The Rangers picked up three out of a possible four points this weekend. After "cheating" themselves out of the extra point and a regulation win, New York - despite several turnovers in the second period Saturday - found a way to get an overtime win. The weekend showed lots of positives but areas that need remediation, but amazingly the team is 5-0-1 in their last six games and in a "rebuilding" year somehow sit three points out of first and just out of third in the Metropolitan Division.
A few thoughts:
David Quinn Post-Game Friday :
“Just how we wilted,” is what Quinn said was most disappointing. “You think we learned lessons so far, and we just cheated the game. When you cheat the game with a 2-0 lead, you get that result. We got to learn lessons. We’ve got to learn lessons. You can’t cheat the game.”
“When there’s a 50-50 puck, we’re thinking offense. Making ‘hope’ plays when we don’t need to. Forcing plays. Didn’t spend enough time in the offensive zone because when we got in the offensive zone, we tried to score a goal immediately instead of possessing it and understanding the situation,” Quinn said. “You don’t want to play safe, but you want to play smart. We didn’t do that.”
I loved the anger. When first reading the quote, I could picture Quinn saying it with that tone in his voice. Watching the video, that was exactly how he sounds. Quinn is establishing his expectations clearly. He will not tolerate a lack of effort, but almost as important, and this is what he said Saturday, he wants to see players rebound appropriately from a mistake by not compounding that error. Quinn realizes that mistakes will be made, but if player is able to learn from that mistake and then prevent similar from occurring again, he earns a bit of leash.
Late game leads :
The loss Friday, but more important the manner in which it occurred, likely angered Quinn the most. As Brett Cyrgalis wrote, "it sure looked to be getting on the right track when they managed to reel off four in a row, starting with two shootout wins against San Jose and Anaheim to end a long, four-game road trip. In both of those games — along with the one preceding it in Los Angeles — they allowed goals late in regulation. So when Athanasiou scored with 2:02 remaining in regulation to tie it, 2-2, on Friday night, it was the fourth straight road game that happened. The frustration was mounting and boiled over when Dylan Larkin won it with 5.1 seconds remaining in the 3-on-3 overtime." This is why Quinn said cheated. New York has cost themselves several regulation wins, even though they won a pair of shootouts, but they tossed the LA and Detroit games in the trash can. Remediating this issue - especially cognizant of the problem New York has had in recent years past - has to be a major focus.
This is what I wrote on the blog yesterday after watching the shortened game:
- Lots of chances for New York in first and second, Jimmy Howard was very good (positive)
- Horrific turnover by Brendan Smith on first goal against (which contributed to his scratching)
- Neal Pionk was at fault on the second goal, as was caught flatfooted against Athenasiou's speed and Marc Staal was not deep enough to help (Pionk showed the good and the bad Saturday)
-Unsure why the puck was thrown up ice at end of overtime to no one and Zib was beaten by Larkin to the slot (silly mistake and contributed to Quinn's view on cheating the game)
Lines Saturday :
Namestnikov-Zibanejad-Buchnevich
Kreider-Hayes-Andersson
Vesey-Howden-Fast
McLeod-Chytil-Spooner
Skjei-DeAngelo
Staal-Pionk
Claesson-Shattenkirk
Georgiev
Saturday's lineup changes: McLeod in for Lettieri with Spooner moved down to the fourth line and Chytil is centering this trio, which isn't the best for Chytil's development. Andersson moved up to the second line. Claesson in for Smith, which wasn't a surprise but you will see below Quinn's rationale for scratching Smith. Georgiev in goal as we expected.
Smith's benching:
“Listen, he’s a really good player. Got off to a great start. He’s hit a little bit of a rough patch,” Quinn said. “We’ve got defensemen — as I’ve talked about — we feel confident with all eight. Sometimes it’s not an indictment on their play as much as the fact that we have other guys doing a good job and want to get guys in. That’s just the situation we’re in.
“Sometimes it doesn’t hurt to sit and watch, recollect yourself and get going again. Just press the restart button. I fully expect him to come back and be the player he’s capable of being.”
If you look at the current crop of d-men, the ones struggling the most have been the veterans. Kevin Shattenkirk, who has two-plus years left on the four-year, $26.6 million deal he signed in July 2017, has played a bit better but still makes way too many mistakes in his own zone. He wants to use his skating and offensive ability to smooth over those errors. but that has far from been the case the first month of the season.
Marc Staal, our favorite whipping boy, has two-plus seasons at $5.7 million AAV remaining, For all the talk of buying him out last season, we all knew that based on the length of time for the buyout and cap hit, that wasn't going to happen. After the season, even though I think he has been mildly better, I wouldn't be shocked if he was bought out.
The 29-year-old Smith, who signed a four-year, $17.4 million deal in the summer of 2017 with an annual salary-cap hit of $4.35 million, has not earned his salary. After a nightmarish start to the 2017-18 season, Smith spent last year’s final two months with AHL Hartford after clearing waivers. He lost 15-20 pounds this offseason and got off to a strong start, but his play had leveled off and declined, with the turnover early in the third period that led to Detroit’s first goal the final straw for his benching. Claesson, who replaced Smith on Satirday, played a solid 17:12 opposite Shattenkirk.
Minutes :
As Brett Cyrgalis wrote, Quinn delivered on his pregame guarantee that Lias Andersson would play more than the 6:23 of total ice time he got in Detroit. The coach moved the 20-year-old Swede to the right wing on a line with Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayes, and Andersson finished the game with 15:22. If Mats Zuccarello, who missed the weekend games with a groin injury, is able to go Monday against Vancouver, i would expect him to slide onto this line and Andersson to be moved down to the fourth line.
Quinn put McLeod back on the left side of a line with Chytil and Spooner on the right and they didn’t get off the bench for the final seven minutes of regulation. Surprisingly, Spooner did get a long shift in the 3-on-3 overtime, and was the team’s third shooter in the skills competition, failing to score. I am tired of hearing how he has to get Chytil more minutes. Playing him on the fourth line won't allow that to happen, especially if he has McLeod, Spooner, Lettieri on his wing, Even though he centered Andersson on Friday, Chytil received only 9:09 of ice time.
With Vladislav Namesnikov playing well, Pavel Buchnevich heating up, Kevin Hayes set as the second line center with Brett Howden as the third trip pivot and Jimmy Vesey upping his game, where is Chytil or Andersson playing? You aren't sliding Jesper Fast down with the Vesey-Howden-Fast line playing well, which leaves the fourth line. You might see Andersson-Chyti-Spooner, though I would love to see Steven Fogarty get a shot and he be on the fourth line for Spooner or whoever else lines up opposite Chytil and Anderson, but Quinn has to roll four lines and give that trio enough work or why bothering have them in the NHL.
Saturday showed the good and the bad :
- Hayes with a pair of sublime assists. Buchnevich continuing his offensive rebound. Vesey with a goal and assist and the shootout winner. Georgiev solid in net in improving to 3-1.
- Up 3-1 and the mistakes start. New York allows Columbus to come down the ice way too easily and a Seth Jones blast is deflected by Pierre-Luc Dubois. Thirty-two seconds later, Namestnikov not back on a Skjei pinch and Nick Foligno finishes a 2-on-1 to tie the game, Later in the period, Pionk makes another bad play, passing it right to Jones, who finds Alexander Wennberg, who beats Georgiev short-side with a shorthanded goal to make it 4-3 Columbus.
- Rebounding from that stretch of events. Vesey ties it with under a minute to go in the period on a brilliant feed from Hayes,
- Love the rebound late but that stretch in the second and lack of offensive attack in the third show the concerns that still exist
All the goals Saturday :
David Quinn Post-Game Saturday :
You know I was all in on Oliver Wahlstrom, but have to love what
Kravtsov is doing so far this season:
William Nylander trade speculation :
The clock is ticking with a December 1 deadline for Nylander to be signed by Toronto or he is ineligible to play this season. The main crux of the issue between the two sides is that Nylander wants a long-term deal at likely 6+ million per year while Toronto might want a shorter term or at a lower AAV. While the Maple Leafs are listening, Toronto does not have to deal Nylander, especially if they view the offers as less than acceptable.
If New York does engage the Maple Leafs in talks, as the Blueshirts have been rumored to be extremely interested in Nylander for a while, the likely trade target from up north would be Brady Skjei. Toronto is looking for first or second pair, young d-man with Skjei certainly fitting the bill. But the rumor is Toronto would likely want more than Skjei for Nylander.
Pros and cons of a possible deal:
- Nylander would give New York an elite winger who also could play center. If Kravtsov does comes over, you could have a top scoring line. The same if the Rangers sign Artemi Panarin, depending on the what the salary cap is next season. Nylander will make a bit move than Skjei, but the net difference may not be that substantial.
- Does getting Nylander fit the "rebuild" or does he accelerate the rebuild changing the mindset of the season? That determination will go a long way to deciding the strategy.
- Which prospect would you deal with Skjei? To me, Andersson, Chytil, Howden, Buchnevich, and Pionk are all off-limits. If trading Skjei, including Libor Hajek, Ryan Lindgren, Yegor Rykov or Nils Lundkvist is possibly also off-limits.
- Skjei hasn't been as good as he was two years ago but not as bad as last year. Signed to a six-year deal worth $5.2 million AAV, I still believe he can develop into a true top-pair blueliner. Paired lately with Anthony DeAngelo, that duo has shown signs of growth as a combination. Dealing Skjei does hurt the blue line in the short term.
- Long-term, defensively with Hajek, Lindgren, Rykov, Lundkvist and especially K’Andre Miller. the cupboard is far from bare. But the impact this season, despite Fredrik Claesson available to step in, and and maybe even next season until the kids get their sea-legs, the D will likely struggle. That also impacts Henrik Lundqvist, who is signed through 2020-21.
What's your view? Would you deal for Nylander in general? Is Skjei the piece to get him? Who else would you include?
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