Despite “trust,” Fast not getting critical minutes

Photo: Blueshirts United

Jesper Fast has been a bit of a hot topic for the New York Rangers this season. After breaking camp with the pro club for the second season in a row, Fast was again demoted before the month of November. Unlike last season, Fast’s stay in Hartford was temporary, as he was recalled three weeks later, and has stuck with the team since.

Fast was held off the score sheet for the first five games following his recall, but has put up 2-2-4 in the seven games following. All told, he has four points in 14 games while getting absolutely crushed with defensive zone starts (most DZ starts on the team) on the fourth line.

Alain Vigneault has said many times that he trusts “Quickie” in all aspects of the game. But over the past few games –looking at the great shift charts available at war-on-ice, we can see that’s not entirely accurate.

Below is a game-by-game breakdown of shifts in the final five minutes of the game. Games in italics are games where Fast didn’t get a shift in the final ten minutes.

This is 11 total games (with a healthy scratch not included), and Fast saw eight even strength shifts in the last five minutes. Seven of those shifts came with the Rangers up by at least two, and six with the Rangers up by at least three. Those aren’t exactly high pressure situations.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with bringing a kid along slowly. All coaches shorten their benches when the game is close. Three of the games where Fast was glued to the bench, the Rangers were either tied or down a goal and pressing. That’s expected, especially given the offensive talent on the club. Those aren’t situations you expect a rookie to play, especially one that has somewhat limited offensive punch.

Of course, Fast isn’t the only one getting this treatment. Tanner Glass, Kevin Hayes, Anthony Duclair, and J.T. Miller are all getting this treatment. This is again expected, it’s how AV deploys his players.

Fourth line players –on an AV coached squad– are going to need to be responsible in their own end and be trusted by the coach. Trust is earned, but there is very little Fast has done wrong that would warrant the level of consistent benchings he receives at the end of games. Since the Rangers have had such issues holding leads, maybe it’s time to put a kid out there that has a history of solid defensive play.