AHL Review; Losses Continue

Another week goes by and another week of scoring woes for the Hartford Wolf Pack. Since last Thursday the Pack has played three games and the results have been the same disappointing results as the weeks before. Over the past 7 days the Pack played a home and home with Springfield and last night took on Manchester at the XL Center, Hartford. Unfortunately for the Rangers affiliate the only consistency at present is the losses and scoring woes continue to persist. In the two losses to Springfield (2-1 in OT on Friday, 3-2 in regulation Saturday) and the loss last night to Manchester (4-1) the Pack have – do the math – totalled a grand sum of 4 goals. It doesn’t matter if you have Henrik Lundqvist, Patrick Roy or even both in net; you are not winning many games when you are averaging just over a goal a game and that is the case right now for the Pack.

On Friday night the Packs sole scorer was Kris Newbury while Chad Johnson saved 23 of 25 shots faced. Despite playing well Johnson needs to be perfect at present to even sniff a win. Shots were not an issue in this game as the Pack threw 42 on net as another ex Ranger and Wolf Pack player came back to haunt them as David LeNeveu was huge in goal for the Falcons. LeNeveu enjoyed a good brief spell with the Pack a few seasons ago and clearly enjoyed playing at the XL on this night. Saturday was a different story. Stop the press, the Pack scored 2 but as in previous weeks even 2 wasn’t enough or the club as they gave up 3 goals to the Falcons, this time in Springfield. There was some positive news from Saturday’s game however as prospect Tomas Kundratek scored his first pro goal as he and Devin DiDiomete grabbed the Wolf Pack goals in the loss. Chad Johnson was pulled in the game after giving up 3 goals on 14 shots faced. David LeNeveu got the win again although didn’t have to be as spectacular as the night before, stopping just 22 of 24.

Last night and the story was all too familiar once more. Justin Soryal scored the goal on Wednesday night as the top scoring lines continue to produce nothing for the Pack. Chad Johnson stopped 35 of 39 on the night while new signing Tyler Donati went -2 on his debut. The Packs struggles offensively can probably be summed up by their PP production. Over the past 3 games the powerplay has gone 0 for 13. An unproductive powerplay is a huge hindrance to any side let alone to one that struggles so much at even strength. Ryan McDonagh’s struggles continue as the young rearguard is now -8 in 12 games while still pointless and key forward Mats Zuccarello-Aasen is -3 with just 2 points on the season (both goals). ‘Veteran’ AHL’ers Dane Byers (7pts but -2), Brodie Dupont (just 1pt, -4) and Jeremy Williams (8pts -2) are not leading this team offensively as they need to.

The ‘Pack is in a world of hurt right now. They are missing core players such as Evgeny Grachev (in New York), are limited on the skill front and with the string of losses come rumours; such as Mats Zuccarello apparently heading for the exit door (which was quickly refuted by management). The team need to find a way to win a game and maybe one win might spark something but if the losing continues much longer then the 3-6-2-1 Wolf Pack will be looking at consecutive non-playoff seasons for the first time in their history. With all the losing, the attention may soon turn to the management and it’s not inconceivable the coaching staff could be on the hot seat. While winning is not a sole priority for the Pack (and the Rangers) winning helps prospect development and it’s hard not to worry about the prospects as they struggle through this miserable sequence of losses.

Prospect Watch

The Rangers prospects were in action again this past week and a certain key prospect finally found the net. Following a very quiet start to his season Boston College forward Chris Kreider broke out and scored his first two goals of the season against U-Mass leading his team to a 5-2 victory. Unfortunately Kreider doesn’t seem to have found his game yet as reports indicated the blue chip prospect was still quiet despite netting twice. Hopefully the two goals will ignite his season.

Regularly featuring in these prospect reports are the following prospects: Roman Horak and Ethan Werek. Both players figured offensively once again as Horak scored his 10^th goal of the season as his Chilliwack Bruins whipped an in-form Kootenay Ice 6-2. Horak now has 21 points on the season while his Bruins side have improved to 9-5 on the year. Ethan Werek and his Kingston team played the Ottawa 67’s on Monday and like Horak, Werek got his 10^th goal of the season. Kingston won the game 4-2 and Werek is on course for a huge year; on pace for over 40 goals. Kingston, like Chilliwack has a 9-5 record for the season.

Back out in the WHL, a reason for Rangers fans to be excited is the offense 1^st round pick Dylan Mcilrath is starting to put up. The big defenseman recently scored his first 2 goals and has got 6 points for the year. Mcilrath had a strong showing recently, going 1+1 with a +4 rating against Prince Albert. Mcilrath, like his whole Moose Jaw Warriors side, has played much better of late and his even rating for the year looks much better than it did a few weeks ago when it sat as low as -10.  The Warriors have been on a good run of late (going 6-1) and have gotten themselves back to 7-8-0-1 for the season although they are still a long way behind their division’s leader, the Saskatoon Blades.

Another Rangers prospect maintaining his recent good form is Ryan Bourque. The diminutive Quebec Remparts forward has now scored 12 points in 9 games and is playing excellent hockey all-round while notching 5 goals to help his Remparts team to an insane 15-1-0-1 record. Playing on strong clubs and winning programs is a great way for prospects to develop as it certainly can’t hinder their progress being around a winning culture.

Key prospect stats:

Ryan Bourque 9GP 5G 7A 12PTS +5

Roman Horak 13GP 10G 11A 21PTS +2

Dylan Mcilrath 15GP 2G 4A 6PTS Even

Christian Thomas 13GP 11G 9A 20PTS +10

Ethan Werek 13GP 10G 9A 19PTS -1

Scott Stajcer 10GP 8W 1L 2.68GAA .913%

Chris Kreider 7GP 2G 1A 3PTS -3

Carl Hagelin 8GP 3G 5A 8PTS +4

Prospect Watch

It has been a busy (and mainly) productive week for many Rangers prospects. Since we last wrote about the future Blueshirts one player in particular has gotten ‘back on track’. We said all along that what Ryan Bourque needed to do was stay healthy and then, he could be productive. Well it seems that’s what the undersized forward has done. In the last 3 games since returning from an injury Bourque has caught fire offensively scoring 7 points in the 3 games, going 2+5. Last Sunday in particular was a highlight game for Bourque as he paced his Quebec side with 1+2 and a +1 rating. It will be interesting to see if Bourque can keep up the pace when the Remparts play 2 games this weekend.

Another player (still) on fire is Czech center Roman Horak. 5^th rounder Horak had a 3 assist night as he was named first star of the game as his Chilliwack Bruins beat the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL, 6-3. Horak now has a great stat line of 6+10 in just 9 games. Elsewhere, he might not have scored a goal (shock horror) for two games but another player keeping his offensive game going is winger Christian Thomas of the OHL’s Oshawa Generals. Thomas recently had a 2 assist game as his side managed to grab a losers point in the shootout against Ottawa 67’s. Oshawa were 3-0 down before losing 4-3 in the SO. Thomas now has a nice line of 10+7 in 10 games.

Perhaps the most important Ranger prospect to his current team is Ethan Werek. The 2^nd round pick is front and center of the Kingston offense and is co-leader in points with Nathan Moon despite playing 2 games less. Both players have 15 points (both with 8+7). Werek was particularly clutch this past weekend as he led his side to a come-from-behind win scoring the game tying and game winning goals, to lead the Frontenacs to a 3-2 win over Sault Marie. Werek, like Horak and Thomas, has produced all season long and the Rangers thanks to these 3 players in particular look well set in terms of offensive prospects coming out of junior. All 3 players are also looking like great draft steals with none of them being drafted higher than the 2^nd round.

Not every prospect has enjoyed a great start to their seasons however. A source of frustration is the continuing funk Chris Kreider finds himself in. 4 games into his season the Boston College winger still finds himself pointless. Given his rapid rise and almost dream season last year it’s surely only a minor blip for Kreider however it will be interesting to see how he rebounds from what is likely his first taste of adversity.

Another player who has had a little less success this week is goalie Scott Stajcer. The young goalie finally experienced his first loss but still boasts a record of 8 wins in 9 games, a .921 save percentage and a more than reasonable 2.52GAA. Stajcer was never going to go through the entire year undefeated so his first defeat is no great cause for concern.

Key prospect stats (correct at 5pm eastern Tuesday):

Chris Kreider 4GP 0G 0A -1 4PIMS

Carl Hagelin 6GP 2G 4A +3 19PIMS

Dylan Mcilrath 12GP 1G 2A -8 27PIMS

Roman Horak 9GP 6G 10A E+/- 8PIMS

Ryan Bourque 7GP 4G 7A +4 5PIMS

Ethan Werek 9GP 8G 7A +2 15PIMS

Jesper Fasth (stats from Swedish Junior) 6GP 3G 7A +8 4PIMS

Mikhail Pashnin 11GP 0G 0A -5 6PIMS

Max Campbell 6GP 3G 3A -2 0PIMS

AHL Review

The Hartford Wolf Pack (or Whale, you choose) has had a mixed set of results over the past few games but the positive news is that key Rangers prospects have started to turn in good performances after quiet starts.

The Weekend Set

Last Friday saw the Wolf Pack lose 3-2 to The Devils affiliate in Albany. The Pack however did get a point as they took the game to overtime. The game featured two firsts. First of all, Mats Zuccarello-Aasen got his first goal in North America while another first saw Wade Redden get his first goal (on the power play no less) in the AHL. Unfortunately, neither first was enough for the Wolf Pack to get the 2 points.

The Wolf Pack returned to action the next night, once again on the road, this time taking on the rival Bridgeport Sound Tigers who are the Islanders affiliate. This game was a tight defensive affair which the Pack edged 2-1 on another goal from Zuccarello-Aasen, which saw prospects Pavel Valentenko and Evgeny Grachev get the assists. The first Pack goal saw ‘banished Rangers’ combine as Tim Kennedy and Wade Redden assisted on Jeremy Williams’ second goal of the season. The game also featured strong goaltending from Chad Johnson who stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced.

As is usual in the AHL, the Pack had a 3 in 3 nights stretch and played Sunday against the Providence Bruins, once more on the road. This was a strong victory for the Pack who despite being heavily outshot got a 3-0 shutout victory. Despite Kris Newbury’s 3 assists, Dane Byers 1+1 and Jeremy William’s 1+1 the stand out player for the Pack was young goaltender Cam Talbot who saved 41 shots to get the win. Other than 1 period of work last year this was Talbot’s first full game at the AHL level and what a first it was. The tall, 6’3 goaltender will have definitely put himself forward for more starts on this evidence.

Midweek Slump

This Wednesday the Pack played their 4th game in 6 days and the result wasn’t pretty. The result was a 5-1 loss at home to Norfolk which, according to reports, was underpinned by poor effort all round. This was another game where the Pack was heavily outshot, this time 36-25. The Packs lone goal was scored by Tim Kennedy who appears to have slotted seamlessly into the Hartford side. The loss brings the Wolf Pack’s record to 3-2-0-1 after 6 games leaving them 2^nd in their division, behind Portland.

After 6 games a few players have started the year well offensively. Kris Newbury has 8 assists after 6 games, Dane Byers has 2+4 in 6 games, Jeremy Williams has 3+2 in 6 games while a certain Wade Redden is 1+5 in 6 games and appears to be playing good offensive hockey. Key prospects Evgeny Grachev, Mats Zuccarello-Aasen and Dale Weise all have 2 points so far. Norwegian forward Zuccarello-Aasen has improved in the past few games and has looked more comfortable on the smaller ice, getting 2 goals in his last 4 games.

Bad Break

Dale Weise, after breaking his left hand, will have surgery in New York on Friday and will be out 4-6 weeks. Given the injuries on the Rangers and the solid start (2pts in 3 games) Weise had in Hartford the timing of his injury is bad for himself as well as the organisation. Weise will hope to get back as soon as possible to avoid dropping down the depth chart.

Prospect Watch

Another week has passed and some of the Rangers prospects have been busy while some have not had a choice, having sustained injuries. Ryan Bourque, Dan Maggio and Randy McNaught have all recently joined Andrew Yogan on the sidelines. Particularly frustrating is the minor injury to Bourque. Having started his year with 4 points in 4 games Bourque has hit a minor speed bump in his season. Bourque was slowed by several minor injuries last year and these kind of injuries will keep the doubters saying he’s too small to progress to the NHL. Bourque needs to get healthy and put together a prolonged series of healthy, productive games.

Of those prospects that are healthy it’s the same players that started the season on fire that are still doing the business. Christian Thomas in particular cannot stop scoring. Thomas has already hit double figures for the season and has 10 goals and 15 points in just 8 games. Almost as impressive as his 10 goals is his + 10 rating. Playing on a good Oshawa side, Thomas looks like a great 2^nd round pick.

Roman Horak may have started to slow down from his torrid start but he’s still contributing offensively. Horak has 13 points (6+7) in 8 games for his Chilliwack Bruins of the WHL. The Bruins currently stand third in their division with a 5-4 record after 9 games. Meanwhile Ethan Werek has made a solid start to his year personally with 10 points in 6 games.  Werek’s 6 goals and 10 points have his Kingston side 3^rd, right behind Thomas’ Generals, in the East division in the OHL.

Another play who has continued his excellent start to the year is goalie Scott Stajcer. Stajcer has backstopped Owen Sound with unreal numbers of 7-0-0, a 1.86GAA and a .943 save percentage. Stajcer has really stepped up a notch or two this year. To put his numbers into context, his back up has a 4.00GAA and an .830 save percentage so it doesn’t seem Stajcer is just a case of playing  behind a strong team.

Some key prospect’s stats thus far:

Ryan Bourque 4GP 2G 2 A +3 5PIM

Roman Horak 8GP 6G 7A E +/- 8PIM

Ethan Werek 6GP 6G 4A +1 8PIM

Christian Thomas 8GP 10G 5A +10 2PIM

Dylan Mcilrath 10 GP 0G 3A -6 23PIM

Scott Stajcer 7GP 7wins 1.86GAA .943 S%

Carl Hagelin 4GP 1G 4A +1 19PIM

Chris Kreider 3GP 0G 0A E+/- 4PIM

Jesper Fasth 10GP 2G 1A +2 0PIM

Mikhail Pashnin 9GP 0G 0A -4 4PIM

Prospect Watch – 13th October

Another week has passed and steadily all the Rangers prospects are getting well into their respective seasons. So far this year some Rangers have excelled themselves while others have struggled out of the gate. Dylan Mcilrath is one such player struggling.  His Moose Jaw Warriors have stumbled out of the gate and after 9 games they held a 2-7 record. Mcilrath, while not drafted for offense, hasn’t gotten going and is pointless thus far. Meanwhile he sits with an unhealthy -8.

Positive news is the continued excellence of Scott Stajcer. Its been discussed that the young goalie needs a good season to fast track in his development and his start couldn’t be much better. After 5 starts Stajcer is a perfect 5-0 holds an excellent 1.60 GAA and his .952 save percentage shows its not just Stajcer behind a tight defence.

Players that are excelling offensively so far include Christian Thomas who is scoring for fun to start the year (8 goals, 13 points, + 6 in just 5 games), Ethan Werek who had 9 points and 5 goals in just 5 games as well as Roman Horak who had an excellent 11 points in just 4 games. Thomas in fact sits 3^rd in the OHL in scoring while Werek is in the top 25. While Thomas’ goals have propelled Oshawa to top in the East Division, Werek’s Kingston side are finding the going slightly tougher going 3-3-1 to sit 3^rd in the same division.

With the NCAA hockey underway there’s some key Rangers prospects in focus there too. With his penalty filled season debut behind him Carl Hagelin has got back to scoring and now has 3 points (1+2) in his first 3 games for Michigan. Meanwhile blue chip prospect Chris Kreider was held scoreless in his season debut for Boston College. Kreider will be looking to build on a dream first NCAA season but wont be satisfied in a season debut that saw him register just two shots. Over in Europe, recent draft picks Mikhail Pashnin (’09) at CSKA Moscow and Jesper Fasth (’10) at HV71 are both scoreless so far this season in 5 and 7 games respectively.

A quick overview of some of the Rangers prospects:

Canadian Juniors:

• Ethan Werek; Kingston Frontenacs, OHL: 5 GP, 5G, 4A, 8 PIM, +1
• Ryan Bourque; Quebec Remparts, QMJHL: 4 GP, 2G, 2A, 5 PIM, +3
• Roman Horak; Chilliwack Bruins, WHL: 4 GP, 5G, 6A, 2 PIM, +2
• Christian Thomas; Oshawa Generals, OHL: 4 GP, 8G, 2A, 0 PIM, +6
• Dylan McIlrath; Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL: 7 GP, 0G, 0A, 18 PIM, -8
• Scott Stajcer; Owen Sound Attack, OHL: 5-0-0, 1.60 GAA, .952 SV%

NCAA:

• Chris Kreider; Boston College: 1 GP, 0G, 0A, 0 PIM, Even
• Carl Hagelin; Michigan: 3 GP, 1G, 2A, 17 PIM, +1

International:

• Roman Psurny; HC Slovan Ustecti Lvi, CZ 1.Liga: 9 GP, 5G, 1A, 6 PIM, +4
• Mikhail Pashnin; CSKA Moscow, KHL: 5 GP, 0G, 0A, 4 PIM, -2

AHL Prospect Watch

Every Saturday throughout the season, here at Blueseatblogs we’ll check in on how the Hartford Wolf Pack and specifically the Rangers key prospects are doing. Anyone who regularly checks in here at BSB knows how much value I place on a good farm system so it will be interesting to see how the ‘Pack fare this season given how many Rangers candidates are lining up in Hartford to begin the year. With Mats Zuccarello-Aasen, Evgeny Grachev, Ryan McDonagh, Dale Weise and Pavel Valentenko to name just a few, there is a lot of talent to watch develop over the coming months.

The Wolf Pack made a few cuts on the 5^th October as they get ready for the start of the new AHL season. Including in those cuts was defenseman Sam Klassen (who had an excellent final year in the WHL) and forward Chris Chappell who were sent to Greenville of the ECHL. Greenville are the new ECHL affiliate of both the Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers who are sharing the affiliate. While being sent down to the ECHL is a blow to Klassen it certainly isn’t the end of his Rangers hopes. A certain Dan Girardi (he of the new rich 4 year deal) made his way from the OHL, to the ECHL, to the AHL before becoming a mainstay in the NHL with the Rangers.

The Wolf Pack opens the regular season Saturday evening against none other than new AHL club the Charlotte Checkers who until last year were the Rangers’ ECHL affiliate. The ‘Pack has the following 23 players remaining on the roster:

Goal (2): Chad Johnson, Cameron Talbot

Defense (8): Lee Baldwin, Tomas Kundratek, Ryan McDonagh, Jyri Niemi, Jared Nightingale, Wade Redden, Pavel Valentenko, Nigel Williams

Forwards (13): Dane Byers, Devin DiDiomete, Brodie Dupont, Ryan Garlock, Evgeny Grachev, Chris McKelvie, Kris Newbury, Justin Soryal, Kelsey Tessier, Dale Weise, Jeremy Williams, Brandon Wong, Mats Zuccarello-Aasen

The Pack has a lot of talent throughout the side. They are well set with Chad Johnson in goal while a defence consisting of Wade Redden (who, if motivated, should be excellent at this level) Ryan McDonagh, Tomas Kundratek, Pavel Valentenko and Jyri Niemi has a lot of talent at both ends of the ice.

The forward ranks also appear to be stacked. Dane Byers, Brodie Dupont, Dale Weise and Evgeny Grachev offer both skill and size as they return to the Pack to begin another season and along with skilled players such as Zuccarello-Aasen and Jeremy Williams they will all be keen to get to the NHL as soon as possible.

The Wolf Pack should be able to ice 3 lines that can score and not many teams in theory should be able to match this talent and upside. The danger of course, will be that some prospects get lost in the numbers game so there are challenges facing Ken germander and his staff to make sure the ice time is divided up appropriately. Check back over the course of the season to see how the future Rangers are faring.

Prospect Watch: October 6, 2010

This is going to be a weekly feature on BSB, where every Wednesday we will take a look at the CHL, NCAA, and International prospects in the Rangers system. Every Saturday we will look at the AHL prospects separately (once the AHL season begins).

The CHL season is underway for many Rangers prospects, and the cream of the prospects is showing why they are so highly touted. Christian Thomas (2nd, 2010) has five goals in three games, Ethan Werek (2nd, 2009) has five points in two games, Ryan Bourque (3rd, 2009) has four points in three games, and Roman Horak (5th, 2009) has a whopping nine points in three games. Carl Hagelin had a difficult start, as he took a checking from behind penalty and a game misconduct in the season opener. Hagelin is a co-captain of the Wolverines, so don’t expect that to be a prelude to an off-year.

Canadian Juniors:

• Ethan Werek; Kingston Frontenacs, OHL: 2 GP, 2G, 3A, 4 PIM, +4
• Ryan Bourque; Quebec Remparts, QMJHL: 3 GP, 2G, 2A, 5 PIM, +3
• Roman Horak; Chilliwack Bruins, WHL: 3 GP, 3G, 6A, 0 PIM, +3
• Christian Thomas; Oshawa Generals, OHL: 3 GP, 5G, 2A, 0 PIM, +5
• Dylan McIlrath; Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL: 4 GP, 0G, 0A, 14 PIM, -4
• Scott Stajcer; Owen Sound Attack, OHL: 3-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .969 SV%

NCAA:

• Chris Kreider; Boston College: 0 GP, 0G, 0A, 0 PIM, Even
• Carl Hagelin; Michigan: 1 GP, 0G, 0A, 15 PIM, Even

International:

• Roman Psurny; HC Slovan Ustecti Lvi, CZ 1.Liga: 7 GP, 4G, 1A, 4 PIM, +2
• Mikhail Pashnin; CSKA Moscow, KHL: 4 GP, 0G, 0A, 4 PIM, -1

Prospect Watch

Every week (but usually on a Wednesday evening) here at Blueseatblogs we’ll look at how the Rangers prospects in major junior, NCAA (and where relevant Europe) are doing. At this stage the NCAA are still in the pre season while the CHL’s leagues (WHL, OHL, QMJHL)  have started.

Some players have gotten off to strong starts. Following on from a solid training camp with the Rangers, young center Roman Horak went back to the Chilliwack Bruins of the WHL and made an instant impact. Horak scored 1 and assisted on 3 others to have a 4 point night to kick off his season. If Horak can build on his strong rookie year in the WHL and have nights like this, his development will really kick on. At this early stage the Rangers look like they may have another mid round steal on their hands as Horak was taken 127th overall in 2009.

Another player looking to kick on this year is Ryan Bourque. Like Horak, Ray’s son also had a strong regular season debut back in the QMJHL as he notched 2 assists and was +3 as his Quebec Ramparts beat Halifax 4-1. Bourque is wearing an A this year so it will be worth monitoring how he develops from a leadership point of view.

Another Ranger pick off to a good start is Christian Thomas. Picked 40th overall by the Rangers this summer Thomas made his season debut for the Oshawa Generals as they whipped Peterborough 9-2 last Friday. Thomas scored 2 goals, was a +4 and like Bourque is wearing an A this year. Its good to see so many Rangers prospects in leadership positions. Should they make it to the NHL, you can never have too much leadership. Thomas is looking to build on a 40 goal campaign last year and a 2 goal game to open 10/11 isn’t a bad way to start at all. Thomas looks an exciting prospect.

2010 1st round pick Dylan Mcilrath, Dan Maggio and Randy McNaught have all started their junior seasons as has goalie Scott Stajcer, who deserves a mention after a difficult Rangers camp. Stajcer backstopped Owen Sound to a opening win and gave up just one goal in the game, finishing with a .958 save %. Here’s hoping the talented youngster gets more support this season in Owen Sound.

Several European based players including winger Jesper Fasth and defenceman Mikhail Pashnin have started their seasons in Sweden and Russia respectively. We’ll look into their play in more detail over the coming weeks. At this stage neither player has contributed offensively. Fasth is playing for HV71 in Sweden and Pashnin is at CSKA of Moscow.

At this early stage of the ‘prospect season’ not many players have started as you can see, but many of those who have, have started brightly. The Rangers have drafted pretty well in recent years and that has been reflected in the performances in recent times (think Grachev in Brampton, Kreider, Stepan and Hagelin in the NCAA etc). It should be a fun season to watch ‘the kids’ develop.

Looking Ahead: Mats Zuccarello-Aasen – Rangers X factor

Following up on Dave’s post about MZA impressing during the pre-camp skates lets take a look at what MZA could mean to the organization. The signing of the diminutive Norwegian forward this summer has given the Rangers organization a genuine x-factor in their ranks. When a franchise can add a piece to their puzzle (with such apparent upside) without giving up anything but dollars it is a risk free move when you have the financial accessibility the Rangers enjoy. So risk aside, how will MZA’s signing affect the Rangers?

If MZA becomes a Euro flop and frequents the AHL and its extensive bus network for two seasons then it will have still been a chance worth taking for the Rangers but if the skilled winger becomes an impact player in New York it leaves the Rangers in a very nice position. You cannot put a price on depth and as we have seen in recent years, offensive depth is something successful teams need. The last top heavy team to win the Stanley Cup was arguably the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2004. Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Detroit and the Blackhawks have recently all enjoyed deep playoff runs and/or Stanley Cup success in part because of depth. A successful MZA dramatically alters the look of the Rangers offensively.

When you consider the Rangers offensively now and in the future you think of Marian Gaborik, Alex Frolov, Brandon Dubinsky now and players such as Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Evgeny Grachev and Ethan Werek in the future. That’s good depth to name just a few. Then you throw in the x-factor of MZA and what he means to the club. Imagine ‘The Hobbit’ develops into a lesser version of Martin St Louis. The Rangers, in one flash of their cheque book will have added a point producer whose presence has a rippling effect on the organisation. Prospects don’t get rushed, players can be moved for better players (thanks to dealing from depth), contract negotiations for other players take on a different dynamic (thanks to less reliance on any one player) and draft picks can be used in other areas of need. The entire club is better placed long term.

Hitting a home run with a free agent such as MZA can be massively beneficial to a club. This isn’t like going out on July 1^st and winning an arms race but then still tying yourself to a player at an inflated price and therefore taking on risk. If MZA can become a top 6 scorer sooner rather than later the progression of the club gets expedited. If the Rangers, 12 months from now, are looking to insert the Grachev’s and Stepan’s into the line up but not needing immediate production from them it’s a good position to be in. MZA’s development into a legitimate NHL scoring threat would mean the Rangers can go toe to toe with most clubs in the East offensively. When you have parity offensively and you can turn to Henrik Lundqvist in net the future looks very bright.

A successful Zuccarello-Aasen could mean the Rangers become a contender, his development can have that big an affect. Will he become that kind of player? Who knows, but his talent and CV suggest its possible. Every Rangers fan should hope MZA has a strong camp and is NHL ready. They should hope he forces the team into playing him from the off and they should hope he has the impact Petr Prucha had but with sustained success. It could mean June hockey at the MSG.