Larry Brooks tackled a few points in his Sunday column, which was focused completely on the Rangers. The main thrust of the column was to see what the kids could provide, mainly centered on the Kid Line - Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere - but with others sprinkled in. Included within is the need to see if Zac Jones can fill a full time role, even though Erik Gustafsson likely heads into camp with the edge on pairing next to Braden Schneider on the bottom duo.
One other topic, however, is what I wanted to focus on here, as this was the subject of conversation a week or so ago and is one of the main off-season questions.
Question 18: What will be/should be the power play deployment based on the current roster (TJ)
Brooks: There is no reason at all that Miller, who has uncommon offensive instincts with speed and skill to match, should not start with the assignment on the second power play unit after a season in which his average of 32 seconds per on the man advantage ranked 14th on the squad, even behind Zac Jones
And I get it, you are never taking Adam Fox off the first unit, but Miller has the shot (and shot threat) that the Norris runner-up does not have in his voluminous bag of tricks.
Would it be so wrong to maybe get a look at both defensemen on the points of PP1?
I’ll tell you this. Power play time is not a birthright. There simply must be competition for spots on the man advantage and there must be competition for ice time between the two units. This first unit entitlement that took root during the 2020-21 season must come to an end.
As Brooks noted, the last several seasons, there was the first unit and then scraps for the second pairing. When the top-five were humming, you could understand the desire and need to keep rolling them out. But as the struggles of that unit became more apparent, coach Gerard Gallant was almost intransigent about making changes. This was exacerbated when Patrick Kane joined the team and the square peg was attempted to be squeezed into a round hole. As said, when the PP was humming, as it was in games 1-2 vs. NJ, all was well. When the Devils adjusted how they defended the man-advantage, the team was unable to counter and succeed.
While I agree to a certain extent with Brooks that PP TOI is not a birthright, some spots should be set in stone. Adam Fox at the point, Mika Zibanejad at the left dot and Chris Kreider in front of the net. Then the last two spots should be up for grabs. In the past, Artemi Panarin had one spot while the fifth spot rotated among Kane, Vincent Trocheck, Vladimir Tarasenko and others.
How new coach Peter Laviolette and either Michael Peca, Don Muse or Phil Housely, whichever one runs the power play, deserves to configure the man-advantage will be a focus in camp. The team has options, Panarin could end up on the opposite wing, playing the half-board, especially if he and Zib switch spots, Vincent Trocheck, who manned the bumper spot at times, could end up back there again. Blake Wheeler, with copious power play ice time and production in his career, is most certainly a candidate for the other wing.
New York could opt to try one of the "kids" on the first unit to create a different look, which would bolster the second unit, creating two equally dangerous groupings. Miller is a possible option for the second point, if the Blueshirts wanted to go in that direction. The goal needs to be to find the right combination, not just the one with right star power. In addition, one major consideration has to be the ability to win draws, which might rule out Filip Chytil initially from the first unit.
My guess is that New York will open with
Kreider-Wheeler-Panarin-Zib-Fox as the first unit. This grouping would have four righties and one lefty. To me, the one most at risk of dropping down, if Laviolette really wants to spread the wealth, is Panarin, But you also have to factor in the optics of such a move and the fact that Panarin had 27 power-play assists last season, 10th in the league. Sliding him down to the second unit would increase the firepower on that five-man group and allow one of the kids, likely Lafreniere, to move up.
Kaapo Kaako and Chytil should be stalwarts on the second pairing. Miller could replace Jacob Trouba on the second point or Laviolette might go with a pair of blueliners. That could mean Miller-Trouba or if Gustavsson is in the lineup, he may get a shot.
Trocheck, if moved off the top unit, also is probable for the second grouping. But none of this is set in stone. Laviolette has up to 12 skaters to choose from, eight forwards and four defensemen, with Scheinder and Ryan Lindgren the main two men out of the equation.
What say you? Who do you think should be on each of the five-men units?
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