Please stay.

Please stay.

Continuing with the fun of checking out each player’s best moments of the year, let’s look at the middle depth players on the Rangers. You can find part 1 here 

Kevin Klein – 

  1. Without a doubt in my mind if there is one thing we will all remember about Kevin Klein it is his uncanny ability to somehow score an important game winner. So naturally one of my best memories is his overtime goal against the Red Wings on February 21st.
  2. Another awesome game winner that Klein provided us this season was his GWG against the Dallas Stars almost a week after his OT goal against the Red Wings. The puck ended up on Derek Stepan’s stick in the slot, who gently slid it to Klein who immediately ripped it top shelf on Kari Lehtonen. Sick shot.
  3. Finally we have Klein’s “dominance” –and I use that term loosely, as the whole Rangers team was swamped against Anaheim on the west coast trip– as he scored both of the Rangers’ goals against the Ducks in a 2-1 win.

Keith Yandle

  1. Bears, beets, Keith Yandle’s high fives after a teammate scores a goal.
  2. The article Yandle wrote in The Player’s Tribune brought me to as emotional as I can get.
  3. Overall, the production that Keith Yandle provided to this team was unreal when you consider the ice time that he provided. He provided the Rangers with the best offense they had from a defenseman since superstar, Ranger’s great, prime number wearer, fellow Massachusetts born, great Tom Poti. But seriously, people can complain about his defense all they want but the fact of the matter is, watching Yandle man the blueline and keeping pucks in the zone, his crisp break out passes, and his unbelievable setups were a treat to behold.

Eric Staal

  1. His goal against the Islanders made me believe this could be fun.
  2. Not trading Pavel Buchnevich for him is an awesome memory.
  3. Nah, this is annoying, I’m still bitter that they traded my boy Aleksi Saarela for a player that the Rangers didn’t plan out how to use efficiently.

Kevin Hayes

  1. People calling him lazy but not realizing that he is an awesome skater, especially for his size, always made me laugh… fun memory.
  2. While it was a bad loss against the Penguins in mid March, Kevin Hayes was an awesome playmaker in that game setting up both of Eric Staal’s goals on March 27th.
  3. Due to the realistic fear that the Rangers would be moving him this year, it was certainly comforting to hear Alain Vigneault in the end of the season statements quickly reply that yes indeed Hayes is part of the future. I do truly expect him to break out next season, especially if he is actually given more ice time and consistent line mates.

Jesper Fast

  1. I love Jesper, I really do, but one of the more prevalent memories of this season was AV insisting on keeping Fast on the top-six. That said this isn’t the first time in his coaching career that AV has put his favorite defensive specialist in these situations (see: Hansen, Jannik).
  2. Jesper Fast’s deflection against the Bruins on January 11th to give the Rangers a 2-1 win was absolutely incredible. That deflection was practically Datsyukian.
  3. Honestly, I can’t think of anything else. That Swede is an absolute ghost and I love it. This celly was awesome though.

Stay tuned next week for part three.

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