6/28/2023 0 Comments Captin cruchAnd not too much changed, other than Shesterkin having a merely excellent season in 22-23, not otherworldly. They were 18th in 5v5 xG against this season, which is a mild surprise, given the Rangers gave up the fourth-fewest goals, but Igor Shesterkin covers up a lot of blemishes.įunny enough it was the reverse in 2021-22: 17th in xG for and 7th in xG against. The five-on-five offense wasn’t especially consistent this season but the Rangers finished sixth in expected goals at 5v5, so it was certainly strong enough. I’d say it’s playing strong enough at even strength to keep it close and beating you with special teams. What exactly is the Rangers’ system or identity? - Alice B. Carolina is all out pressure and forecheck. The Rangers constantly pointed to the speed and skill of the Devils after the first round. He can show his teammates he’s taken a step forward with his offseason work, he can show a new coach he’s serious and he can show Drury that he deserves a bigger role and a bigger contract. This will be a huge training camp for Laf if he’s still a Ranger in September. Whether it’s Panarin, Kreider, Lafrenière or someone else moving to the right side, I don’t think a new coach is gifting Lafrenière extra minutes. Though it’s also fair to wonder if that might alter the way he tries to play when he has the puck, which has produced four straight seasons leading the Rangers in scoring. Maybe that will be the wakeup call he needs - a new voice to bring him into a team system fold. I don’t think he’s allergic to playing hard without the puck, though he definitely may need to adjust his thinking, especially with a new coach coming in. Panarin had a bad playoff, no arguing that. And what gets done to change some of the ways Panarin plays? We see that tenacity on the back check is crucial to playoff success and Panarin refuses to be energetic with anything associated with defense. Will a new coach move someone to the right side - Krieder? - so Lafrenière gets more minutes/opportunities? It’s time to find out what we really have. Kreider is a tremendous teammate and a guy who cares as much as anyone, but he’s not the guy who leads. Trouba was the de facto captain last year, as the players who were asked said. The back half of your question is where you lose me. I don’t think most people in the Rangers organization feel the same way. If you feel Schneider is ready to step into Trouba’s skates next season, then perhaps a move makes some sense. Without him, you’re looking at a defense with Adam Fox, Braden Schneider, and a free agent or two on the right side. Neither are players who have risen to the leadership status he has in the Rangers room. However, the catch now is: Who do you get to replace him? Players like Trouba, despite his flaws, aren’t cheap.
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