Wake up! Those were the words New York Rangers captain, Jacob Trouba, yelled at his bench following a fight he had in last night's game (a 5-2 loss against the Chicago Blackhawks). The Rangers have looked lackluster in their last 10 games and must find a way out of this rut. Gerard Gallant has been shielding his players and squad from criticism, but is this too much shielding at this point?
The largest question marks the Rangers have had this season are as follows:
1) Artemi Panarin. Panarin started the season remarkably well, but his game and effort has fallen off since then.
2) Kaapo Kakko, he continues to struggle (the effort is there), but the question is how much longer will management stay relaxed around his lack of goals and points.
3) Alexis Lafrenière, same as Kakko has really been lackluster with regard to production this season.
4) Vincent Trocheck, and his posts. Trocheck should have around 10 more goals this year, but he has hit all of these grade A* chances on the post. Trocheck also has an issue, he is trying to fairy dance his way into the offensive zone (which usually leads to the opposition recovering the puck).
5) Goal tending. Shesterkin has played lights out some nights, and average others (I think that this is primarily do to the fact that he has a newborn baby, and most likely his sleep schedule is flipped on its head with this massive change in his home), I have every confidence that Shesterkin will find his game, but as the fans wait for this to happen the offense must pick up their game. Halák is the other end of this coin, and to say his goal tending has been a train wreck would be an understatement. Halák (36 years of age) has been a great goalie in his time, but now is just too slow for the game. He has let in goals a goalie should have 100/100 times (more than once this season), and this must change. With a goalie who is sleep-deprived to a goalie who looks like he should be playing out of a retirement home, the goal tending situation in the big apple has not looked great this season.
6) The whiffs. Ryan Strome Syndrome is still haunting the Rangers, primarily Kaapo Kakko, and Alexis Lafrenière. Both have had A* chances with open cages that they have sailed wide or just whiffed on, and I believe that this may be chalked down to being “snake bitten”, but also shows a hesitancy on the part of the Rangers' youth in making decisions with the puck.
I believe that this team can still make it out of this rut, but the changes must happen fast.
Igor just came back down to earth! Bab-shmaybe! He is still a great G but the unsustainable run we all thought would end last year ...and didn't, is here now! He is still very good, but a year later, some teams have more of a book on him and his team is playing like garbage in front of him. Your backup is sloppy so you can even give Igor a rest. Kreider with 26 PP goals and 52 OA is also a crazy unsustainable feat more so at 30, be grateful he help put you on that run. Rangers were horrid 5v5 last year but their PP was stellar, and somewhat unsustainable see the pattern here? 5v5 is still not good and pp has dried up somewhat.They are probably gassed to from the long run and Gallant has about a 2 yr shelf life before teams turn him off. Trouba is trying to lead by example but if you're truthful, most of the goals breaking your backs, are coming from plays off of his stick! Everyone else you pointed out is spot on.
Igor just came back down to earth! Bab-shmaybe! He is still a great G but the unsustainable run we all thought would end last year ...and didn't, is here now! He is still very good, but a year later, some teams have more of a book on him and his team is playing like garbage in front of him. Your backup is sloppy so you can even give Igor a rest. Kreider with 26 PP goals and 52 OA is also a crazy unsustainable feat more so at 30, be grateful he help put you on that run. Rangers were horrid 5v5 last year but their PP was stellar, and somewhat unsustainable see the pattern here? 5v5 is still not good and pp has dried up somewhat.They are probably gassed to from the long run and Gallant has about a 2 yr shelf life before teams turn him off. Trouba is trying to lead by example but if you're truthful, most of the goals breaking your backs, are coming from plays off of his stick! Everyone else you pointed out is spot on.
Covered all the points I would have said. Shesty had historic season last year (would have been my choice for Hart trophy). Those once-in-a-decade seasons are impossible to replicate. Kreider never scored 30, then all of a sudden nets 52? Trouba has been defensively, one of the worst dmen in NHL this year. Not sure if its a pattern, but against the Devils, he just roamed looking for the big hit. Otherwise had little impact.
Covered all the points I would have said. Shesty had historic season last year (would have been my choice for Hart trophy). Those once-in-a-decade seasons are impossible to replicate. Kreider never scored 30, then all of a sudden nets 52? Trouba has been defensively, one of the worst dmen in NHL this year. Not sure if its a pattern, but against the Devils, he just roamed looking for the big hit. Otherwise had little impact.
Listen I said pretty early on they look unstoppable people said no its a yr too early, I said look at the cap etc. going fwd. Get while the gettins good. Kreider from almost the first PP on that left post made a killing. Shesty will be up there with Vasy as long as NYRs don't wear him out. As a Devs fan I hope they do. They live on the great season they had, a few more of these and there on the outside looking in at post season play. I'm just glad Gorton is out of the metro, he killed us.
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