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First impressions are good ones at MSG as Rangers beat Isles

September 28, 2016, 8:56 AM ET [145 Comments]
Jan Levine
New York Rangers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Rangers, spurred on by production from heir top line and yes, the power play, defeated the Islanders 5-2 in the preseason opener for both teams.

The old adage is 'you never get a second chance to make a first impression.' If that truly is the case, Mika Zibanejad and Brandon Pirri did a pretty darn good job of making a good first impression. The same can be said for Pavel Buchnevich, as New York earned a victory Tuesday.

As you all know, I really never focus on the end result in preseason. For me, it's more on how well or poorly the individual players. In addition, it's seeing changes to the prior system and if those alterations look to be a positive for the future.

Here are my thoughts:

1) Mika can bring it.

A heck of howitzer from the Ovechkin spot by Zibanejad for the first goal of the game. Almost as impressive was the puck movement leading to that goal. Last year, we complained repeatedly about how the slow the puck and player movement was for large stretches of the season. Yesterday, for at least one game, that wasn't the case, as both were evident. Zibanejad had the power-play goal and two assists with Chris Kreider (goal, assist) and rookie Pavel Buchnevich (plus-2, three shots) contributing as well.

2) Brandon Pirri can shoot

Pirri brings an element lacking last year; a player with a big shot who is more than willing to blast the puck. A great one time off the drop pass for the goal by Pirri. The one problem is, which we have discussed before, is where to put him? He is not a fourth line player. If the Kreider-Zib-Buch trio remain together, same with Nash-Hayes-Vesey and Miller-Stephan-Zucc, where does Pirri fit? Grabner and Fast are suited for the fourth line, more on that below, so Pirri isn't a great fit there. AV will have a challenge on finding a slot for Pirri, so he could be the 13th forward.

3) McIlrath with a blast

Continuing the shooting there, McIlrath took advantage of open ice, getting into position and blasting a shot for the goal. What was noticeable was how much more comfortable he looked on the ice. Last year, he might not have realized he had that much space and room and just shot it. This time, he showed patience, which is a sign of growth.

Despite what we saw yesterday, the Post speculates as to whether McI has what AV is looking for in a blue liner. For that matter, does most of the defense possess what AV wants? The answer to that question may very drive how well this team performs.

Asked if he wanted more physicality from his group, he gave a quick discourse on the modern NHL.

“I look at today’s game … and teams that are successful are a combination of speed, skill, hockey-sense on the ice, and I want to see that competitive nature in the one-on-one battles,” he said. “Is that crushing hits? There are some hits sometimes in games that change the tempo of it a little bit more. But I do think there are a lot of other elements — the speed, the skill, the system, the hockey-sense, and obviously the competitive nature.”


Other than Ryan McDonagh and Brady Skjei, who owns those skills and speed? AV has long preached defense springs offense. The problem is save for those two, the current blue line seemingly lacks the capacity to fulfill that desire.

Kevin Klein can contribute offensively, but isn't a puck moving d-man. The same can at a minimum be said about Dan Girardi and Marc Staal, and that's likely being kind. So right there, you have what is probably 5/6 of the blue line, three of which lack the requisite skill set. That leaves one or maybe two open spots.

McIlrath threw his hat in the ring to fill one spot. The same with Adam Clendening, who is known as more of an offensive minded d-man, evidenced in his two first-period assists. Mat Bodie, who was signed as free agent a few years ago, also is more known for his offense and played well paired with McIlrath on Tuesday. Add in 29-year-old Nick Holden, acquired from the Avalanche for a fourth-round pick this summer, and AV has several difficult decisions to be made. All have a semblance of offensive upside, though it's questionable if they have the true skill set to meet what AV wants, though most of them possess more of it than the incumbents for the aforementioned spots. One aspect to keep in mind, as it may impact pairings and who makes the team, is that McDonagh, Skjei and Holden are all natural lefties who can play the right side if needed.

4) Super Trouba?

This clearly has been one of the main topics. As the SNY Rangers blog summarized: "Bob McKenzie, on Insider Trading, listed the Rangers as one of four teams with "a really significant interest" in Trouba but don't have the assets to make a deal. (TSN)

Arizona, Boston and Colorado are the other team's McKenzie mentioned and he noted that Winnipeg is looking for a similar player to Trouba in age, upside and skill that is a left-hand shot. (TSN)."

I have long been a Trouba fan, but who are you giving up to get him? If it's true that Winnipeg and Chevy want a similar type left-defenseman for Trouba, that means McDonagh, which is Amnon starter. Plus, lets say it's Skjei-plus, are you willing to make that trade because I am not. Oh and by the way, Trouba wants $6-mil plus, are you playing him that in general and how are you fitting that in under the cap?

Speculation by several in twitter and on the site was deal Miller, McI and Ryan Graves. If you really believe in Pirri, which to me is still a major unknown, then maybe you can do that. But, there is a reason why Pirri went from Florida to Anaheim and he wasn't given a qualifying offer, so be careful not to overrate him on one game. In addition, I personally think Miller can get 25 goals this year and he will move between the second and third line. Even though New York has the depth up front, they lack top end depth, which makes me reluctant to deal a player who fills that spot.

McIlrath would obviously be replaced by Trouba. That's a win but I believe that McI has more growth in front of him. When you add in that plus his minimal cap hit, GM Jeff Gorton must be smart about how he plays this. Graves has shown he has a heck of a shot and could pan out, after seeing the strides he made last year. But you have to give to get. If you are giving, then some salary has to be moved to free up cap space, which also could be a deal ender.
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