Not So Scary: What’s Broken in the New York Rangers Top Six?
As the New York Rangers transition into the offseason, it's time this team prioritizes what's heavily needed. Just last week, head coach Mike Sullivan and general manager Chris Drury spoke about their main focus going into this offseason. According to Sullivan, the biggest priorities before September seem to be another puck-moving defenseman and more help for their bottom six forwards. While fans may very much agree that more work on defense is heavily needed after what they've seen over these years, there may be more to change with the offense than just the bottom six. While prioritizing defense is something most fans can agree on, there seems to be an issue with the Rangers' best players, commonly known as the top six.
What exactly should be expected from a team's top six going into a season? It's simple: your top six need to be frightening; they need to make plays; they need to be the best players on the ice for your team, but that hardly seems the case for the Blueshirts. Even before Artemi Panarin's departure, this Rangers team's top six didn't put up nearly enough numbers. Disappointments like this end up costing a team dearly, and it sure did with these Rangers, who tied their franchise record of being shut out 10 times this season, seven of which were at home, and three of those in the first three home games. Finishing 23rd in the league in goals per game with 2.87, it was clear the Rangers had no chance of going for it if even their best players couldn't get it going. However, as the season progressed, the retool went into effect, and a few bright spots were found within the top six.
One of the only top six players who carried most of their production was Mika Zibanejad, coming off a bounce-back season and undoubtedly the Blueshirts' best player this season. Voted as the Rangers' MVP, Zibanejad's efforts soon helped a few others find their rhythm on the ice. Within the final months of the season, the top six showed signs of life as the 33-year-old was paired with Alexis Lafreniere and Gabe Perreault, a line that helped them both immensely. Lafreniere stepped up and tied his career high in points with 57, and Gabe Perreault went on a surge and ended the season with 12 goals and 15 assists. Not only that, but both youngsters also went on to record hat-tricks in the final weeks of the regular season. A nice little sign for next season as all three look to return on the ice in MSG, but how about the negatives?
While the first line remained intact to end the regular season, the second line had a few tweaks. In the mix almost always was the Rangers captain, J.T. Miller, who had seen much better seasons in the past. Just two seasons ago, he earned himself 103 points on Vancouver, two years later, and he ends this season with 17 goals and 36 assists, not an ideal first season as the Rangers captain. Paired next to him is his good buddy Vincent Trocheck, whose stats aren't so different from those of his good buddy Miller, with 16 goals and 37 assists. As one of the players likely to be moved in the offseason, it'll surely be frustrating looking for a player of his importance in the future. All in all, when players in your top six are having seasons like these, it's hard to expect your team to come anywhere close to contending status. So, with the offseason just getting started, what's it looking like for the top six going into next season?
With Trocheck most likely being moved this Summer, what other options are there for the top six? There's Will Cuylle, coming off his second consecutive 20-goal season, but a player like that really remains strong on the third line. As for the rookies, it's safe to say none of them really scream a threat just yet, so the decision may rest on the upcoming draft. With the third-best odds in the lottery, the Rangers are guaranteed a top-five pick, which could end up being the first overall pick. No matter the outcome, they'll really need to hit on this draft pick if they wanna avoid another Lafreniere situation. With how much needs to change, it's safe to say this team's top six won't look very threatening for some time, but every team's gotta start somewhere. As the real work begins for these New York Rangers going into the offseason, can they find themselves the beginnings of a frightening top six?
