Musings: It’s okay to be okay with this start

Almost identical to Pouliot, but no OZ penalties.

With last night’s win the New York Rangers are 6-4-2 after 12 games to start the season. The team has been shaky at best, but they have points in their last four games (2-0-2) and are 5-1-2 since back-to-back 6-3 blowout losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders (and the 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets the game before). Their goal differential is -4, which isn’t ideal, but that’s more a reflection of three straight losses by three goals.

The Rangers have managed to be 6-4-2 despite a myriad of injuries that has crippled the blue line. They haven’t dressed their original starting six since the opener in St. Louis. They played one game with just four defensemen, and played the next game with two of their original six starters in the lineup. Right now, they are in the middle of a stretch where they will only dress three of their starters.

Suffice it to say: This wasn’t a part of the offseason plan. But the Rangers have managed to do more than just tread water. They have points in seven of their last eight games.

This doesn’t even include the mess that was the center to start the year. We knew center would be an issue for the club heading into the season, but then Derek Stepan went down with an injury, and the mess became even greater. Martin St. Louis was moved to center at the young age of 38. Kevin Hayes was given significant minutes. J.T. Miller too, but he didn’t meet expectations. Chris Mueller, a journeyman, has seen steady time as the 4C.

All told, the Rangers have used six different centers already, of which two are proven NHL centers (Derick Brassard, Dominic Moore). Hayes and Miller were always question marks as rookies. MSL is one of the smartest players in the game, but still a question mark at a new, much more demanding, position. Mueller was never a viable option, although he’s been a pleasant surprise as a short-term stop-gap.

The depth wingers were a question-mark as well, but most have worked out. Lee Stempniak has been solid, and certainly takes less penalties than Benoit Pouliot. Anthony Duclair has been a pleasant surprise, and has actually forced some wingers pegged for the top-nine into fourth line roles.

I was expecting the Rangers to be a .500 hockey club while dealing with injuries to Stepan and Dan Boyle. I was expecting them to be a sub-.500 hockey club once Ryan McDonagh went down (in addition to the short-term issues for Kevin Klein and John Moore). But they are 6-4-2 with 12 points and have actually played significantly better over their 5-1-2 run.

It hasn’t been pretty. It hasn’t always been fun. It’s been a very bumpy start to the season, but it’s okay to be okay with this start. I’m bordering on pretty friggin happy with this start, all things considered.