Hartnett: Is Rangers' Reign As Kings Of The East Coming To An End?
By Sean Hartnett
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Over the past four seasons, the New York Rangers have stood at the top of the heap as the beasts of the East. Having made consecutive trips to the conference finals and coming just short of lifting the ultimate prize at the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, contending teams around the East gaze jealously at the Blueshirts' accomplishments.
The Rangers are the measuring stick for which all other Eastern Conference teams are judged by, and their success has placed a large target on their back in the ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division. Having fallen into a 2-6-2 slump, the third-place Rangers have slipped behind the division-leading Washington Capitals and second-place Islanders in the Metro.
Superb performances from goaltending duo Henrik Lundqvist and Antti Raanta were much of the reason why the Blueshirts jumped out to a 16-3-2 pre-Thanksgiving start, setting the pace in the division. Since key all-situation center Derek Stepan has been sidelined after breaking two ribs, the Rangers are 2-5-2. The defensive warts are showing without the stabilizing presence of Kevin Klein, as they've gone 1-3-2 since the 31-year-old has been missing from the lineup due to a strained oblique.
Their 0-2-1 trip to Western Canada highlighted the issues plaguing the Blueshirts throughout the majority of their 31 games. The Rangers are lacking structure in their own end and are struggling with puck management. Even when the Rangers were healthy and riding high in late November, head coach Alain Vigneault admitted, "We've probably gotten some of those wins because of extraordinary goaltending."
Circling back to the situation in the Metro, the modern-day NHL has become a league of parity due to the tightening grip of the salary cap. Top teams around the league, like the Rangers, are forced to make tough decisions and thoughtful forward planning is essential. The aforementioned target on the Rangers' back isn't just on the ice, as battles are fought and won through front-office wizardry.
For the most part, Glen Sather's scorecard shined throughout his final years as Rangers general manager. He stole Rick Nash from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the summer of 2012 without giving up a superstar of equal value, dealing away complementary forwards Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov. An even greater heist was at the 2013 trade deadline, In a one-sided trade with Columbus, the Blueshirts gained big-game performer Derick Brassard, The present-day Jackets have little to show from the deal.
Even in his biggest trade deadline gambles, Sather has won. In not caving to ex-captain Ryan Callahan's contractual demands, Sather was able to flip Callahan to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In return, he secured the playoff pedigree of Martin St. Louis, whose inspiration, leadership and vital contributions helped send the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 20 years. In what was considered by some as another major roll of the dice, Sather sent high-potential scorer Anthony Duclair and a package of early-round picks to the Arizona Coyotes for game-changing defenseman Keith Yandle one day before the 2015 trade deadline.
In recent years, the Rangers have gone all-in, and the Yandle acquisition reflects that. While he isn't a bulky, physical defenseman, Yandle proves that the best defense is offense given the amount of time the Rangers spend in the opposition's end when he's on the ice. A superlative puck mover and playmaker, the 29-year-old is a key weapon in the Blueshirts' arsenal.
The infusion of high-potential youngsters in Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, Jesper Fast, Oscar Lindberg and Dylan McIlrath is paying big dividends, both in the present and in the future. In the coming years, Ryan McDonagh clone Brady Skjei and highly-praised Russian winger Pavel Buchnevich will star on Broadway. Additionally, Sather deserves major plaudits for keeping the faith in pint-sized winger Mats Zuccarello when other organizations would have cast him aside while he was struggling to earn a full-time gig in the NHL. Aside from Lundqvist, Zuccarello might be the Rangers' MVP given his dominance across 200 feet of ice. Oh yeah, and getting blossoming forward Kevin Hayes on board was a masterstroke.
But the door can swing in the other direction. Even the most intelligent and experienced executives are going to make an occasional misstep to keep their franchise at the forefront of Cup contenders.
Naturally, you're going to want to reward those who are instrumental to your success. Shutdown defensemen Dan Girardi and Marc Staal are all-for-the-cause warriors who shined in John Tortorella's defense-first system and tormented some of the league's brightest talents. But like Callahan, they play with fearlessness and their bodies have absorbed a ton of punishment. Logging heavy minutes appear to be taking a toll. If Girardi and Staal are beginning to decline, how will they perform in three or fours year's time?
Sather cited Callahan's insistence on a no-trade clause as the breakdown in negotiations leading to the trade of the captain.
"The no-trade is the one thing that really bothered me in the end; it really ties your hands," Sather said after completing the trade in March 2014. "I know it's nice for the players to have security, but 'no-trade' is a tough deal."
Why weren't Girardi and Staal held to the same standard as Callahan? If you really want to stay here, prove it by signing an extension without no-trade protection.
As Sather said himself, a no-trade/no-movement clause ties your hands. Well, both were given no-move clauses in the first three years of their extensions and modified no-trade clauses in the final three years. Girardi, 31, is signed through 2019-20, while Staal, 28, is signed through 2020-21.
Meanwhile, Anton Stralman was allowed to slip out the door in the summer of 2014. He now forms one of the league's most dominant defensive pairings alongside Victor Hedman with the defending Eastern Conference champion Lightning. Losing Stralman was a tough blow and Rangers fans should hope history doesn't repeat itself, as extending pending unrestricted free agent Yandle should be a necessity.
The Capitals and Islanders, two franchises on the upturn, were waiting in the weeds to challenge the Rangers. Don't forget the Pittsburgh Penguins either, who are hoping new head coach and former Tortorella assistant Mike Sullivan will jump-start their offense with a simplified, shoot-first power play. Anything is possible with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Kris Letang and now Trevor Daley added to the mix.
Washington kept around enough spare cap room to arm superstar Alex Ovechkin with the kind of supporting cast that can result in a Cup run. That includes playoff ace Justin Williams, who would have been the ideal replacement for St. Louis if the Rangers had the spare cash. Washington GM Brian MacLellan smartly took advantage of the St. Louis Blues' desire for a shakeup by swapping Troy Brouwer for a higher-earning and higher-skilled winger in T.J. Oshie.
The tightening vice of the salary cap meant all the Rangers could muster were stopgap free-agent additions Jarret Stoll and Viktor Stalberg. But Carl Hagelin's athleticism and defensive prowess had to be sacrificed. Obtained in the Hagelin deal, Emerson Etem has floated in and out of the Rangers' lineup. Although he possesses high-end tools, he has yet to shine on Broadway.
Given the cap crunch, and the seven skaters plus Lundqvist having a form of a no-trade or no-move clause, there isn't a lot of flexibility for the Rangers when it comes to improving their roster via trade. According to GeneralFanager.com, their current available cap space is $150,000. Once Stoll clears waivers/is claimed, the Rangers stand to save $800,000 on the cap, though it would be paving the way for a call up.
Help will soon be on the way in the form Stepan and Klein. Vigneault revealed on Monday that both players are day-to-day, although Girardi will miss Tuesday's home game against the Edmonton Oilers due to a swollen right knee. If all goes well, Klein and Stepan could make the road trip ahead of Thursday and Friday's games in Minnesota and Winnipeg.
With Girardi unavailable, the Rangers will need to recall a defenseman from AHL Hartford for Tuesday's game against Edmonton at the Garden. With experienced blue liner Raphael Diaz currently injured, aforementioned top prospect Skjei could be in line for his NHL debut. Either Skjei or 27-year-old shutdown man Chris Summers could enter the Rangers' lineup against the Oilers.
Follow Sean on Twitter @HartnettHockey.
