Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Anthony Duclair was a healthy scratch as the Rangers beat the Sharks 4-0 yesterday. When the initial news broke, there was some serious outrage over scratching Duke, some of it was rational and warranted, most was irrational. The Duke has three assists on the season, but has yet to put one in the net. That is partially due to lack of shots on goal –he has just six SOG– but it also has to do with his ability to put himself in a position to get shots on net.

Duclair has two games where he’s registered a shot on goal: The back-to-back 6-3 shellings by the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs. His two assists: Against Columbus in that 5-2 disaster. He’s not being given the room he had in the preseason, which is expected since he’s now playing against the cream of the crop. Spending some time up top watching a game or two can help a 19-year-old kid identify the subtle differences (speed) of the game. He hasn’t played his way out of the lineup, not by a long shot.

Despite the potential optimism that he will be back in the lineup sooner rather than later, the Rangers have a serious logjam at wing. Martin St. Louis was always going to return to wing once Derek Stepan returned, meaning the Rangers have seven top-nine wingers for six spots (MSL, Duclair, Carl Hagelin, Rick Nash, Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello, Lee Stempniak). The other six aren’t going anywhere, so that leaves Duclair as the odd-man out.

Let’s also nip this one in the bud: Duclair won’t be playing on an Alain Vigneault fourth line, since AV pins that line in the defensive zone 70% of the time. For a team with Cup aspirations, Duclair’s not the best option defensively for that assignment (Aside: I’m not going to get into #fancystat comparisons yet, it’s too early in the season).

The argument came up on Twitter about last night’s fourth line, and how it’s either retreads or junk. While slightly harsh, it’s not that far off. If the Rangers need last night’s fourth line to play regularly, they won’t win many games. But that again goes to the point above: Duclair won’t play on an AV fourth line. The fourth line composition is a completely different argument for a different day. Don’t worry though, that post is coming soon, but yes, Duclair is better than the guys who played on last night’s fourth line.

The fact is that the Rangers have too many top-nine wings at the moment, and there is going to be an odd-man out. Right now it appears to be Duclair, but injuries can change that pretty quickly. If the top-nine wingers continue to play well, then Duclair will have a tough time cracking the lineup. AV has already stated that Duclair needs to be in the top-nine in New York. Otherwise, it’s to the Q for a season. That’s not a bad thing, no need to rush the kid.

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