3 Rangers Question Marks to Watch This Season – Hockey Writers – New York Rangers

Almost every NHL team has issues to deal with before preparing to make a run at the Stanley Cup – and the New York Rangers are no different. But so far with the Original Six franchise, it’s been a solid start.

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An 8-2-1 record to start the season placed them in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division and ninth in the league overall. Although nothing has been very concerning, so far, that would put them in danger of missing the playoffs; certain errors and uncertainties must be cleared. Here are a few things the Rangers must deal with to increase their chances of lifting the Lord Stanley for the first time since 1994.

The Fourth Line

This may seem like a small issue – but the Rangers need every advantage they can get – this time with matchups. For most of the season, the fourth line consisted of Sam Carrick, Adam Edstrom, and Jonny Brodzinski. To start the season, the trio has done just about everything you could ask for on the fourth line, as they all posted expected goal shares of more than 56 percent, according to Natural Stat Trick. Most notably, Carrick stands out with his 60.42 percent rate.

That said, Jimmy Vesey is back on the fourth line after returning from injury. While the former Hobey Baker Award winner has given the Rangers the best value in the bottom six with his sub-$1 million cap hit in the past, there is a chance that the fourth line may not work in the rotation. If so, will the Rangers stay with Vesey? Would they scratch him in favor of Edstrom or Brodzinski? Or will they call on fan favorite Matt Rempe when things go wrong?

It may seem like a small matter now, but head coach Peter Laviolette will need to find an answer that the team likes.

Finding Mika Going Five-Five

Some may think that Mika Zibanejad is what he is – and that is a player who can put up with points by winning a man. The Swede, with his superior shooting ability, takes power plays to the next level. After all, of his 72 points last season, 43% of them came from man.

#NYR warmup chasing this afternoon’s game vs. #Islands at MSG it’s the same as what we saw in yesterday’s practice:

Panarin – Zib – Laf
Cuylle – Trocheck – Smith
Kreider – Chytil – Kakko
Edström – Carrick – Vesey

Lindgren – Fox
Miller – Trouba
Jones – Schneider

Igor
Immediately

– Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) November 3, 2024

We know what he can do on special teams – but the Rangers need more from the 31-year-old at even strength. Perhaps to try to shake things up for Zibanejad, Laviolette has moved the lines. The Swede is now focusing on Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere. Although the change seems to have worked with Zibanejad’s three assistants on Sunday (Nov. 3) – none of them came through strongly. This season, Zibanejad ranks third worst among Rangers forwards in xGF. That needs to be better.

Two Protectors

The biggest problem facing the Blueshirts right now is what to do with the defensive pairings. Until recently, Ryan Lindgren was out with a broken jaw. In his absence, for the most part, Miller was paired with Fox (Lindgren’s former partner), Braden Schneider was with Jacob Trouba, and Zac Jones was next to Victor Mancini.

However, in a shake-up, the Rangers moved it back with Lindgren-Fox, and Miller-Trouba. Jones and Mancini have been rotating in and out of the lineup alongside Schneider, as of late. But there are two problems with the changes. For one thing, the Miller-Fox duo has been the Rangers’ best pairing this season — at least according to Natural Stat Trick. In 143 minutes together, the duo posted an xGF rate of 66.80 percent. Lindgren, meanwhile, continues his struggles through 2023-24. He and Fox together in 34 minutes have posted an xGF rating of 40.47 percent so far.

But they are not the only top couple. We’ve argued that Jones needs to be on the roster regularly because of his ability to move the puck. But Mancini has been impressive at times this season as well. So perhaps this move finds a trade partner in Lindgren, who is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July.

Although the Rangers have things to gain – there is still plenty of time. And this won’t be the last time the coaching staff toys with new line combinations. However, the clock is ticking. Rangers must get everything right in the run-up to maximize their chances at Lord Stanley.