Rangers ranked 29th system; Andersson ranked 47th top prospect
August 19, 2017, by · Comments
Corey Pronman, one of the best prospect gurus out there, has done his NHL rankings for top farm systems and top prospects. When it comes to where the Rangers rank compared to the rest of the league, Pronman is the go-to guy.
The Rangers right now are ranked 29th in the league, just ahead of Pittsburgh. Pronman made a very important caveat into his rankings, noting that he judges based on elite talent. In that regard, the Rangers rank around where we’d expect them to.
Justin’s 6th Annual Top 31 Goaltenders List (31-20)
August 18, 2017, by · Comments
You will never be this cool
Welcome to the 6th Annual Top 31 Goaltenders List. Can you believe it’s been six years already? Wild. Anyway, this was one of the most difficult years to rank, in that many veteran goaltenders started to reclaim for former glory and a few young guys took aim at some top 10 stalwarts. However, with the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights as the league’s 31st team, I got to add another spot to the rankings, giving me a little extra breathing room.
So, let’s get the house keeping stuff out of the way before we get to some honorable mentions and our first section of the list. The criteria for the rankings are as follows: I am advising a hypothetical “team” on a one-year solution between the pipes. I am completely ignoring concepts of age, contract status, incumbent goaltender, contention window or any other factors relating to the status of said “team”. Everything is in a vacuum and all about current talent level that can be projected out for the next twelve months. It goes without saying this whole exercise is for fun and massively subjective, so feel free to run me through the gautlet in the comments. Read More→
#TBT: Rangers vs. Red Wings – March 24, 2001
August 17, 2017, by · Comments
After a brief hiatus, the Blue Seat Blogs #TBT series returns. Our first two editions revisited memorable Rangers regular season wins. But because being a Ranger fan involves a little bit of masochism, this week’s trip back takes us to the most recent nadir of Rangers hockey: the early 2000’s.
After winning the Stanley Cup in 1994, the Rangers declined slowly and then all at once, as the core of Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Mike Richter and Adam Graves aged. Rock bottom wouldn’t truly come until 2004, but if you lived through this era of Rangers hockey, you likely have done your best to delete it from your memory.
Ranking how (I think) the Rangers value their players
August 16, 2017, by · Comments
Chris Kreider led the Rangers with 28 goals last season
This list is my best guess at how the front office collectively views its depth chart now and looking towards the future. That means that age, contract, potential and position matter. Past performance holds less weight.
Note that though it’s a foregone conclusion Filip Chytil is going to win multiple Hart Trophies, I’m only including the players that seem to be in the mix for roster spots this season.
While I naturally assumed that Henrik Lundqvist would top my list going into the process, I came to a different conclusion upon further consideration.
I invite you all to share your own rankings in the comments as I think you’ll come to similarly surprising results. So without further ado…
Looking at regressing shooting percentages for the Rangers
August 15, 2017, by · Comments
Photo: NHL.com
One of the major topics of the players still on the Rangers this season is how they are going to perform next season. There were a bunch of very high shooting percentages on the Rangers, and they’ve come into focus as August drones on. And for good reason, it helps us navigate whose season was for real, and who may be coming crashing to Earth.
Of course the big thing to remember here is that talent matters when it comes to shooting percentage. A bunch of folks automatically assume that a high shooting percentage will come down. And yes, most players will see some form of regression for abnormally high shooting success. But skill matters. Let’s keep that in mind.
Monday morning thoughts
August 14, 2017, by · Comments
Photo Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
It’s a Monday morning in August, which means it’s hot, there’s no hockey, and we are all back at work. Fun stuff, isn’t it? Here are some of my random ramblings to ramble through on your random Monday.
1 – There was a lot of blowback on the Ryan McDonagh post the other day. Perhaps I should have been clearer. I don’t think the Rangers will dangle him this year. It would be silly. He’s a top-tier defenseman on a great contract. It would be silly to dangle him now. But at the trade deadline next year, with a big raise coming? Perhaps. Not advocating for or against, just saying it’s a route they can take. They’ve done it before with Dan Girardi and Ryan Callahan.
Why the Rangers should sign Jaromir Jagr
August 12, 2017, by · Comments
Photo Credit: Ken Goldfield/NY Daily News
It’s August, which means the hockey world is beginning to gear up for the preseason in hot anticipation of their new rosters. One mystery that still hangs in the air like an Islanders fan yapping about how their fourth line is the best in hockey remains however: Jaromir Jagr is unsigned. It’s a truly bizarre thing, and although there may be a few reasons teams are hesitant to sign him there are also plenty of good reasons for a team like the Rangers to add the living legend to their roster.
Let’s get it out of the way right now – no he is not going to score as many goals as he did his last go around with the Rangers. Last season he put up 8 goals and 25 assists at even strength, with an additional 8 goals and 5 assists coming on the powerplay. That’s still a pretty respectable total for a player his age however, and there’s no doubt that he’d be playing in a depth role on the third or fourth line were he to return to NY. So while he won’t be quite as magic as he was during his first tenure with the Rangers, he won’t have to be and could still put up some solid points anyway.
The unthinkable: Could the Rangers dangle Ryan McDonagh?
August 11, 2017, by · Comments
Photo: Winslow Townson/AP
It’s amazing what one summer can do. Last summer, the Rangers transformed their forwards into one of the most potent offenses in the league. This summer, they transformed their blue line from one of the worst in the league to perhaps one of the best top-four in the league. It’s amazing what Jeff Gorton has done.
Ryan McDonagh has been the rock on the Rangers blue line since he joined the team. He’s not quite elite, but he is in the tier right below elite. After dragging around an anchor for a few seasons, he finally has a chance to be free with Kevin Shattenkirk on his right side. Ryan McDonagh is a free elf.
But for how long?
Fifth Annual New York Rangers Top 25 Under 25 (Part Two)
August 10, 2017, by · Comments
The other day, I went through the bottom half of the 2016 New York Rangers 2016 Top 25 Under 25. There wasn’t much turnover, with just three new faces. However there were some big movers up the list, as big years from a few kids led to some shakeup in the bottom half.
Now it’s time to go through the top half of the list. Let’s remember that there are a good number of players on the NHL roster that are under 25 years old, so the top half of this list is mostly populated with them. There was a shift in the rankings for some of these kids though, as we’ve learned what each one is capable of in the lineup. Plus, the Rangers added some first round picks for the first time in ages.
Recapping the offseason for each Metro Division rival
August 9, 2017, by · Comments
Is Brian Elliott the answer in goal for Philadelphia?
The Caps experienced the most significant turnover of any Metro team, and not for the better. Washington lost Kevin Shattenkirk, Justin Williams, Nate Schmidt, Karl Alzner and Marcus Johansson. They did lock up Evgeny Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie and Dmitry Orlov, but any way you slice it this team took a giant step back. To his credit, GM Brian MacLellan admitted that the salary cap had simply caught up to him and after going for it the last two seasons the writing was on the wall. Washington still has a ton of talent and will absolutely be in the playoff hunt, but the Caps don’t look like the bona fide contender they’ve been for the last decade.