Larry Brooks, as is usual for his Regarding the Rangers column, had a ton of nuggets that warrant broader conversation. Several have been discussed already, but I wanted to provide my view on most of his points. Looking forward to your take as well, cognizant that some of this is ground that was covered in the blog comments today.
1. The Blueshirts have a decision to make on Filip Chytil, and it is not whether the 19-year-old belongs in the middle or on the wing, but whether he belongs in the NHL at all.
And the decision must be reached quickly, for if No. 72 is sent to the AHL Wolf Pack before he plays 10 games, his entry-level contract would slide for the second straight year.
Chytil is now at seven, with upcoming matches at the Garden on Sunday (Calgary) and Tuesday (Florida) before a four-game western trip that starts in Chicago next Friday before incorporating the three California teams.
David Quinn could buy some time by press-boxing the young man for a few games (and you thought Press-boxing was an undercard bout featuring this writer and Dan Boyle), but the upcoming schedule won’t allow for an abundance of practice time, either, in which the coach and management could continue to evaluate the 19-year-old.
Chytil has gotten a fair share of ice, used predominantly as a top-nine, mostly at center but also at wing. He began the season on the power play before being supplanted by fellow freshman Brett Howden.
There have been flashes from Chytil, but an absence of sustained effectiveness. He has been unable to use his speed to create or beat defenders one-on-one. His defensive work has expected deficiencies. Scoreless (with two assists), he seems to be fighting it. His impact has diminished steadily.
There is no shame on either end if management reaches the conclusion that the Czech’s development would be better served by a return to Hartford. Remember this: Mark Scheifele went back twice to junior. That did not stunt his growth.
Remember this, too: This year is not about this year, even if every player on the ice and every coach behind the bench is channeling Herman Edwards by PLAYING TO WIN THE GAME
2. So what to do? Well, Quinn should give Chytil top-six minutes in the middle against the Flames and Panthers to allow him to make his case. That should bring a bit more clarity to the situation before GM Jeff Gorton and his staff make the call on whether to stop the clock on Year 1 of Chytil’s entry-level contract.
All of us want Chytil to succeed, that's obviously the top goal,. The question is what's the best mechanism for that to happen. Is it by shifting from center to wing and staying in the NHL? Is it by shifting him up to the second line, moving Hayes and Howden down, to see what he can do with more minutes? Should New York send him down to Hartford, as they did with Lias Andersson, and let him play in all situations, recalling Steven Fogarty or Andersson? Unsure one correct answer exists, but what's happening now clearly isn't working.
What's unquestioned is that Chytil is pressing. The free flowing play we saw at times during the pre-season hasn't been on display with the start of the season. Plus, moving from C to W and back isn't helping him much either. The first key is determining his long-term position. If it's center, then by all means leave him there, if wing, shift him there, if undecided, then see which position best accelerates his development.
With Zib, Hayes and Howden, having Chytil play 10-11 minutes as the pivot on the fourth line is a waste to a certain extent. While it limits his development on one sense, Chytil will gain by learning how to play the position in David Quinn's defensive zone system, where as Dave Shapiro noted in the Blue Seat Blogs, the center is tasked with covering the high slot in his unique 2-1-2 defensive zone system. Having to master that system might take away from his offensive creativity. If moved, Chytil's role as a wing would be to pressure the points and disrupt the cycle. The goal is to limit the time to setup and cause quick turnovers. It’s less pressure on the winger from a coverage standpoint, as they aren’t tasked with protecting high danger areas. So as you, he would gain in one regard by becoming more well-rounded defensively, albeit possibly at the loss of offense, which might not be the case at wing. Moving Chytil away from the middle might unlock his offensive potential. Then, when he has regained that, a decision as to whether to keep him there or shift him back to the middle could be made.
My view is give the two upcoming games and see if he is more comfortable on the ice. If not, send him to the minors and start him at wing to regain confidence. Once he gets rolling, then move him back to the middle. If he stays down all season, allowing the ELC to slide, thereby allowing New York to potentially not have to expose him in the expansion draft to Seattle, all the better. The goal to me ins't necessarily to tank but for the kids to growth. If Chytil needs to be in Hartford to maximize that growth, so be it. (Post-script, jimbo has mentioned to me yesterday morning to possibly write a blog on if Chytil should be sent down. Very prescient given what transpired)
3. Here is the list of right-handed defensemen in New York and Hartford: 1. Kevin Shattenkirk; 2. Neal Pionk; 3. Adam McQuaid; 4. Tony DeAngelo.
You might have noticed that not one plays for the Wolf Pack, who are making do with an all-lefty blueline. First-rounder Nils Lundkvist is a righty, but he is at least two and probably three years away from competing for a job. Even both Yegor Rykov, working in the KHL, and first-rounder K’Andre Miller, who is playing his freshman season for Tony Granato’s Badgers, are lefties.
4. Which is to suggest that the Rangers commit to investing the time to discover whether DeAngelo has a reasonable chance to be part of the future on Broadway.
This means giving the 22-year-old a substantial run of games, even if veterans higher in the pecking order and more effective on the ice must take a seat. McQuaid, a pro’s pro who elevates the team on the ice and in the room, is a short-timer surely to be gone by the Feb. 25 deadline. If he is the one to come out, so be it. And on an objective basis, there seems negligible, if any, long-term benefit to Freddy Claesson playing ahead of DeAngelo, even if the Swede has done nothing wrong. Fact is the Rangers might be able to turn free-agent signee Claesson into a second-/third-rounder at the deadline.
DeAngelo is operating on a need-to-know basis. Plus, he plays the dynamic-puck-transport game the Blueshirts so desperately need to drive offense. Or does he? Can he do it capably and consistently enough at the NHL level so that his defensive deficiencies can be tolerated? Can Quinn and Gorton pencil him in on the depth chart for 2019-20 and beyond?
There is only one way to find out.
What's the goal this season? Yes, to a certain extent it likely is to win but that's secondary to evaluation of the roster and growth from the kids. For that evaluation and growth to occur, the kids have to receive ice time. In the case of ADA, since he requires waivers to be sent down, then the playing time must occur in the NHL.
As Brooks noted, Claesson and especially McQuaid are expendable pieces. Major ice time likely won't change their return price come February but that TOI costs ADA material evaluation opportunities. Short-term pain for long-term gain. See what ADA has, evaluate if he can learn from and limit his mistakes and be the puck-moving d-man that we have seen snippets. If the own zone coverage doesn't improve, we will know that he isn't an integral part of the future. But that requires showcase time, of which he currently is lacking.
5. Unless Lias Andersson dominates and management determines it serves no purpose for him to go through a full AHL season, the contract slide applies to him, as well. But Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren are both aged-out of the slide, so either or both could see time on Broadway if — and only if — they master their craft at the AHL.
Andersson is like Chytil, where is he best served to grow his game? Plus, is losing a year of his ELC, possibly taking away the ability to not have to protect him in the expansion draft worth having him in the NHL? With Zib Hayes and Howden, who also needs to be monitored to make sure he doesn't hit a wall and his game is developing, in NY and Ryan Spooner plus Vladislav Namestnikov capable of centering the fourth line, no need to rush Andersson up. In addition, Peter Holland or Gabriel Fontaine could be promoted if a center is needed.
Post-February 25 trade deadline, if either or both Claesson and McQuaid are gone, look for Hajek and Lindgren in New York. The Rangers might still have eight d-men, but by then, ADA's future status will be more known, the same possibly with Marc Staal.
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