Defense:
Marc Staal: Staal continues to be one of the best shutdown
defenders in the league. When he plays
against the best competition in the league he raises his game to another
level. He does have an issue at times in
playing against weaker opponents. At 24-years-old he is adding offense to his
game as he finished the season with a career high 29 points. There is no more important member of the
defense core than Staal and only Henrik
Lundqvist might be more important to the team in terms of
irreplaceability. Grade: A
Dan Girardi: Girardi had a phenomenal first half of the
season, but had some dip in the second half of the year. The dip could have been caused by the 236
shots he blocked this year or the fact he was playing through a hernia injury. Speed still hurts Girardi and he is prone to
having goals deflect in off him, but there is no questioning his toughness. Grade: A-
Michael Sauer: Of all Rangers’ defensive players none were
more consistent than Michael Sauer. An
afterthought coming into camp he made the team and progressively moved up the
depth chart to someone who is a reliable second pair defender that you have no
fear playing against even top line competition.
He will not wow with offensive numbers, but he is a steady player who
has excellent defensive positioning, clears his crease and is the most
protective of his goaltender. His
intelligence on the ice is excellent and showed itself more as the season went
along on the offensive side in reading the playing and always making the right
read. Grade: A
Ryan McDonagh: After struggling initially with Hartford,
McDonagh got better and better as the year went along. From nearly his first shift in the NHL he
showed that he belonged at this level and was capable of not only playing here,
but being a key contributor on defense.
For long stretches of the second half of the year his pairing with
Michael Sauer, if not his individual play, was the best of the Rangers’ defense. McDonagh is a tremendous skater who plays
sound positional hockey and has some physicality to his game. As he matures, much like Marc Staal, he will
slowing integrate more offense into the equation. He will be a building block
for the next decade on the blue line. Grade:
A-
Steve Eminger: The lack of expectation for Eminger
certainly helped how he was viewed this season by the fans. He was a solid defender who played adequately
when he was in the lineup and at different points brought some physicality to
his game. He played his best hockey when
the Rangers were in search of veteran play during the injury to Michal Rozsival
early in the year and that makes his year a success. Unlikely to be back next season, but to get
the year he gave New York in a deal for Aaron Voros is another good trade by
Sather. Grade: B
Matt Gilroy: Gilroy was solid when called upon this season,
but never really gained a firm grasp on a roster spot. His defense was improved over his rookie season
and while not great was adequate for the most part. His offense didn’t seem to take that next step
during the regular season. He showed
more flashes of the offense in the playoffs when he was willing to use his
skating ability to attack the opposition. Gilroy, if cheap is the kind of player the
Rangers could use as a 6th/7th defenseman next season. Grade:
B-
Michael Del Zotto: The questions concerning Del Zotto
starting the season were all on the defensive side of the ice and while he
still had some struggles there in year two, the bigger issues were with his
utter lack of offensive production. His
stretch passes which were critical to his game as a rookie never connected this
year. His confidence in carrying the
puck was gone, but his attempts to make the huge play never left and cost the
team more than it ever paid off. The
supposed power play quarterback was pulled off the unit and sent down to
Hartford multiple times before having his season ended with a broken hand. Hopefully he will learn from the sophomore
slump and bounce back next season as the Rangers desperately need a puck moving
defenseman and at 20 the potential is still there. Grade: D
Bryan McCabe: The McCabe trade was one that was meant to spark
the power play and at times he did, but not enough to warrant coming back. When he first arrived he was doing exactly
what was expected of him in bringing some veteran experience and firing the
puck at any and all opportunities but by the time the playoffs rolled around he
stopped looking for his shot. Grade: C-
Goalies:
Henrik Lundqvist: Amazing how far away the early season struggles of
Lundqivst seem at this point, but once again the King showed why he is the one
to sit on the throne for the Rangers. He
had another excellent season, but his value was only heightened by the late
season injury to Martin Biron which forced Lundqvist into action for the final
26 games of the season. He carried the
team again into contention and this year back into the playoffs with another
tremendous stretch run. Grade: A
Martin Biron: You cannot ask for more from your backup goaltender
than what Biron gave the Rangers this season before having his campaign cut
short by a broken collarbone. When he
was given the call, Biron not only gave the Rangers a chance in seemingly every
start, but won games as well. Arguably
the best free agent move Glen Sather has made in recent memory. When he is not playing he needs to be both
assistant coach and MSG analyst as he is more qualified than the people who
currently hold those positions. Grade: A
