No more.

No more.

When the Rangers lost their two best skaters in Rick Nash and Ryan McDonagh, a fall off a cliff was expected. However these Rangers have persevered, going 5-1-1 since the All Star break. J.T. Miller has stepped up his game, and he along with Derick Brassard, Mats Zuccarello, Derek Stepan, and Jesper Fast have made the injury to Nash easier to swallow.

On the blue line, perhaps the most important area for the Rangers to improve, ice time went to Keith Yandle. This is perhaps the most critical piece of the puzzle, as Yandle has truly excelled in his extended ice time. The blue line could have crumbled, but Yandle has helped to stabilize the overall play of the defense. It’s not his excellent work in the defensive zone, it’s that he is one of the best at controlling the play and the puck. The Rangers generate more offense with him on the ice. With more time in the offensive zone, they spend less time in the defensive zone.

The uptick in ice time for Yandle has been the largest rise of any player since McDonagh went down.

icetime-1516-NYR-D

It’s also interesting to see that even with McDonagh out, McIlrath isn’t getting much time outside of even strength play.

But it goes beyond Yandle. Dan Boyle has done a stellar job on the left side, a position he’s never played. Dylan McIlrath has filled in on a more permanent basis. Dan Girardi has seen a major uptick in his game as well. Here’s his 20-game rolling average CF%.

girardi

It comes as no coincidence that his uptick coincides with him being paired with Yandle. He’s played some tremendous hockey of late. The Rangers needed him to right the ship, and while he may not be what he once was, he is certainly showing he is capable of chemistry with Yandle in the short-term.

It’s not all sugarplums and daisies though. Marc Staal has been struggling mightily, and has been since long before the McDoangh injury.

staal

That’s not pretty, but some of it may have to do with the new role he’s playing. While Yandle is getting all the minutes lately, Staal is still lining up as the shutdown LHD, mostly with Klein. That plays a part, but it doesn’t explain falling off a cliff.

But the major question isn’t why the Rangers are succeeding, it’s what they will do when McDonagh comes back. And the answer is simple. Alain Vigneault needs to realize that the current setup is working, and that ice time only for those struggling needs to be replaced.

What that means is simple. Yandle and Girardi need to remain paired together in their current role. McDonagh is better than Staal, naturally, and he’s had success with Klein. That should be your second pair. After that, a rotation between Staal, Boyle, and McIlrath is your third pair. This maximizes what you can get out of your two most expensive defensemen while simultaneously getting the most out of your three best defensemen. It’s a win win, assuming AV recognizes that he shouldn’t fix something that isn’t broken.

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