Flawed Rangers showing hope with proper process

Jared Silber/Getty

Heading into the season, the Rangers were going to showcase what amounts to a brand-new forward group. The offseason focused on speed, skill, and the ability to run four skill lines. It’s a model that won the Pittsburgh Penguins a Stanley Cup last season. It’s a copycat league, but this isn’t a new trend. Most of the league has been focusing on skill/speed up and down the lineup for a few seasons now.

The improved forwards have been the story of the first four games for the Rangers. A new identity for the Rangers is being formed, with speed at the forefront. The Rangers have regained their tenacious forecheck, and have been able to sustain more controlled zone entries, leading to more quality scoring chances.

And this goes beyond just watching the game. The numbers this season are vastly improved:

To translate – the Rangers are a top-ten team in shot attempts (CF%), unblocked shot attempts (FF%), shots-for (SF%) and expected goals/60 minutes of play (xGF/hr). This is all at even strength and adjusted for the current score of the game.

The kicker is that the Rangers are not getting the same SH% and SV% boost that they’ve been getting in years past. So the success we’ve seen has been from right process, not smoke and mirrors.

In theory, once the goaltending comes back, and the shooting evens out around 7.5%, then the wins should start coming in droves. But, and this is a key point, this is just after four games. They would need to sustain this type of play over a full season.

The team still has some major flaws though, specifically on the blue line. A savvy move or two to address their issues –most notably needing a true 1RD to play with Ryan McDonagh– and this is a team that could be very dangerous in the Spring. Until we see some form of movement on that end, it will be tough to consider the team a true contender.

Proper process has been something preached around here for quite some time now. The Rangers got away from that last season, and it was the topic of many frustrated posts. This year, things seem different, and it’s definitely a welcomed change.