The 2010-11 New York Rangers team was one that lacked
multiple elite offensive players and instead relied on a system that saw them
focus on forechecking and outworking the opposition. Given that the majority of the forward core
consisted of grinding type players, the system was perfect for them. The way the Rangers played in their dump and
chase mentality allowed players to generate offense from their work in the opposition
zone as opposed to having to rely on pure skill to create chances. Whether New York was able to impose their
will in a given game and establish the forecheck played a large factor in the
success or failure of the club on a given night.
The negative to the system was that it seemed to stifle the
creativity of the more skilled offensive talents on the club. While many other things contributed to the
down season Marian Gaborik had last year, most notably Gaborik himself, the
system did not seem to mesh with the things he does best. The question now is whether with another
elite talent like Brad Richards in the fold if Tortorella will loosen the leash
on everyone playing the system and allow the higher skilled offensive players
to use their creativity more freely.
Expecting a return to the old “safe is death” version of Tortorella is
expecting too much, but there is no reason that he cannot have unique plans for
lines to best use their abilities. Every
player on the team will obviously be expected to be defensively aware, but that
does not mean it has to stifle the explosive talent certain players have.
No place was this more evident last season than the power
play. The Rangers utter lack of
aggression on the power play was baffling especially given how aggressive they
would play both at even strength and especially shorthanded by pressuring the
opposition. Some of this has to go back
to coaching whether it be with Michael Del Zotto or even with an acquisition like
Bryan McCabe. McCabe came in and for his
first few games was firing shots from the point with no hesitation but after a
few weeks with the club he seemed petrified to let the shot go. Adding Richards to the point on the power
play gives coach John Tortorella someone he knows and trusts to handle the
duties back there and should allow the team to implement a more aggressive
approach both in terms of screening the goaltender and carrying the puck on
entry instead of pure dump and chase, which often resulted in immediate clears
by the opposing team.
Obviously the Rangers have a system they want to play which
allows them to rely on their defense and Henrik Lundqvist to give them a chance
each night, but that does not mean they cannot open up the offense a little
more to take advantage of the skills Gaborik and Richards being to the table. The combination of the grinding style for certain lines and the skill and creativity the new top line can have is what makes the Rangers dangerous next season, but that only works if coach John Tortorella is willing to allow for deviations from his system to put players in better position to succeed.
