With this year and possibly even next year serving as rebuilding seasons for the Rangers, just how big of a role will each of this players serve moving forward?
Players in this series will be listed 25-1, but will be broken up into clear tiers to distinguish the different groupings and levels represented in the organization.
In the sixth and final part of the series, we’ve made it. These are the seven most important long-term pieces the Rangers system currently has, and if any of them bust, the entire long-term outlook of the franchise will take a drastic turn.[/text_output][custom_headline type=”center” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]#7 – C Lias Andersson[/custom_headline][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”2942″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Stats: 7 goals, 7 assists in 22 games with Frolunda (SHL); 5 goals, 9 assists in 25 games with Hartford (AHL); 1 goal, 1 assist in 7 games with Rangers
Time to buckle down and get serious with where this Rangers team is headed long-term.
Lias Andersson is maybe the hardest prospect in the Rangers system to discuss, because it feels like the odds are already stacked against him.
Rather unfairly – to me, at least – Andersson will always be compared to Derek Stepan, considering it was Stepan going the other way to the Coyotes for the 7th overall pick. Fans will also be quick to compare Andersson to Casey Middelstadt, who the Buffalo Sabres took 8th overall and has received high praise already from prospect experts.
It’s almost as if Andersson is already working behind the ball, despite not having a full season of North American hockey under his belt. Criticizing Andersson simply because he’s not Stepan or Middelstadt (and Lias could conceivably become a better, more complete NHL player than Middelstadt despite some already deciding that’s not possible) makes no sense. Who benefits? What’s the point? This is where we are, so let’s evaluate what we have.
The second “strike” some put on Andersson is his perceived upside. It’s almost as if so many people have fallen so in love with Filip Chytil, who was taken 14 picks after Lias, that they already view Andersson as a bust.
Does Chytil have a higher ceiling than Andersson? Absolutely. That’s a big part of why I have Chytil ranked higher than Lias.
Does that make Andersson a bad player? Or the wrong pick at #7? Hell fucking no.
Lias Andersson is a two-way center who is mature beyond his years, both on the ice and off it. He may never score 60-points a season, or win a Hart Trophy, or anything along those lines. But he will play hard, two-way hockey on a nightly basis and he will score north of 45+ points a season in his prime. He is the perfect type of new-age hockey player who also brings some old-school snarl to his game, something a guy like Stepan also played with during his time in New York.
Andersson’s ceiling has been seen as a reason why the Rangers should’ve tried to go a different direction in last year’s draft, but calling out his “low ceiling” completely ignores his incredibly high floor. There’s a possibility any prospect, regardless of polish, will flame out and never make it to the next level. The odds of that happening to Lias Andersson are incredibly low. Andersson’s worst-case scenario – from what we can tell right now – is a center who occupies the third line and a bulk of defensive zone starts for an NHL team. We’ve determined that every team needs center depth, and every team needs centers who can hold their own in their defensive zone, and here we have a teenager already checking those boxes off. Why is anyone down on this kid?
As for what we can expect from Lias this coming season, that seems to be a complicated question at the moment.
The Rangers have three clear centers ahead of Lias in the pecking order – Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes and Chytil. And while Hayes feels like an obvious trade candidate, it would be a shock for that trade to happen in training camp or before January. Barring an injury, that means Andersson is ticketed to either start the season in New York playing a quasi-fourth line role, or starting the season in Hartford.
I’m here to remind you that either of those scenarios are not an indictment of his talent.
I’ve talked about this extensively throughout this series, and I’ll bring it up one more time. The Rangers are finally in a position where they have some depth on the wing, and almost exclusively depth that provides young, upside potential. If Andersson starts in New York, there’s a strong chance his line would be made up of Jesper Fast and some combination of Michael Lindkvist, Ville Meskanen, Matt Beleskey or even Vinni Lettieri. If he were to start in Hartford, his options would then also include the likes of Ty Ronning and Tim Gettinger. Andersson is going to be surrounded by talented players, so maybe him getting 12 minutes a night in New York is just as valuable as him getting 16-18 minutes a night in Hartford.
The point is, it’s a marvelous problem to have. Andersson is a building block. The only question facing the Rangers this season is how soon do they want to lay down that first brick?
Note from Drew Way: Far too many Rangers fans are sleeping on Lias Andersson in terms of his overall quality as a prospect. In my opinion, if you are ranking the Rangers prospects, the top-tier is (in no specific order): Lias Andersson, Filip Chytil, Igor Shestyorkin and Vitali Kravtsov. You can honestly make a strong argument for any of those players at 1, and any at 4, including Lias Andersson. I get it, Lias doesn’t have those flashy highlight reels on YouTube, nor does he flash the super high-end skill that that we’ve seen in glimpses from Chytil and Kravtsov. Guess what, there is A LOT more that goes into analyzing the quality of a prospect than his highlight reels.
I’ve put far more time than I’d ever admit into analyzing Lias Andersson in particular, and I’m here to tell you that I believe it is more likely that his floor is that of a second-line center in the NHL, as opposed to his ceiling, which is a sentiment I often see bandied about. And to be clear, when I make this comment, I mean there are 62 centers in the NHL that play in the top-6, and I project Andersson’s floor to be a top-62 center in the NHL. I’m not using the ridiculous definition that some use when they qualify maybe 10 players in the whole league as a 1C and have most of the 2Cs as guys who are in fact, 1Cs.
Back to my point on Andersson, the guy has an incredibly high hockey IQ, he does everything to at least a competent level, and has no true holes in his game. He is a responsible two-way player that has a motor and drive that is second to none, he has the frame and ability to get to his spots in front of the net and win a lot of puck battles, and I believe his skating, shot and passing ability are all good enough (albeit not elite) to lend itself to a high offensive upside than many of him give him credit for. Honestly, when I watch him play, he reminds me a lot of a young Ryan Getzlaf with the style he plays. He isn’t as big nor does he have quite the skill level that Getzlaf has, so I wouldn’t say he will be the caliber of the Hart-winning Getzlaf in the NHL. However, I see a lot of similarities in the style in which both play, and I think Andersson absolutely can become a very, very good second-line center, perhaps even a decent top-line guy if everything goes right.
I’ve already ruined this section for Greg in terms of the length I’ve gone on, but I will leave you with one last nugget. Lias Andersson is the 10th ranked prospect in the NHL according to Manny Perry’s new prospect evaluation model, which considers projected production and probability of making the NHL to assign total values to prospects. [/text_output][custom_headline type=”center” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]#6 – RW Vitali Kravtsov[/custom_headline][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”2961″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Stats: 4 goals, 3 assists in 35 games with Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL); 4 goals, 3 assists in 9 games with Chelmet Chelyabinsk (VHL)
What a whirlwind draft night was, and what a perfect example of why none of us (myself at the front of this line) should overreact in the moment while the draft is happening.
On draft night, I went from “wait, is Zadina really falling?” to “PLEASE GOD TRADE UP FOR ZADINA” to “wait, is Wahlstrom REALLY going to be there at 9?” to “WAHLSTROM SZNNNNN” to finally “…him?”
Two months of reflection and research later, and what an idiot I was on draft night.
Kravtsov has all the makings of a potential top line winger. He is already a force in the offensive zone, and while his game in the defensive third of the ice needs work, it’s nothing – at this point – to be overly concerned about. Like other European prospects who have populated our list, Kravtsov is in line to receive top six minutes in the KHL, which will only help his development ahead of his move to North America (potentially as soon as this spring).
So, why is this year’s ninth-overall pick one spot ahead of last year’s seventh-overall pick on this list? Didn’t we just go over why the hate on Lias Andersson is unjustified?
We did, and it’s a real simple explanation as to why Kravtsov sneaks in ahead of Andersson for me:
He’s a winger.
As mentioned when this series debuted, wing depth is the Rangers weakness. While they have some intriguing names in their system now, they lack surefire, top six projections. In fact, there’s only one other winger in this top seven (we’re getting there).
If Lias Andersson does bust out (an unlikely option, but nothing is guaranteed), the Rangers are protected in terms of center depth. Filip Chytil and Brett Howden are both projected to be high-end centers, and you only need to hit on two of the three to form a dynamic center trio with Mika Zibanejad.
If Kravtsov busts? The Rangers remain in a world of hurt along the wing. Kravtsov’s development has quickly become one of the most integral steps for the Rangers long-term development. Even if the team goes out and secures Artemi Panarin on a long-term deal, he will still need wingers to support him, and you won’t be able to sign another Panarin every year. You have to build your wing depth from within.
It is absolutely fantastic that the Rangers have imported the likes of Tim Gettinger, Ty Ronning, Ville Meskanen and others this off-season to build up their depth. And while all those players project to be solid, contributing NHL wings, none of them have the upside of featuring heavily in a top six role. You can have all the centers in the world, but unless they’re Sidney Crosby or Conor McDavid or John Tavares, they’re not going to make pedestrian wingers play like all-stars. You need stars to put with your centers.
Vitali Kravtsov just might be that star. And the Rangers will need him to be.[/text_output][custom_headline type=”center” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]#5 – G Igor Shestyorkin[/custom_headline][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”2977″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Stats: 1.70 GAA, .933 SV% in 28 games with SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
It’s nearly impossible to imagine, but there will come a time in the not-that-distant future where the Rangers will have to figure out what to do in goal once Henrik Lundqvist walks away from the game. Hank has been such a fixture in net, providing the Rangers with an all-time great performance year in and year out that fans simply haven’t had to think of life without him.
It’s not as stressful to imagine that future sans The King thanks in large part to the presence of young Igor Shestyorkin.
Since making his debut in the KHL on a full-time basis two years ago, Igor has been pristine in net. Statistically speaking, his numbers last year have been the worst of his young career, and we’re still talking about a guy who allowed fewer than two goals a game and stopped more than 94% of the shots he faced. Some of that has to do with Shestyorkin playing on the best team in the KHL and in front of one of Russia’s best defensive units, but a lot of it speaks more directly about Igor’s skills, and what he’s capable of moving forward.
Now, the biggest hurdle Igor will ever have to face playing in New York is life in Lundqvist’s shadow. It is a near impossible situation to be a legend’s replacement, and that’s going to be the life Igor has to live. His contract in Russia expires after the season, and I’m of the opinion it would benefit him greatly to get at least one year playing as Hank’s understudy to become more familiar with playing in the NHL and familiar with Hank himself. A passing of the torch season would do the Rangers wonders long-term.
This is also not to say that, while Igor has been phenomenal in the KHL, he’s guaranteed to be everything Henrik Lundqvist has been. Expectations for Igor are allowed to be high, but they still need to be realistic. Asking him to be a mirror image of one of the three best goalies of all-time is insanity. He has all the makeup to be a standout starting goalie, and it’s not asking the world of Igor to develop into an all-star. Those are very realistic benchmarks to set for one of the world’s most talented under-25 goalies.
Asking him to do more? That’s asking too much.[/text_output][custom_headline type=”center” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]#4 – D Brady Skjei[/custom_headline][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”2981″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Stats: 4 goals, 21 assists in 82 games for the Rangers
We have talked endlessly about Brady Skjei this off-season, and for good reason.
He was one of the players who seemed to struggle the most last year in Alain Vigneault’s defensive system, raising questions regarding if the Rangers should make a long-term investment into the 24-year-old defender. Jeff Gorton answered that question once and for all by locking Skjei up to a six-year, $31.5 million contract.
The question now permanently shifts from “will Skjei be part of the Rangers long-term solution” to “what role can we expect Skjei to play for the Rangers moving forward?”[/text_output][image type=”none” float=”none” src=”3001″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]There is absolutely no question that Skjei struggled last year. I’m not here to lie to you about his performance. However, every Rangers defender struggled last year, and every Rangers defender took a significant step backwards under Vigneault last year (with the exception of Marc Staal, who maybe didn’t get worse but also didn’t get better?).
Brady Skjei looked dynamic in his first full season in the NHL. He flashed so much potential that some believed he could eventually develop into a solid two-way first line defender if paired with the right partner. Last year, when forced into a top pairing defender role due to injury and eventually trade, Skjei faltered.
So, which is the real Skjei? What can we expect moving forward?
In my mind, no player will benefit more from a new set of eyes than Skjei. How David Quinn and Greg Brown rehabilitate Skjei’s game is arguably the most important item on their 2018-19 checklist. While the Rangers have infused their system with upside defenders on the verge of breaking into the team’s line-up full-time, this coaching staff must first fix the pieces already in New York, especially one the front office has invested in as a long-term building block.
I agree fully with Domenic Galamini’s evaluation of Skjei’s game. Brady Skjei, when properly deployed, is no worse than a second-pairing defender, and that’s how the Rangers are paying him. He still has the potential to be more, especially if he’s given run on one of the team’s power play units. But if he never fully develops into a first pairing defender, that’s more than fine. Good teams need good second units in order to compete in the playoffs, and if Brady Skjei is one of your two second pairing guys, you’re in a fantastic position.
As one of only three guaranteed defensive players to open the year with the Rangers, Skjei is going to get as much run as the coaching staff sees fit. That’s both a blessing and a curse if you think about it.
A blessing, because Brady Skjei is going to get every opportunity to prove that last year was a blip on the radar. A fluke. A one-off. He’s going to have the chance to show that it was AV’s system that screwed with his game and not that his game took a step backwards from his positive rookie season.
A curse, because once again, Brady Skjei is likely going to be miscast in the Rangers line-up. A pairing of Kevin Shattenkirk and Brady Skjei is a dynamic, puck-moving, driving-the-offense combination that can open up endless scoring chances for your forwards. It is not a shutdown pairing, and it is not a pairing you want to run out against an opposition’s top line. It would be even more ideal if you could split Shattenkirk and Skjei, having each play on different pairings to have that pacey defender option on multiple defensive units.
The investment has been made in Skjei, and rightly so in my mind. Once this Rangers team is back in a position to contend on a yearly basis, he will be an ideal second pairing defender – at worst – who will help drive the offense without giving up much in his defensive zone.
Having watched the malaise that is the Rangers defense each of the last two seasons, having that type of player help anchor a defense long-term is exactly what this team needs moving forward.[/text_output][custom_headline type=”center” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]#3 – W Pavel Buchnevich[/custom_headline][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”785″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Stats: 14 goals, 29 assists in 74 games with Rangers
You’re here partly because you’ve listened to the podcast at some point in time. Having listened to said podcast, you know for a fact that the biggest complaint Ryan and I have had each of the last two years is how Pavel Buchnevich was misused by Alain Vigneault on a constant basis.
A 23-year old winger with the ability to not just score on his own, but set up prime opportunities for his teammates on a nightly basis? Surely there’s no room for that guy in anyone’s top six.
Let’s see what the #chartbois think of my child.[/text_output][image type=”none” float=”none” src=”3004″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Hot start. Real hot start. What else you got?[/text_output][image type=”none” float=”none” src=”3005″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]In case you glossed over it, the guy on the right is Clayton Keller. 65-point Clayton Keller, who is a budding superstar poised to make the leap – if he hasn’t already. Clayton Keller, who the Arizona Coyotes were smart enough to pin to their top six and let him play with their most dynamic players. Clayton Keller, who Rangers fans fawn over (and for good reason!) and who Jeff Gorton desperately tried to trade up in the draft to snag himself (and for even better reasons!).
That’s the same Clayton Keller he grades out nearly identically to Pavel Buchnevich. And that’s because – buckle up – Pavel Buchnevich is really good at the hockey.
Take a closer look at the SKATR chart, too. The areas that stand out the most to me – Buchnevich’s Relative Teammate CF%, Relative Teammate Expected Goals For and Quality of Teammates. Every time Buchnevich was on the ice, he was making his teammates better, giving them more opportunities to score and – more times than not – playing with teammates not of the quality you would anticipate one of your best offensive players being partnered with. So, not only was Buchnevich an influential member of everybody’s favorite KZB line, but he also lifted up the likes of Paul Carey, Peter Holland and Boo Nieves.
What Buch needs – and what Buch has always needed – is consistent run in the top six. That doesn’t mean he has to play every night with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider (though he should, given the production that trio generates on a nightly basis). It means getting the amount of ice time guys like Mats Zuccarello have gotten in the past. The new coaching staff needs to lock Buchnevich into top-six even strength ice time and a role on the team’s first power play unit, if for no other reason than to once and for all establish what in the world the Rangers have with the flashy Russian winger.
This is the final year of Buchnevich’s entry-level contract, which means he’s in line for a long-term extension next off-season. The Rangers have more than enough cap room to sign him to whatever contract they want, but I’m sure they want to know exactly what they’re paying for. It’s a rebuilding year. This is the year you figure out what you want Pavel to be moving forward. We already have a really good idea as to what that is, but there should be nothing holding him back now under new management.
Let the kid play. You’re going to like what you see on a nightly basis.[/text_output][custom_headline type=”center” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]#2 – C Filip Chytil[/custom_headline][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”3008″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Stats: 11 goals, 20 assists in 46 games with Hartford (AHL); 1 goal, 2 assists in 9 games with Rangers
Maybe it’s a little aggressive to put Chytil ahead of Buchnevich on this list, but here me out:
The Rangers have invested a ton into the success of their three young centers (Chytil, Andersson, Howden). They need one of them to break out and become a top six forward down the middle, especially considering they’ve all but said Kevin Hayes is not part of their long-term thinking. Yes, the Rangers have a lack of high-end talent on the wing after Buch and Kravtsov, but it’s still possible to find wing help on the trade market or even the free agent market. Developing your own center depth has become as important as drafting your QB in the NFL. You need to hit on a young center to have a shot at becoming a year-in, year-out contender in the modern NHL.
No center in the Rangers system has a better chance at becoming that top-six guy than Filip Chytil.
From what we’ve seen of Chytil at every level he’s played at, he’s an elite offensive player. He can create opportunities out of nothing, and has shown an adept scoring touch at every leve he’s played.[/text_output]
Can he stick at center?
Can he stay healthy as he continues to grow into his body?
Will he continue to produce at his current pace when playing a full 82-game schedule?
The best part of 2018-19 season being a rebuilding season is these are questions we can begin to answer at the NHL level without the added pressure of having to compete for a playoff spot. In theory, Chytil will enter camp with only a chance to begin the season in New York, but it would be a stunning turn of events to see him end up in Hartford to begin the campaign. The Rangers didn’t add any new center depth to the organization this off-season, meaning someone has to begin the year in New York with Zibanejad and Hayes. Theoretically, Vlad Namestnikov and Ryan Spooner could slot over and play center in the meantime, but that would then leave the Rangers ultra thin along the wing, so you’re not filling any holes by doing that.
My expectation is for Chytil to open the season in New York with Vlad Namestnikov on his wing. I’d expect one of Jimmy Vesey or Ryan Spooner on his other wing, unless David Quinn wanted to be aggressive with Chytil’s early season deployment and put him with Mats Zuccarello. As enticing and exciting as that would be, I’m not expecting it, not with the need to pump up Hayes’ trade value as much as possible.
If Chytil wasn’t a center, I wouldn’t have placed him as highly on this list as I did. However, like Brady Skjei for the defense and Vitali Kravtsov for wingers, the future succses for the Rangers down the center is heavily reliant on Chytil’s development.
And we’re going to get our first extended taste of it this year.[/text_output][custom_headline type=”center” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]#1 – C Mika Zibanejad[/custom_headline][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”2184″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Stats: 27 goals, 20 assists in 72 games with Rangers
Forgot he was only 25, did you?
There was a time this off-season where the Rangers front office may have considered dealing Mika Zibanejad for the right return. That time has quickly come and gone.
With Kevin Hayes’s future with the Rangers in doubt after agreeing to a one-year deal and heading towards unrestricted free agency next summer, Zibanejad has become the most important player on the team’s roster.
The biggest (and most tiresome) debate surrounding Zibanejad: is he a top line center?
For starter, who gives a shit? He’s going to play top line minutes for the Rangers, and deservedly so. He’s the team’s best forward, period.
Second, yes, Mika Zibanejad is a top line center, and not just because the Rangers lack a better option. A chart, if you will:[/text_output][image type=”none” float=”none” src=”3012″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Oh no I didn’t.
I’m not here to say Mika Zibanejad is better than John Tavares. Hell, I’m not even here to say they’re identical.
But I am saying Zibanejad isn’t as far away from Tavares in terms of production as you would think.
John Tavares has Zibanejad beat when it comes to individual performance, but Mika’s on-ice rates are incredibly comparable (and that individual performance difference can be directly tied to Mika missing so much time to injury each of the last two seasons). While Tavares does more to set up his teammates primary scoring opportunities, Zibanejad’s presence on the ice shifts the balance offensively for his teammates where he scores in the same percentile despite not contributing as many assists. And as crazy as it sounds, Zibanejad has remained nearly as productive as Tavares despite playing with worse teammates (we can thank AV’s yo-yoing of Pavel Buchnevich and Chris Kreider’s injury for that dip in teammate quality).
Not convinced yet? Fine. I’ll give you three more.[/text_output][image type=”none” float=”none” src=”3014″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]San Jose Sharks top guy Logan Couture? Yeah, doesn’t add up. Like Tavares, Couture has the points advantage on Mika, but Mika blows him away in nearly every on-ice rate category. Zibanejad has done a better job at creating scoring opportunities when on the ice, and has actually played better defense despite drawing fewer defensive zone starts. Is there something more you would want from your top line center?[/text_output][image type=”none” float=”none” src=”3015″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]How about everyone’s favorite future unrestricted free agent, Tyler Seguin?
Again, Seguin has the clear edge in individual numbers, mainly because he’s played over 700 minutes more on even strength than Zibanejad since the start of the 2016-17 season. But when Zibanejad is on the ice? He’s been the better player. Each have carved out nearly identical shot shares, but Zibanejad is doing the better job at creating additional opportunities. Go figure.
Alright, one more.[/text_output][image type=”none” float=”none” src=”3016″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Bawh gawd, that’s Jack Eichel’s music!!!
Again, advantage Eichel on the points front, but Zibanejad has him beat everywhere else, including Game Score. On-ice rates, it’s not even close, and that’s still with Eichel getting to play with better teammates on a more consistent basis.
Mika Zibanejad is a top line center on a lot of teams, and he’s only 25-years-old. Why do you think he’s #1 on my list?
The only reason why this is even a debate is because of Mika’s injury history. All we need is one – just one – fully healthy season from him, and this conversation becomes obvious. The Rangers are far and away a better team when Mika is in the line-up, and if he can finally get extended run with both Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich, look out.
David Quinn has it easy on his top line. He has his center. He has young pieces potentially ready to step up the line-up once Kevin Hayes is traded, and he has a young defense looking to make an impact at the next level. This honestly could be one of the most exciting seasons of Rangers hockey, because the world is our oyster.
Enjoy it.[/text_output]
Author: Greg Kaplan
Greg Kaplan is a man of mystery. Did he write this? No. Was he asked to write this? Yes. But did he write this article? Maybe, do you like it?