While we wait for training camp to open in September 12 and seeing how we have already started to focus on who is and is mot skating, not much is going on in Rangers land. That said, yes - I will give a quick view on all the Lundqvist contract talk at the bottom of this blog - I wanted to get back to the 20+ offseason questions. As a reminder here is a
link to the 20+ questions initially raised, I have covered questions 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 14.
Today's topic:
4. Was 2012-13, especially in the playoffs, an aberration for Rick Nash or is this what can be expected from him yearly?
If you just looked at the numbers on paper, one would say that Rick Nash had a solid year. Twenty-one goals and 21 assists. Nearly a point per game, yet you were left wanting and expecting more.
Nash got off to a good start while playing on a line with Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards. Former coach John Tortorella broke up the trio in an effort to balance out the scoring, which set the team and Nash back for a while. Nash then showed chemistry while paired with Derek Stepan and Carl Hagelin, but that production was sporadic and inconsistent.
All the questions about his regular season performance pale in comparison to what was raised during the playoffs. Heading in to the second season, there were questions as to whether Nash could succeed when tightly checked and marked, as he struggled in those situations during the year. In addition, whispers about a wrist injury grew louder, especially in the first round. Nash did little to put both of those points to bed, as he failed to much when matched up against Karl Alzner and/or John Carlson in the first round. In the second, while he wasn't great against Zdeno Chara, he was better and showed much more than he did versus Washington, somewhat supporting the notion that his health woes plagued him early.
Some of the explanations for Nash's so-so season are based partially on unrealistic expectations and his own failures can be placed at the hands of Tortorella's system, which required him to collapse fairly deep in the defensive zone. That prevented Nash from being to use his speed and shiftiness to either break to open space or create space with the puck, as he did in his highlight reel goal from years past, when he used both of those aspects to score. Last year, he was so deep that by the time he made to the other side of the blue line or red line, he was no longer free or able to create space since none was available. This year, that excuse was gone. New coach Alain Vigneault's style of play should enable Nash to get several breakaway attempts. Plus, his focus on getting the most out of his offensive players by deploying them heavily in the O-zone should help Nash and the Rangers reap great dividends. Plus, Nash has the comfort of being in his second year in New York, with the team while skating with forwards he knows.
The burden now is on Nash to produce. Of course, that said, the burden is really on him in the playoffs. If he scores 45 goals, yet only notches one or two insignificant markers in the post-season, what do you think everyone will remember? Same if he scored just 25-30 in the regular season, yet put the Rangers on his back and carried them through several rounds. Of course, part A from the first scenario and B from the second would be optimal, but lets not get greedy.
Heading into 2013-14 the crosshairs are firmly on Nash and I do believe he will deliver.
Now on Lundqvist. With little hockey going on the contract talks have taken on but to me, it's much adieu about nothing. If anyone expected Lundqvist to say that he wasn't happy in NY, that he wouldn't want to finish his career year and that talks are currently under way, they haven't paid attention to his career and his importance to the Rangers. As I wrote in my comments to my prior blog. what has been said are the same things we have heard to date, only mild tweak is that Lundqvist said he would have to decide if he allows talks to continue during the season. I see no reason why not, especially since he said that he won't be involved in the process until the end of negotiations, so it shouldn't impact his play during the year. I know Larry Brooks speculated on questions that may be asked if he is not signed and gets off to a slow start. What happens if he is signed and gets off to that slow start. No one will ask if the new, big deal has affected him and if he feels the need to live up to the deal? You can spin it any want you want, bottom line, the Rangers want Lundqvist and Lundqvist wants the Rangers, only questions are years and dollars, which will get worked out and I projected my view in a prior blog.
(Apologies if any spelling mistakes as did this on my iPhone)
New York Rangers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»