There were good vibes to training camp, the roster is no longer homogenous (thank goodness for that), the players seem to be taking to incoming head coach Gerard Gallant’s approach and there is a fair amount of reason for optimism heading into Washington on Wednesday night for the first of 82 challenges.
But we must address the elephant in the room, that equates to the absence of a captain in the room, for what is going on the fourth straight season.
Deciding to go with six alternates rather than one captain after months of public proclamations that a captain would be named is not the greatest of looks. Sorry, it is not.
It is true that president-general manager Chris Drury did always include a disclaimer about the matter, saying months ago that, “It has to be the right person” and that, “I’m not interested in giving it to someone just to say we have a captain.”
So can the inference be drawn now that of all the veterans comprising the leadership group, not one is the right person? Not one of them? Again, not the greatest of looks, even if the decision to go with six alternates was massaged on Monday by Gallant.
Two takeaways here: 1) That it would have been foolhardy and far more damaging to name a captain in whom the hierarchy did not believe simply for the sake of fulfilling an amorphous pledge rather than stepping back and taking what likely will be a short-term PR-related hit.
Plus: 2) This only matters if one of the candidates passed over for the assignment, and we are talking specifically about Jacob Trouba, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, feels insulted and slighted over the decision and carries a negative or hangdog attitude into the season.
Otherwise, if the group is strong, if the players themselves freely buy into the leadership committee ethos preached by Gallant, then this decision will receive more notice on social media and on the message boards than within the room.
And no, this does not represent a decision to wait until Alexis Lafreniere or Adam Fox is “ready” to wear the “C.” This decision was not about coming attractions. It was about the 2021-22 feature presentation.
The Rangers have been out of the playoffs for four consecutive seasons. They’re in a tough section of the draw, essentially needing to knock out one of the conference’s legacy teams — Pittsburgh, Washington, Boston — to earn an invite to the postseason ball.
If not quite a mandate, that is the expressed objective. Pre-K is over. The Rangers intend to leave the sandbox — in more ways than not allowing the bully to take away their toys — and play with the big boys.
There is reason to believe that objective is not out of reach.
Offense
The Rangers have diversified, adding meat-and-potatoes grinders to ride shotgun and provide aid and comfort for the glamorous fly boys at the top of the depth chart. The idea of adding people like Ryan Reaves, Sammy Blais and Barclay Goodrow was to create more of a comfort zone and additional space for the talented top six that sputtered last season when forced to fight for every inch. The Rangers, who will utilize the fourth line as part of the rotation, should be more of a straight-line team that attacks the puck all over the ice and can thrive below the hash marks.
Still, the offense will be carried by the skilled marquee guys featuring Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Strome and Chris Kreider. Kaapo Kakko, coming off a very encouraging camp, and Alexis Lafreniere, not so much, have first dibs on the two remaining top-six roles. And as Gallant is splitting up Panarin and Zibanejad, teams again will be forced into picking their poison on matchups. If Filip Chytil’s hat trick in the exhibition finale against the Islanders on Saturday augers things to come, so much the better for the third line.
Defense
The additions of Patrik Nemeth and Jarred Tinordi add elements of size, strength and toughness on the back end. Maybe, just maybe, opposing forwards won’t feel free to camp in front and/or go marauding through the crease (and whomever is in nets) as has been the norm for years.
The Adam Fox-Ryan Lindgren top pair ranks among the most reliable and effective tandems in the league at both ends of the ice. The Rangers need K’Andre Miller to build off his rookie season while also requiring more consistency from his partner, Trouba. The third pair with Nemeth and Nils Lundkvist, an old-time blend of stay-at-home on one side and attack mode on the other, should represent an upgrade over last season’s Libor Hajek-Brendan Smith pairing.
The Rangers were sound structurally in their own end last year but are going to require much more help from the forwards coming back so that the D can stand up at the line rather than routinely ceding it while backing into the railyards, as has been the case for seasons on end.
Goaltending
The Blueshirts are counting on Igor Shesterkin, whose analytics exceeded his performance last season, to provide a bedrock of stability in nets. That means cutting down on the marginal goals that detracted from 2020-21’s fancy stats. Shesterkin, facing his first full NHL season, has never played more than 39 games in a season throughout his pro career that began in Russia. And the team needs a bounce-back year from backup Alex Georgiev, who never got untracked last season.
Coaching
Gerard Gallant may have a kinder, gentler disposition than his predecessor, David Quinn, but the new boss will be no less demanding and in fact is likely to be quicker to bench the veterans if he does not like the effort away from the puck. The Rangers have seemed to welcome the change in temperament behind the bench.
Most important offensive player
Chris Kreider. If No. 20 cannot make the adjustment to right wing on the top line with Zibanejad in the middle and Alexis Lafreniere on the left, then Gallant will have to redraw his units and send one of the wingers to the third line.
Most important defensive player
Jacob Trouba. Can we be creative here and cite checking winger and two-time-running Cup champion Barclay Goodrow? OK, probably not, so let’s go with Trouba, who needs to find consistency while being a physical force.
Key rookie
Nils Lundkvist. By default, it is Lundkvist, but the Swedish defenseman will have a key role in quarterbacking the second power-play unit.
Key coaching decision
The cascading moves that would follow if Kreider has issues at right wing.
Prediction
The Rangers should be front-and-center in the race for a top-three position in the division, let alone a wild-card spot. The team likely will have to knock out Washington, Pittsburgh or Boston to end the four-year drought, but the required combination of high-end skill and blue-collar depth appears in place. A return to the dance is on the horizon.
