Mike-Zibanejad

The weather has cooled off. Training camp has started. Preseason hockey will begin tomorrow. It is almost that time of the year when we can see meaningful games for our beloved Rangers. The team was busy this offseason, retooling the bottom six with an emphasis on speed and puck possession. Add in a relative blockbuster trade, and the forward group is completely different.

Many pundits expect the Rangers to be a no-doubter for the playoffs. Others think the Rangers will be a bubble team. The reality is likely somewhere in the middle, as there are some major questions for this team.

1. Can the defense rebound?

This is the biggie. Marc Staal and Dan Girardi were horrendous last season, and the Rangers had one of the worst blue lines because of it. They allowed the closest average shot distance by a country mile, missed assignments, and allowed dangerous opportunities regularly. It took consistent Herculean efforts from Henrik Lundqvist in order for the club to save face.

There were no moves to address the blue line this offseason, and it appears that the club is content in status quo. Girardi and Staal will be penciled into the top two pairs. The good news is that they can’t possibly be any worse than they were last year. The bad news is that doesn’t mean much considering how bad they were.

Both players will need to rebound into respectable form for this team to be good. Last year they looked like AHL defensemen. That can’t happen this year.

2. Can the rookies make a difference?

The Rangers have three highly touted players set to play a full NHL season for the first time: Jimmy Vesey, Pavel Buchnevich, and Brady Skjei. Skjei will have tougher assignments than Vesey and Buchnevich, if only because he will likely be counted on to be a Keith Yandle-lite. But let’s be clear, Skjei will not put up those point totals. Skjei will need to be a steadying presence on the bottom pair, making calm and collected plays with the puck to begin the transition.

As for Buchnevich and Vesey, they will likely be in third line roles getting sheltered minutes. However they will still be a critical part in depth scoring and generating secondary offense.

The Rangers have the depth to withstand growing pains from the rookie forwards. But if Skjei falters, it’s Nick Holden and/or Adam Clendening up next.

3. Which Rick Nash will the Rangers get?

Nash has been a whipping boy, and undeservedly so. He’s still one of the top even strength forwards. However after an injury filled season that left many wanting more, Nash will need to get back on track and stay healthy. The points and goals will come with health.

But perhaps where the Rangers missed Nash the most was on the penalty kill. He’s one of the best penalty killers on the team. His absence was certainly felt last season as the kill faltered. If he’s healthy, the kill should be better.

4. What happens with the logjam in the bottom-six?

The Rangers were busy addressing the bottom six, but now face a different problem. They have ten players vying for seven or eight spots on the roster. Of those ten, four (Kevin Hayes, Oscar Lindberg, Jesper Fast, Michael Grabner) are locks. Lindberg’s injury creates a temporary opening, but even then it’s still four spots for six players. And of those four remaining spots, only two will dress.

Will the Rangers make a move to address the blue line issues? Will it come from this group? The answers will likely shake out during the preseason.

5. Can Mika Zibanejad replace Derick Brassard’s offense?

The biggest move Jeff Gorton made this offseason was landing Zibanejad for Brassard. In that one trade, the Rangers got younger, cheaper, and potentially better. Emphasis on potentially.

Zibanejad is a right-handed, shoot-first guy who fills a bunch of needs for the Rangers. He adds balance to a lefty heavy team, but most importantly he will be the trigger-man on the off-wing on the powerplay. Aside from the blue line, the right-handed shot from the off-wing was one of the biggest holes in the offseason.

It may be difficult for Zibanejad to match Brassard’s output from the get-go. Right now, Brassard is the better player. However the wild card is powerplay production, as there is potential for Zibanejad to rack up points as that trigger man.

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