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Through the years of struggling to make the playoffs and the
failed big name free agent moves New York Rangers fans have clamored for a
rebuilding process that would see more young homegrown talent on display at
Madison Square Garden. As the Rangers
are in the midst of a five game winning streak and charging towards the playoff
race they are being led in that effort by that homegrown talent fans have
yearned for. At the forward, defense and
goaltending levels the Rangers are led by players they have managed to develop.
Up front the best line for New York and the real engine of
the offense is that of Brandon Dubinsky (2004, 2nd round), Artem
Anisimov (2006, 2nd round), and Ryan Callahan (2004, 4th
round). This line has combined for 63
goals, 77 assists and 140 points in 197 games this season. If the season totals were not enough in the
last four games the trio has combined for 7-12-19 and the Rangers have won all
four. The beauty of this line is that
their offense is how defensively responsible all three of them are. Two-way hockey is a staple of this Rangers
team which might lack elite skill, but they play hard, intense hockey on both
ends of the ice and they are led by this trio in that effort.
In addition to those three up front the Rangers boast Derek
Stepan (2008, 2nd round) and Mats Zuccarello (UFA) as two more young
players they are developing for the future while getting contributions in the
present. Stepan’s adjustment from
college to the NHL has exceptional (19-21-40) and the fact that he will likely
hit the 20 goal mark as a rookie bodes well for his future. The combination of vision, passing ability,
timely goal scoring and maturity make Stepan another piece for New York to
build around. Mats Zuccarello (6-16-22 in 39 games) has been
making all sorts of adjustments this season.
Adjusting from the SEL and the bigger ice surface in Europe to the size
and style of North American hockey is Zuccarello has done at varying levels of
success, but he has shown flashes of his abilities for the future.
On defense the Rangers boast three core pieces to a defense
that have been brought through the organizational ranks. They can thank the 2005 NHL Entry draft for
two of those guys who have helped form the foundation of this year’s
defense. Marc Staal (2005, 1st
round) has elevated his game to an All-Star level this season to go along with
his long held standing as one of the best shutdown defenders in the NHL. It is not easy to find a clear cut number 1
defenseman in this league and the Rangers were lucky enough to draft and
develop Staal into being just that and will build their defense core around
their assistant captain for years to come.
Also take in the 2005 draft was Michael Sauer who the
Rangers got in the second round. While
it has taken Sauer longer to get to the NHL his impact on this year’s Rangers
team cannot be understated in terms of his positioning, smarts, vision,
physicality, mean streak and defense of teammates that he has displayed. Coming into training camp as a bubble player
and the season as part of a rotation Sauer has taken many leaps forward and
made himself into a core piece of this defense with his top four play all
season long. The argument can certainly
be made that he has been the most consistent of all Rangers’ players.
Dan Girardi is another undrafted gem for Glen Sather and
company as someone who blossomed late and has become a very underrated defender
around the league for his solid play.
Girardi is never flashy, but he blocks shots, hits and just finds ways
to get the job done like the team as a whole.
The leader of them all and the backbone of the club in terms
of both a playoff push and their success in the tournament is Henrik Lundqvist
(2000, 7th round). Lundqvist
is a world class goalie who keeps this team in just about every game and down
the stretch is back to his form of stealing them when necessary. When you have an elite goalie like Lundqvist
you are never out of a game or a series and that kind of foundational piece
allows the Rangers to focus on tinkering in other sections of the ice.
As the Rangers make this push to get into and succeed in the
playoffs the reason the thoughts about this season are so positive is because
of the level of young and homegrown talent that are playing key roles in the
team’s success. In the past appear to be
the days of buying the big name and hoping they can handle the pressure of
Broadway and wearing the Blueshirt sweater and here are the days of a “Black
and Blueshirt” mentality formed and led by homegrown players that are just
willing to do whatever it takes to get this team to where it wants to go. The fans can stop wishing for a rebuild because
over the course of time the Rangers have already done the bulk of it and come
out with key pieces to becoming a championship contender.
