Ever since the New York Rangers decided to part ways with Pavel Buchnevich, the organization has lacked a winger who can play with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.
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The Rangers have lost five of their last six contests, and while many think the issue is finding the correct winger for Zibanejad and Kreider, what if that represents a smaller issue? Management has been too distracted by filling this hole and has missed more important areas that need fixing.
Rangers’ Wasted Assets
The list of players the Rangers have auditioned in the top six since the 2021-22 season includes Barclay Goodrow, Frank Vatrano, Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jack Roslovic, Vitali Kravtsov, Filip Chytil, and Kaapo Kakko. All of these options, of course, failed to become permanent solutions.
To acquire Kane, the Rangers surrendered second and fourth-round draft choices. A trade package for Tarasenko included sending a first-round pick, a fourth, and prospect Hunter Skinner to the St. Louis Blues. The Roslovic and Vatrano trades cost the Rangers two separate fourth-round picks. But that’s not all. Reilly Smith – the latest Rangers scratch – was acquired over the summer for a second and a conditional fifth-round pick.
That’s three second-round picks, a first-rounder, and multiple mid-round draft choices thrown out the window. Plus, two of the Rangers’ top 10 draft picks (Kravtsov and Kakko) weren’t good enough to play next to Kreider and Zibanejad.
The Problem is Rangers’ Core
Now, after a rough stretch of games, general manager Chris Drury and head coach Peter Laviolette are still searching for the answer and are acting out of desperation, with rookie Brett Berard and sophomore Will Cuylle getting opportunities in the top six. The latest fiasco with Smith has forced them to split up the Rangers’ best line of Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafrenière. The situation is out of hand.
At some point, they must stop trying to solve the same problem. Maybe the issue isn’t the ineptitude of the organization’s right-wingers. Maybe it’s Kreider and Zibanejad. The Swedish center can send haymakers past goaltenders on the power play – a skill that not every NHLer can tout. That’s great, but more is expected from a player who is one of the highest-paid on the roster with an annual cap hit of $8.5 million. Zibanejad, who has long been criticized for his five-on-five play, has posted five goals and 12 assists in 23 games this season at even strength. But the real problem is he hasn’t been doing much to carry his linemates.
Kreider and Zibanejad have been the two worst Rangers forwards in expected goals (xGF) at five-on-five (both under 42 percent) in 2024-25, according to Natural Stat Trick. To show how abysmal that is, Smith is operating at a 46.55 xGF share. The problems have less to do with Smith or the other right-wingers the Rangers have tried in the top six and more to do with the linemates and team around him.
Rangers Ignoring Another Key Issue
The reality is there is likely no right-winger who can take the Kreider and Zibanejad line to the next level – unless, of course, the team can find a way to add Alexander Ovechkin in his prime. The two can either make up a flawed top six or a solid third line, and management can’t continue to allow themselves to be distracted by this problem.
The biggest issue by far last postseason and in the early portion of the regular season is the team’s defense. It’s a clear weakness that has to be addressed as soon as possible. Except for Zac Jones and Adam Fox, the defensive group doesn’t excel at puck management or moving the play up ice. Plus, the coverage has been abysmal. In 23 games, the Rangers have allowed 309 high-danger chances, ranked fourth most in the NHL, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Given the poor defensive play, the Blueshirts are fortunate they are still in an Eastern Conference wild-card spot. For the last few seasons, the Rangers have continued to trot out the same five defensemen: Fox, Ryan Lindgren, Jacob Trouba, K’Andre Miller, and Braden Schneider. Stale is a light way of putting it. The same group has continued to fall short of Stanely Cup expectations, and it’s time to start holding them accountable.
Aside from Fox, the blue line needs to be rebuilt. Management would likely want to keep Jones, Schneider, Fox, and maybe Miller. But that shouldn’t stop Drury from taking calls on everybody except for the 2021 Norris Trophy winner. The easiest player to move will be Lindgren, who will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Perhaps the Rangers can find a partner for Trouba, who carries an $8 million cap hit this season and next, with a limited no-trade clause.
Prospect Victor Mancini might be able to step in and provide the Rangers with some stability on the third pair. But other than that, the organization lacks NHL-ready or close-to-ready prospects on defense. To salvage this season, management should do some selling before they start buying – if the team continues to lose, there will be no buying, and Drury will be forced to punt and retool the team for 2025-26.
But the 48-year-old’s days of wasting key draft capital and prospects on the same need are over. There are enough wingers in the organization capable of slotting into the top six. Whether it’s Smith, Berard, or Kakko, they must make a decision. If anything, Drury should be looking to move Zibanejad or Kreider or both because, frankly, the last few seasons have been a revolving door of top-six wingers, and it needs to end. The most important task should be improving the defensive corps.
