Rangers_Jesper_Fast_2014

 

Although this past season certainly didn’t end the way fans wanted it to, and the regular season had its own fair share of disappointment, one of the brightest spots for the Rangers was the continued development of Oscar Lindberg and Jesper Fast.

The two of them were juggled around a bit, but each player demonstrated a solid two way game and managed to put up some points as well. While Fast found himself often in the top six, much to some fans’ frustration, Lindberg found himself continuously scratched towards the end of the season.

Given the fact that the Rangers are likely to see some serious changes this offseason, and given the amorphous status of each players’ role on the team, an open question remains as to where each player fits into the lineup.

Looking over their stats the two players posted nearly identical points totals last season, with Fast putting up 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points in 79 games and Oscar Lindberg scoring 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points in 68 games. On the fancier side of things, Fast had a 5 on 5 relative CF% of 1.21, while Lindberg had a 5 on 5 relative CF% of 0.46. So while the two players had similar points totals, Fast edged Lindberg slightly in terms of possession last season.

In terms of style of play and statistical measures the two players give similar, if not the same kind of contributions to the team, although it is worth noting that Lindberg plays center and Fast plays wing, so the two of them have slightly different utilities.

Given the likelihood that Dominic Moore parts ways with the Rangers this summer it would seem logical that Lindberg would slot into the fourth line center spot, but recent news that the Rangers are listening to offers on both Brassard and Stepan means anything is possible. While I doubt the Rangers trade either of their top two centers, stranger things have happened, making it possible that Lindberg jumps up to the 3rd line center spot.

Fast is a slightly different question, given the way in which he played up and down the lineup already this past season. While his contributions and play style make him better suited for a role in the bottom six, we also have no idea what’s going to happen with the Rangers top two scoring lines, and in particular with Rick Nash. This may mean that Fast’s role in the top six is here to stay, although given the potential for turnover on the bottom six it’s also possible that he ends up playing further down the lineup.

Finally there’s also the somewhat far off chance that either or both of the two players end up in package deals at some point this summer, based on the fact that the Rangers’ front office is apparently considering all of its options heading into the offseason. Still, one would think they’d stick around, given the Rangers’ need for young, cost-controlled talent.

All in all it should be an interesting offseason for the Rangers, and while the big changes on the horizon may not directly involve either Fast of Lindberg it’s not out of the question that whatever happens affects them in some way. Having two young, skilled players who can play up and down the lineup is a nice problem to have, but it should be interesting to see where these two players end up on the depth chart next season.

 

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