The Rangers Thanksgiving musings

Goal scorer extraordinaire (Scott Levy/Getty Images)

Have a happy thanksgiving everyone. Just a few Rangers thoughts to keep you going as you head into the thanksgiving weekend.

Last season it was a ‘Marty St Louis love fest’. The two games against the Lightning this season, well they have been Ryan Callahan love fests. Given the Rangers’ familiarity with their former captain and fan favourite it is completely unacceptable Callahan can have as much time and space in front of Lundqvist as he has done. Has a player ever torched their ex-club so much in their first games against their former employers as Captain Cally has?

Once again, we’ve seen the ugly side of Marc Staal. He was awful against Callahan and the Lightning. Yet he was excellent against the Canadiens and Flyers. Again, this type of inconsistency cannot be accepted especially for someone wanting the dollars Staal does.

Rick Nash scores when he wants. Nash had one of his quieter games in recent weeks. He wasn’t as dominant as he usually is yet he had a two point night. It’s always a good sign when a player finds ways to contribute even when not at their best. Nash has been a beast this year and is the absolute critical mass the Rangers need him to be.

Funny how things work out: Kevin Klein’s contract is starting to look very good value. In a league where a guy like Nikita Nikitn can get well over 4m on a multi-year deal, Klein’s steady improvement is making him a bargain. The sample size is small but Klein certainly has the talent to keep it up.

Prospect Watch I: Oscar Lindberg continues to play solid hockey for the WolfPack. The Swedish pivot is up to 13 points in 18 games and already has 8 goals. In 75 games last year he had 18. Wonder whether we will see Lindberg get some game time for the Rangers this season?

Prospect Watch II: When was the last time you discussed Mackenzie Skapski? Not many fans have given the young goaltender any thought but all of a sudden the 20 year old 1^st year pro has a 5-3-1 record with a 2.30 GAA and a solid .914%. They are very solid numbers for a young, rookie ‘tender. The Rangers are desperate for goaltenders to develop through the system and Skapski is definitely worth paying more attention to.

I was all for giving Tanner Glass the benefit of the doubt to start the year but I am now out of patience. Glass was awful against the Lightning and really has brought very little to the line-up. Fighting has never been less relevant in the league so what use does he really have?

Stating the obvious: If the Rangers can get some consistency out of Kreider and Zuccarello things would look a lot better.

This weekend represents a big opportunity for the Rangers. Two games, back to back, against a clearly inferior Flyers team. Two wins and all of a sudden the Rangers would have won 4 of 5 and would surely have some momentum. With Ryan McDonagh’s return imminent, things would look a lot rosier for the Rangers.

Question Time:

• Right now, which ‘core’ Ranger would you sacrifice to make an upgrade to the Roster?
• One goal, in 16 games. Is it time to let Anthony Duclair play junior?
• Which Rangers that left in the summer, do you miss most and why?
• What would you do with Jesper Fast?
• How many points will Derek Stepan finish the year with?