumors or inside info that I have. It’s simply ideas that I have that I think would set the Rangers up best for future success.

We begin with the three trades that will be the basis of our new Rangers lineup. Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, and Mats Zuccarello are all traded and have new homes for the playoffs. Michael Grabner and Nick Holden are as well but consider the returns on both of them mid-round picks. Those two aren’t as highly sought after as three aforementioned players, so we’ll begin with Ryan McDonagh.

Ryan McDonagh traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and a Second Round Pick in 2018

If Tampa Bay wants McDonagh as much as rumors say they do, this is the offer that will get them the Rangers captain. This is a better offer than anything Boston could offer the Rangers because it’s no secret that Long Island native Charlie McAvoy isn’t going anywhere, and neither is David Pastrnak. Sergachev is one of the game’s premier young defensemen, and at just 19 years of age, would be one of the Rangers building blocks for the future and would be our workhorse number one defenseman in just a few seasons.

Sergachev has eight goals and 22 assists this season for a total of 30 points in 56 games. He’s on the second power-play unit in Tampa Bay and has extremely smart hockey sense. He was highly touted coming out of juniors and the kid has everything to succeed in this league as a number one defensemen. Next season, Sergachev could see top pair minutes but he would most likely stick to the second pair as he filled out more and continued his development. Sergachev would almost certainly see first unit power-play minutes as well.

On Tampa Bay’s side of things, they acquire one of the best shutdown defensemen in the NHL today and a pairing of McDonagh and Victor Hedman would help Tampa Bay compete for the cup for the next few season. It hurts their future a bit since McDonagh is older than Sergachev, but if McDonagh helps them win a cup, I’m sure GM Steve Yzerman and the fans won’t be too upset.

Mats Zuccarello traded to the Winnipeg Jets for prospect Kristian Vesalainen and a First Round Pick in 2018

Now I know this one hurts also folks. Zuccarello is one of the most beloved players on this Rangers roster but if the Rangers could get this offer out of the Jets, they have to jump on it. Zuccarello is a skilled player, no doubt about it, but the upside of Vesalainen is too good to pass up here. This trade was arguably the hardest for me to think of out of the big three the Rangers are thinking of trading, but this trade arguably makes the most sense for both squads.

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The Rangers get a big-bodied player with a massive amount of offensive upside. Vesalainen has already won an SHL title and was the most impressive player at the U18 World Junior Championships back in 2017. His development has taken a massive leap this season as he has 38 points in 42 games for his team HPK in Finland’s top hockey league, Liiga. He only had six goals spread amongst the three teams he played for last season. Oh and he’s only 18 years old.

I could see Vesalainen stepping into a role with the Rangers as early as next season. Where would he fit on the team? Middle six would probably be the best spot for him to land as he would need to get accustomed to the North American ice surface. But make no mistake, with time, Vesalainen is a top-six player for the Rangers and depending on how quickly he adjusts, it could be next season.

On Winnipeg’s side of things, they get one of the craftiest playmakers in the league and arguably become the team with the deepest and scariest forward corps in the league. They would now have a top six of Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers, Mats Zuccarello and Bryan Little. That top six has it all. Skill, size, and speed dominate that lineup and if we look even further their third line blossoms as well. Mathieu Perrault, Kyle Connor, and Andrew Copp make a great third line. The Jets are already looking like a scary team this season, but with Zuccarello, they would be that much better in their quest for the Stanley Cup.

Rick Nash traded to the Nashville Predators for Eeli Tolvanen (Rangers retain 50% salary for Nash)

Now this one is fun to think about. Tolvanen is one of the best prospects in the game and is currently tearing it up at the Olympics where he has six points in two games. He is also having a breakout year for Jokerit in the KHL, where he has 17 goals and 17 assists for 34 points in 47 games. And by the way, he’s only 18 years old.

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You’ll notice there’s no pick included with this trade and that’s for good reason here. Tolvanen is one of the best prospects in the world and the Rangers should consider themselves lucky if Nashville is willing to part with him for Nash. That being said, Nash is no slouch at all and would instantly make the Predators better at forward and would give GM David Poile that big winger he is looking for at the deadline.

Tolvanen would be on the Rangers roster next year and could possibly see top line minutes. The kid is an absolute stud and for a teenager to be making the impact he is in the KHL is extremely impressive. This is a player who would be an excellent addition to the team and would be one of our top players in the future. I’m talking first power-play minutes and giving the Rangers a player with that fear factor that opponents would have to respect every time he steps on the ice.

On Nashville’s side of things, their top six gets beefed up with the addition of Nash and he would make an imposing presence on a line with Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen. That line would be one of the scariest in the league and would further increase Nashville’s chances of winning the Stanley Cup. A top six of Rick Nash, Kevin Fiala, Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, Viktor Arvidsson and Kyle Turris is scary and would be great for Nashville to have going into the playoffs.

But wait there’s more!

With Zuccarello, McDonagh, Nash, Grabner, and Holden off the team by the deadline, the team calls up the young kids and the growing pains begin and the losses build up. The Rangers fall in the standings but there is hope for the future as they get a top-five pick in the draft lottery. For argument’s sake, they don’t receive the first overall because let’s face it, they aren’t going to be that bad. So who does Jeff Gorton pick with their top five pick? Thankfully there is a bevy of good options.

With a high end pick the Rangers select either Filip Zadina, Andrei Svechnikov or Brady Tkachuk. Any of those three guys would be welcome on the team and all three have amazing potential to do great things in this league. Zadina and Svechnikov are snipers through and through and getting to play with Zibanejad, Chytil or Andersson is tantalizing as those three can set up plays for them. Zadina is currently with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL where he has 35 goals and 28 assists for 63 points in 44 games. Zadina also played with Filip Chytil at the World Junior Championships on the top line for the Czech Republic, where Zadina had eight points (7G, A), while Chytil had four points (2G, 2A) in the seven games of the tournament. Svechnikov is currently with the Barrie Colts of the OHL where he has 30 goals and 18 assists for 48 points in 32 games.

Tkachuk was an absolute standout at this year’s world junior championship in Buffalo, and although he isn’t the sniper that Svechnikov or Zadina is, his value is in the ability to be hard on the puck and make his physical presence known. This isn’t to say that he can’t score goals, but he is a different type of player than the other two are. Basically, he’s an upgraded version of his brother Matthew, who currently plays for the Calgary Flames. Brady currently attends and plays for Boston University where has 7 goals and 16 assists for 23 points in 30 games.

The 2018-19 New York Rangers

Without further ado, here is the ideal lineup for the New York Rangers next season.

Forwards

Pavel Buchnevich – Mika Zibanejad – Eeli Tolvanen

Chris Kreider – Filip Chytil – Zadina/Svechnikov/Tkachuk

Kristian Vesalainen – Kevin Hayes – J.T. Miller

Jesper Fast – Lias Andersson – Jimmy Vesey

Defense

Brady Skjei – Kevin Shattenkirk

Mikhail Sergachev – Neal Pionk

John Gilmour – Tony DeAngelo

Goalies

Henrik Lundqvist

Ondrej Pavelec

Yes, this team is extremely young and will have some growing pains going forward. The important thing here is that there are some veterans mixed in to show the young guys the ropes in Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Kevin Hayes, J.T. Miller, Brady Skjei, Kevin Shattenkirk and of course Henrik Lundqvist.

There are more questions of course: will Chytil or Andersson develop into a number one center? Can Mika Zibanejad put it all together and stay healthy? Is the defense good enough to succeed or do they need to add another veteran piece like a Ron Hainsey or a Nicklas Hjalmarsson? Can Hank keep up his stellar play?

One thing to note is that this team will probably not have any issues putting the puck in the net once the rookies get acclimated to the North American ice. A top six of Buchnevich, Zibanejad, Tolvanen, Chytil, Kreider and one of those top 2018 guys would be so skillful and full of potential. If they all developed right it could be the most talented offensive teams in Rangers history.

Now, there is one last thing. The Rangers could also opt to take a defenseman like Adam Boqvist, Noah Dobson or Evan Bouchard and in that case…

Forwards

Pavel Buchnevich – Mika Zibanejad – Eeli Tolvanen

Chris Kreider – Filip Chytil – Kristian Vesalainen

Jimmy Vesey – Kevin Hayes – J.T. Miller

Jesper Fast – Lias Andersson – Vinni Lettieri

Defense

Brady Skjei – Kevin Shattenkirk

Mikhail Sergachev – Boqvist/Dobson/Bouchard

Neal Pionk – Tony DeAngelo

Goalies

Henrik Lundqvist

Ondrej Pavelec

If the Rangers went this route, the defense would have just that much more potential and a puck mover like Boqvist, Dobson or Bouchard would be awesome to add to the d-corps on Broadway. All three are projected to go very high in this draft. Bottom line here is that a top ten pick for the Rangers would do wonders for them as the rebuild pushes on.