New York Rangers: State of the Union
I’ve been a fan of the New York Rangers since Wayne Gretzky signed here for the 96–97 season. My Dad was a Wayne Gretzky guy and when he signed with New York that was my team. Not the ideal time to become a Rangers fan, huh? My childhood consisted of counting how many games were left between the Rangers and the 5 teams above them in standings, and doing the math to see how we can make the playoffs. It never worked out well. This was the wild wild west when there was no salary cap. I remember spending summers at my grandmother’s house looking at the “top” free agents on NHL.com. More often than not, that guy was a Ranger, hello John Maclean. Here are some of my childhood Rangers fan highlights.
- As a young tyke, I remember watching Wayne Gretzky’s hat trick in the playoffs against the Florida Panthers. Unfortunately, I also have the memory of laying in bed, trying to keep my eyes open, wondering why Wayne Gretzky was right handed, as I watched us lose to the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals through a mirror in my headboard. My mom yelled at me for staying up to watch the game as I assured her I would make it to school the next day…I did not make it to school the next day.
- The next year my father took me to New York City in October. He owned a limo company, and I enjoyed riding in a limo, so we went to New York City in a limo. This was the height of “Richie Rich” I loved that limo. I actually was driven to elementary school almost every day in a limo. I was the kid who was dropped off to elementary school in a limo…Honestly, people underestimate the practicality of a limo. My dad used to drive me and 6–7 hockey friends up to Canada for our youth hockey tournaments. My mom and Dad sat in the front and rolled the soundproof window up and didn’t open it until we reached our hotel, simple. So anyways, here I am in the back of a limo on my way to NYC to see the New York Islanders take on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. This was 1997 before StubHub. I remember my Dad shaking hands with someone in the back of a bowling ally and next thing I know I’m chillin’ in one of those suits where they have all you can eat lobster buffets. Beyond the lobster buffet I don’t remember much except the excitement of Pat LaFontaine being the new addition that year. That was my first game, I still have those tickets to this day.
- These Rangers teams were wrapping up from the 94’ conquest and overspending on free agents kept the team afloat. I have a fondness for guys like Adam Graves, Brian Leetch, Mike Richter, I really liked Jeff Beukeboom, Ulf Samuelsson, Kevin Stevens, Manny Malhotra, John Maclean, Bruce Driver, Petr Nedved, Mathieu Schneider, Esa Tikkanen, Radek Dvorak, Theo Fleury, Kevin Hatcher, Valeri Kamensky, Rich Pilon, Dale Purinton, Mike York, Jan Hlavac, Vladimir Malakhov, Sandy McCarthy, the Old Mark Messier, Mathew Barnaby, Pavel Bure, unfortunately Dan Blackburn, Bryan Berard, Rica Fata, Eric Lindros, Tom Poti, Martin Ruchinsky, Anson Carter, Bobby Holik, Darius Kasparaitis, Jamie Lundmark, Fedor Tyutin, Jed Ortmeyer, and I would say right about the time we traded for Jarmoir Jagr is when my childhood nostalgia ended, I was now a man fan. Those were a lot of losing seasons I endured as a child.
- The Rangers have come a long way since I was a kid and I wanted to share a state of the union address with fellow Rangers fans.
Henrik Lundqvist #30
This one is personal. I have seen Henrik Lundqvist’s entire career. I watched him take the job from Kevin Weeks and finally give the New York Rangers goaltender position stability. I traveled to New York City when Henrik Lundqvist dragged the Rangers to the Stanley Cup finals. He is the greatest New York Ranger of all time, no one will wear the #30 in Rangers blue again. But, the Rangers rebuild ended when Jeff Gordon surprised fans by signing Chris Kreider to a 7 year contract extension at the trade deadline, it’s time to win The Stanley Cup. Henrik Lundqvist is 38 years old. Coach Quinn will be fired if he doesn’t win hockey games and he believes Igor Shestyorkin and Alexander Georgiev give him the best chance to win. So what is going to happen to Hank?
- Let’s start with what I would like to have happen. Lundqvist showed up to camp looking skinny and sensational, he can still play the game at a high level. We have two young goalies, Igor Shestyorkin and Alexander Georgiev. Georgiev is a desirable young goalie under team control, but Shestyorkin is special. Transitioning from Hank to Shestyorkin will be much smoother than transitioning from Mike Richter to Dan Blackburn playing with 2 blockers. I would want Jeff Gordon to trade Alexander Georgiev at the draft and split time with Igor Shestyorkin and Henrik Lundqvist until Henrik Lundqvist retires in a Rangers uniform. I never want to see Lundqvist in another NHL jersey, I think it’s so unique when a legendary player begins his career and ends his career with the same organization.
- We can continue with what I would be OKAY with. Lundqvist’s competitive nature is legendary. Hank wants to play. He’s not going to be content with being a full time backup next year. If Hank told the Rangers, “I want to play with my twin brother at Frölunda HC and chase the Le Mat Trophy” I wouldn’t cry too much at Hank’s retirement ceremony. In this scenario, Hank’s 8 million dollar salary cap hit vanishes and I will figure out how to watch the Swedish Elite League in my living room. For what its worth, Hank’s contract is front loaded so he would “only” be turning down 3 million dollars and not the full 8 million dollars.
- It’s entirely possible Hank will sit down with the Rangers front office and say, “I want a chance to win the Stanley Cup before I retire, can you trade me to another team that has a chance to win the Stanley Cup.” The Rangers would do everything possible to facilitate this request, and we might see Henrik Lundqvist in a different NHL jersey next year. As bittersweet as it may be, I will be rooting for Hank to win the Stanley Cup if this does come to fruition.
- Do not buy Hank out. This is not okay. That is the most unceremonious way for Henrik Lundqvist to end his New York Rangers career. The Rangers are a first class organization and that will not happen.
- I have no more emotional connections. We can package Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin tomorrow if it makes the team better.
Mika Zibanejad #93
We traded Derick Brassard and $2 million dollars to the Ottawa Senators for Mika Zibanejad and a 2nd round draft pick. Ottawa was looking to make a run at the Stanley Cup and viewed Brassard as a playoff experienced upgrade over Zibanejad. The Rangers were looking to get younger and mix things up after a couple failed playoff runs. I liked Derrick Brassard, he was a good player for us. But, at the time, it seemed like we didn’t lose much replacing him with Mika, and we got younger. My only qualm with Mika when he arrived was his blonde frosted tips. With the recent talk of Mika becoming captain, I think about the old adage, “No man with blonde frosted tips will be a leader of men.” Well, years later, Mika’s hair is black now, he’s the 1st line center the Rangers have been looking for since 94' Mark Messier, and he’s got my blessing if he’s the 28th New York Rangers captain.
Artemi Panarin #10
My wife is an Armenian girl that came to America as a refugee on a boat from Moscow. She maintains that she came here on a plane and her name isn’t written down somewhere on Ellis Island, but she can’t fool me. However, she did give me some inside information when everyone was trying to figure out where Artemi Panarin was heading in free agency, “There is no chance any Russian is going to go to Florida or Long Island over NYC. Artemi Panarin will take a little less money if that’s what it takes to be close to Brighten Beach and New York City.” Well, as it turned out, the Armenian oracle spoke truth. Panarin left a little money on the table to become a New York Ranger. The Rangers signed the biggest free agent, what else is new right? As a lifelong Rangers fan, I’m conditioned to be disappointed by big free agent signings. But this was different, this signing wasn’t fueled by Glen Sather’s cigar. Jeff Gordon had a design for this team, and the “Breadman” fits within that design. 20 games into the season, I find myself asking the question, “Is Artemi Panarin the best Rangers skater in my lifetime?” I think this question has circulated other Rangers fans, too. I’ve decided 96–97 Brian Leetch, 05–06 post lockout Jaromir Jagr, and 19–20 Artemi Panarin are the 3 debatable options. This question doesn’t have an objective answer. When Panarin he has the puck on his stick, his ability to find open ice for both himself and his teammates is unbelievable. One of the reasons the Pittsburg Penguins have had a tremendous amount of success, is they take a fan from section 410 and put him on Sidney Crosby’s line. That fan proceeds to score 30 goals. Rinse, repeat. Artemi Panarin has shown to be the type of player that can elevate the play of his linemates in a similar fashion, he’s been playing with Jespar Fast and Ryan Strome for a lot of the year…Panarin has been worth every penny of his contract, when the NHL awards roll around Leon Draisaitl will win MVP. But, there will be talk of what the MVP award actually means and how Artemi Panarin was more valuable for his team.
Chris Kreider #20
Being a Rangers fan has involved a lot of clenching over the years. Torts took over and we had 5 guys between the puck and the net at all times and hoped Hank won us another game. My Dad and I would watch the games together and he would always say, “Why not keep the puck? The Rangers are getting out skated.” More often than not, he was correct. But, one player avoid my father’s criticisms, Boston College’s Chris Kreider. Kreider joined the Rangers for our playoff run in 2012 and showcased his straight line speed and physicality. As the team has evolved under Jeff Gordon’s rebuild, Kreider has emerged as leader in the locker room, a guy the team can relies on. Everyone expected Kreider to be traded at the deadline, he was an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, and he was #1 on TSN’s trade bait board all year long. Jeff Gordon surprised Rangers fan by signing Kreider to a 7-year contract extension, effectively signaling the rebuild is over, it’s time to win the Stanley Cup. I’ve heard some small criticisms about Kreider, he’s inconsistent. Kreider has been one of our most consistent, replied upon players in the playoffs, Chris Kreider is my choice for the 28th captain of the New York Rangers.
The Denis Potvin Chant
The chant dates back to February 25th, 1979 when Denis Potvin hit Ulf Nilsson into the boards causing Ulf Nilsson to be injured. For the next 40 years some dude with a whistle signals 5–10 times a game when it is time to chant, “Potvin Sucks.” Now, if I’m Denis Potvin, I love this. I’m taking my grandchild to Madison Square Garden and giddy every time I hear that whistle. I’d tell the kid, “I hit this New York Ranger player so hard they still remember me. Just wait, they’ll say my name a couple more times tonight.” There seems to be a very real disconnect between Rangers fans about the, “Potvin Sucks” chant. Some fans love the history and the nostalgia, and on the other side of the spectrum is, “Who is Denis Potvin?” I fell on the “Who is Denis Potvin?” side of the spectrum years ago, so I looked him up. Denis Potvin was the captain of the 1980’s Islanders dynasty that won 4 Stanley Cups in a row and 19 consecutive playoff series. He’s been inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame and is, objectively, one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Denis Potvin does not “suck”, “Potvin Sucks” needs to die.
Pavel Buchnevich #89
Pavel Buchnevich has been a relatively polarizing player throughout his time as a Ranger. It seems like a tribe of Rangers fans have wanted to sign Buch up for a 6 year contract extension, and a gang of Rangers fans aren’t as high on his abilities. To me, it seems like every time Buch has the puck he makes an extra stick handle that doesn’t allow him to take advantage of a defense that is out of position. I think this is the most evident on the power play. Panarin and company are snapping the puck around on the powerplay Buch gets the puck and sticks it in the mud. Buch is a liability if he’s ever caught playing defense when Fox or DeAngelo are caught up ice. He’s not a strong player when it comes to winning battles along the boards, but he does see the ice well when he has time and space with the puck. His shot is capable of beating a goalie, and once in awhile he can beat a defender. Pavel Buchnevich is an NHL middle six forward and I think he has good chemistry with the team, but if I’m Jeff Gordon, I’m not afraid to play hard ball with offseason negotiations.
Tony DeAngelo #77
Jeff Gordon traded Derick Stepan and Antti Raanta for the #7 pick in the draft which turned out to be Lias Anderson and Tony DeAngelo. I wasn’t a big Derrick Stepan fan. I should rephrase, I thought Derrick Stepan was a little soft in the playoffs and I agreed with trading him before his no movement contract kicked in. We also gave up Antti Raanta in this deal, but we had Hank, so backup goalies meant nothing to me. Most people expected the #7 overall draft pick to be the best returning asset. No one expected Tony DeAngelo to literally become a star on Broadway. Tony DeAngelo is an unapologetic Italian American from New Jersey. If I ever meet him, I’m going to give him the Italian American litmus test, “Tony, let me see your white wife beater”…and he will untuck his shirt to show me a white wife beater. My best friend is an Italian American, he doesn’t follow hockey, but he’s buying a Tony DeAngelo jersey once I tell him Tony’s going to be here for awhile. Tony has 53 points as a defensemen in 62 games. Besides Brian Leetch, Sergei Zubov, and Brad Park, I can’t think of another Rangers defensemen that has possibly scored 50 points in a season. Tony has a couple inefficiencies in his own end, but he’s an elite puck moving defensemen, an excellent power play quarterback, and very opportunistic with getting open to receive a pass for a goal scoring opportunity. The guy will also be the first to stick up for his teammates when things get violent, he challenged Tom Wilson the other day. For awhile there was talk about trading Tony DeAngelo because, “We have too many right handed defensemen, Tony could get us something good in return.” Tony is going to sign a contract extension. When he does, I’ll let my friend with all the vowels know.
Adam Fox #23
Adam Fox was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes, played at Harvard, and always wanted to be a New York Ranger. Jeff Gordon sent two 2nd round draft picks to Carolina and Adam Fox got his wish. At the time Spittin’ Chiclets along with other media outlets criticized the trade, “Adam Fox doesn’t want to play in Carolina, he wants to be a New York Ranger. Fox had the option of becoming a free agent if he returned to Harvard for his senior season. Carolina had no leverage, why did Jeff Gordon and the Rangers give up so much when they had all the leverage.” All of this is true, but if you’ve ever played fantasy football, there’s always a guy trying to rip everyone off. That guy has a reputation, no one is going to do business with that guy if they don’t have to. Adam Fox put Carolina in a terrible spot, “I don’t want to play for you, I want to be a Ranger, please trade me.” Jeff Gordon realized what an opportunity it was to get Adam Fox and wasn’t trying rip Carolina off, or waste time wrapping coins when counting dollars. All of these GM’s are skilled professionals at the highest of level, you aren’t going to win a Stanley Cup by ripping GM’s off. Team situations dictate trades, a reputation as a fair and honest GM makes a difference. Look, we traded Brady Skjei for a first round pick to Carolina. A lot of Rangers fans say they can’t believe Carolina gave us a first round pick for man rocket, Brady Skjei. Maybe that deal doesn’t get done if Jeff Gordon uses every ounce of leverage against Carolina for Adam Fox. I understand this is a business, Jeff Gordon draws a line in the sand as well as any negotiator, look at the Georgiev to Toronto situation. All I’m saying is nobody does anything with Lou Lamoriello, and don’t be surprised when GM’s over sheet Matt Barzal this offseason. All the stuff about Tony DeAngelo, just copy and paste it down her. Adam Fox is a little undersized, sees the ice well, snaps tape-to-tape passes, has some inefficiencies in the defensive end, and looks to be a big part of the New York Rangers future on the back end. Fox works exceptionally well on the power play handling the puck along the blue line. For years, we have been looking for a quarterback for the power play. We traded for Keith Yandle, Paul Mara tried it, Michal Rozsíval, Bryan Berard, Michal Del Zotto, and I’m sure there were others. Today, we have finally filled that power play quarterback void with two right handed defensemen, Tony DeAngelo and Adam Fox.
Jacob Trouba #8
We traded Kevin Hayes to Winnipeg for a 1st round pick and Brendan Lemieux at last year’s trade deadline. I thought this was a really good move for Winnipeg, Hayes is a really good hockey player and made Winnipeg really strong down the middle for their playoff run. It’ was a good idea, didn’t work out for them. In the offseason, we returned Winnipeg’s 1st round draft pick along with Neil Pionk for the opportunity to sign Jacob Trouba to a 7 year, $8 million per year contract. At the time, Rangers fans dismissed Neal Pionk. I think it’s fair to point out Neal Pionk had a pretty darn good year in Winnipeg. It sounded like Trouba had wanted to leave Winnipeg and come back to America, because his wife is in med school. When big news happens in hockey, I go to The Hockey Guy’s YouTube page to see what he has to say about the matter. “It’s a good move for the Rangers, but at times during the season Rangers fans will be shaking their heads asking themselves why did we pay this guy 8 million a year?”-The Hockey Guy. Sound about right? There’s been talk about trading Trouba in the offseason. The “problem” is we have so many good right handed defensemen: Jacob Trouba, Adam Fox, Tony DeAngelo, and Nils Lundkvist. As a fan, it’s very easy to look at the highest paid right handed Defensemen and say, “Lets get rid of that contract.” Here is one of the problems with this utopian thought, the games aren’t played on CapFriendly. Jacob Trouba brings something to our back end that the other guys don’t, size and physicality (I immediately realized that could have been worded differently, but this is a free write, there’s no turning back now). Nils Lundqvist is doing well in the Swedish league, but young defensemen are notoriously slow to transition to the NHL. John Davidson has been pretty clear, the Hartford Wolfpack are going to be an asset for the New York Rangers. There should always be a Lundqvist protecting the Rangers net, but Nils’ NHL career will begin in Hartford. And finally, all year I’ve been hearing, “We have too many right handed defensemen, we should think about trading Tony DeAngelo at the deadline.” 90% of the NHL is left handed. Everyone is looking for a right handed defensemen. We have 3 tremendous right handed defensemen. That’s a good thing, there is no need to trade any of them, run Trouba-DeAngelo-Fox 1–2–3 for the foreseeable future.
Ryan Lindgren #55
Last year, when the Wolfpack was a disorganized mess, I saw Ryan Lindgren play against the Syracuse Crunch. I recognized Vinni Lettieri, he got a lot of power play time. I might’ve kept an eye on Boo Nieves because he’s a local kid, but I turned to my wife and say, “This Lindgren kid is small but he’s tough. Remember him, he might get a chance with the Rangers.” Well, the small left handed defensemen has gotten a chance with the big club and he’s reconnected with his childhood buddy, Adam Fox. Lindgren doesn’t have intimidating size, but plays with intimidation and physicality. Lindgren reminds me of a young Dan Girardi; He doesn’t have a tremendous amount of skill like his right handed counterparts, but he makes the simple play and doesn’t screw up at the NHL level. Sign me up for Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren as a 3rd Defensive pairing for the next 7 years.
Marc Staal #18
Marc Staal’s contract ends next year. His salary cap hit is close to $6 million. Over the years, he’s had some injures that have hampered his play. Most noticeably, he’s been hit in the eye with a slap shot and, ironically, his brother hit him very hard resulting in a concussion. For the past couple of years, Rangers fans have looked at Staal’s contract and looked at Marc Staal on the ice and realized these two things don’t match up. He has been a little bit of a villain amongst Rangers fans because of our salary cap issue. But, I’m here to tell you Marc Staal as subtly transitioned from a villain to a fan favorite. I haven’t seen a more stark transition from villain to fan favorite since Alex Rodriguez was forced to retire from the Yankees. When I buy a Rangers jersey I want to have seen that player’s career, I want that player to have been a significant part of the Rangers team. Those Keith Yandle and Eric Staal jerseys haven’t aged well for example. If you’re looking to buy a Rangers jersey, Marc Staal isn’t too far down on my list of recommendations, he’s spent his entire career with the Rangers, he’s been a big part of those playoff runs, and he’s a leader in the locker room. After next year, losing his salary cap hit will help the New York Rangers. But I have news for you Rangers fans, Marc Staal has played pretty well this year.
Igor Shesterkin #31
Igor Shesterkin has the “it” factor. The best goalies have god given reactions that can’t be taught. This kid has those reactions. He is the successor to Henrik Lundqvist. It is what it is, it’s not what it’s not. There isn’t much more to say about Igor Shestyorkin, the kid is the future.
Alexander Georgiev #40
I don’t think there has ever been a double soviet goalie tandem in the NHL, the Rangers are dangerously close to being the first. Igor Shestyorkin is the future for the New York Rangers. Georgiev’s future is not so clear. Over the past 3 years Georgiev has shown to be a quality NHL goaltender, but he’s clearly behind Igor as #2. His future will depend on what Henrik Lundqvist decides to do in the offseason, the Rangers won’t have 3 goalies next year. Georgiev could be dealt at the draft or the Rangers could be the first to rock the double soviet goalie duo next year.
Filip Chytil #72
Filip Chytil has tremendous speed. He likes to use this speed carrying the puck on his off wing and either drive to the net, force the goalie to coral an awkward backhand, or continue possession behind the net. Chytil was drafted in the first round with Lias Andersson. I went to see him when the dysfunctional Hartford Wolfpack visited the Syracuse Crunch. Rangers fans are not used to having first round draft picks, it was weird having two in one draft. Chytil was buzzin all over the ice, he had the puck on his stick most of the game. I was whelmed with Lias Andersson, he was rarely noticed him. The Rangers are missing a 2nd line center. Filip Chytil is a candidate to fill that position. I see Chytil being more effective as a winger using his speed to attack defensemen wide. I’m not in love with his ability to win faceoffs or his defensive zone prowess. Unfortunately, I think we are going to have to import a 2nd line center. I’ve been hearing some buzz about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins but I’m not going to pretend to know what Jeff Gordon has up his sleeve. At the end of the day, Chytil is homegrown cost controlled talent, love to see it.
Brendan Lemieux #48
When we traded Kevin Hayes to Winnipeg as a rental, Brendan Lemieux was apart of the return. I liked what I heard about Lemieux, the Rangers need a 4th line guy that brings physicality and the ability to play the game. But, I’m not impressed with his performance. He’s lazy in the defensive zone, he fatigues, he takes terrible penalties at inappropriate times, he dives to draw penalties, and, honestly, I don’t see the difference between him and Brendan Smith playing forward. At the same time, I like a guy that plays with an edge. “The Edge…There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.”-Hunter S. Thompson. Claude Lemieux’s kid knows exactly where the edge is. Every team needs a good wildcard, you don’t know if he’s going to be lazy in the defensive zone, or take a run at a guy and cause the garden to explode. People say Tom Wilson is a dirty player, I see a player that’s very effective. Brendan Lemieux is a poor man’s Tom Wilson. I wouldn’t mind him as a 4th line winger, but Jeff Gordon shouldn’t be afraid to hold his ground in negotiations.
Brendan Smith #42
I really liked when Jeff Gordon sent two, 2nd round draft picks to Detroit for Brendan Smith. He carried a physical presence that I thought we were lacking on the back end, and I liked his ability to see the ice in the neutral zone. I thought he played really well for us in those playoffs. Jeff Gordon rewarded him with a 4 year deal that hasn’t aged well. Smith was relegated from defense to a 4th line forward and now he’s back to playing defense. Smith has brought physicality to both positions and his versatility has helped us after trading Brady Skjei. Brendan Smith will bring stability to our left defense position next year as we develop younger players like Ryan Lindgren, Libor Hajek, and K’Andre Miller.
Jespar Fast #17
Remember Ryan “The right way” Callahan? Now, we have Jespar “The right way” Fast. He’s been doing things the right way for 7 years and his example has made him the assistant captain of the New York Rangers. He’s been spending some time on the first line with Artemi Panarin and has racked up 29 points in 62 games. This is an important dynamic for a successful team. Remember when the penguins would trade for guys at the deadline to play with Sidney Crosby on the first line? Those guys didn’t work out and found a very valuable role on the 3rd line. The penguins pulled a fan out of section 402 to play with Sid and that fan scored 30 goals. Rinse, repeat. Artemi Panarin is that type of dynamic player. He’s played with Ryan Strome and Jespar Fast for a lot of this year and that line has been a threat to score every time they touch the ice. That is what 11.6 million dollars a year should buy you. It’s also very important to point out, you can’t overpay the section 402 fan who scored 30 goals playing with Sidney Crosby. “Rinse, repeat” is a very important part of this process. I would like to see Jespar Fast come back for about 2 million a year, but we can’t overpay him. Fast is 28 years old and I’m pretty sure he can get more elsewhere.
Ryan Strome #16
We traded for Ryan Strome last year, sending Ryan Spooner to Edmonton. Spooner wasn’t a difference maker here, and Strome was struggling in Edmonton. Strome proceeded to score a million goals and all offseason I had to listen to, “His shooting percentage was too high, he will regress to the mean, look at this chart.” The same thing I said then, I’m going to say now, “Your charts are annoying, Ryan Strome is a good hockey player.” He played well last year and he’s playing well with Artemi Panarin on the 1st line. It looks like Ryan Strome will be a restricted free agent this offseason. I see no reason why Jeff Gordon doesn’t give him a 2 year bridge deal that lets him be an unrestricted free agent at the age of 28. Ryan Strome is a good hockey player, the Rangers are in the business of retaining good hockey players. Don’t show me any charts.
Kaapo Kakko #24
Kaapo Kakko and Jack Hughes were the two elite prospects in the draft. I was working at the Hospital when the draft order was revealed. When NBC Sports network came back from commercial, my heart was racing, are the Rangers seriously about to get one the top 2 picks and grab one of these highly touted prospects? So here I am, wading into the visitors room of 5 south, tunnel visioned, having no idea the janitorial staff was waxing the floors. Just as I find out the Rangers have the number 2 overall pick I’m getting yelled at by the lead janitor because now he has to wax the floor over again. Like a hand mark in wet concrete, my shoe print will forever be indented in that visitor room. Anyways, Kaapo Kakko is an 18 year old Finnish kid with type 1 diabetes living in NYC. Oh yea, fans have high expectations for him. Little bit of a culture shock, huh? He’s struggled this year. He hasn’t been the generational talent we all expected him to be, which is okay. He started to put the puck in the back of the net and then a worldwide pandemic ended his rookie season. One thing I’ve notice with Kakko is everyone wants him to shoot the puck. He seems to be a pass first guy. There's nothing wrong with being a pass first guy, Wayne Gretzky was a pass first guy. Lately, I’ve been noticing opportunities Kakko has had where he should have looked to pass. Instead, he shoots the puck. Kaapo Kakko will be fine, but we can’t force him to be someone he’s not. He needs to be a power forward possession playmaker. Sometimes it’s good to make the extra pass.
Brett Howden #21
With Brady Skjei gone and Hank operating in the distinguishably handsome region, Brett Howden is going to need to pick up the slack in the Man Rocket department. I like Brett Howden, we got him in that talent dump to Tampa Bay a couple years ago. I see him as our 4th line center for the next couple years. I like that he’s dedicated himself to learning faceoffs. You want to stay in the NHL? Become good at faceoffs. He’s struggled this year, but he strikes me as a guy that's going to work on his game in the offseason, and have a good next year as the 4th line center.
Julien Gauthier #12
I haven’t had much time to watch Julien Gauthier, but it seems like his best ability is driving the puck to the net from his off wing. He’s a big body that’s capable of winning battles in the offensive zone, but he seems to miss passes to open teammates in scoring zones and the neutral zone. He’s a strong skater, I’ve been impressed with his ability to beat an NHL defensemen wide with speed and physicality, and drive the puck to the net. I can see future Rangers games where this kid breaks the game open with an individual effort. I’m excited to see what the kid can do with his opportunity on Broadway.
K’Andre Miller
I love this kid. Have no rational reason other than when we drafted him, the analyst said he had the strongest grip strength in the draft. K’Andre Miller can squeeze stuff harder than anyone else in his draft class. I’m not sure there is a more important metric out there. We traded up in the draft to get this kid; Big body, good skater, just signed his entry deal, fills a left defensemen niche, my gut says this kid is going to be a stud.
Blueshirts Breakaway
I listen to this podcast on a semi-regular basis, and I think it’s a good podcast to listen to if you like the New York Rangers. And now I am going to vent. One half of this podcast dresses up as a priest and attends Rangers games preaching “The Church of Kaapo Kakko.” Now, as a Rangers fan who has never seen a high draft pick in his lifetime, this strikes me as, “This is why we can’t have nice things.” The first high draft pick we’ve ever had we immediately commit sacrilege to sell tee shirts? That high draft pick is having a disappointing year? I’m not saying it’s hurting Kakko, but I’m telling you there’s no way it helps. Sometimes bullying can be effective. For example, your Mom sends you to school in a salmon shirt, all your friends make fun of you, that kid doesn’t wear a salmon shirt again. I can’t believe this dude doesn’t have a friend that stops him from wearing this to the Garden. I get it, sell tee shirts, whatever.
The other half of this podcast seems like a portly Jewish fellow who is a self described “asshole.” This kind of person just irks me, the embracing of the asshole narcissist persona. Being an asshole is a bad attribute in life. Not too long ago he was comparing himself to Tony DeAngelo saying “We’re both assholes, it takes an asshole to understand another asshole.” No dude, Tony DeAngelo is awesome, you’re a portly jewish fellow telling everyone the coronavirus is no different from the flu. Well, guess what? The flu is listed as an upper body injury, the coronavirus just canceled the season. I’d recommend the podcast though.
