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The New York Rangers had a
number of questions that needed to be answered coming into the season, but few
if any wondered about Ryan Callahan. Callahan
was named the 26th captain of the franchise because of his leadership, but also
in part because his play epitomizes the identity the team strives to have. The Rangers have failed to establish that
same identity as last season or the same style of play and to see why you have
to look no further than the play of Callahan himself.
In the Rangers opener against
the Kings Callahan played his type of game and had a huge impact recording an
important goal to help spark a lifeless team and recording a tremendous 11
shots on goal. Since then his game has
seemingly declined and his impact has been non-existent in the outcome of
games, which is not what the Rangers need from his both as their captain and as
a player who was given a new contract based on last year’s production. The question has to be asked; What is wrong with
Ryan Callahan?
The two easiest theories revolve
around Callahan either nursing some sort of injury that is not being publicly
talked about or that he is simply pressing trying to live up to his
contract/being named captain.
Playing through an injury is the
one that many will naturally gravitate to because his lack of impact both on
the scoresheet and in the regular flow of the game. Injury could be why he does does not seem to
be forechecking quite the same way he has his entire career, throwing his body
around with reckless abandon, but there doesn’t seem to be an obvious
ailment.
Callahan pressing over the
contract or being elevated to captain of the team is a natural concern that you
have with all players trying to prove they deserve what the organization gave
them. Solving that can be more difficult
because it is purely mental as all Callahan has to do to prove he is worthy of
both the contract and the captaincy is play Ryan Callahan hockey. Gripping the stick tighter is not going to
make the puck go in. Looking for the
perfect pass or shot is not going get more points in the boxscore or end of
season stat count. Play the same honest
hockey that he has played his entire career and the results will be there.
Beyond those two main theories
the most noticeable issue for Callahan appears to be him misreading the play
significantly more often than we normally see from Callahan. Against Calgary
there was a prime example as Brandon Dubinsky drove the zone and fired a
backhander toward the net leading to a rebound right out front, but instead of
Callahan crashing the net as he typically does he was still in the slot
allowing Calgary to clear the puck out of danger. There were other plays where on odd-man
rushes he was the one drifting to the wing while letting Ryan McDonagh be the
one driving hard to the net. All of
these types of things are unlike Callahan and the way he has always played.
An interesting idea that is pure
speculation on my part is if Callahan is playing a slightly different game this
year because he doesn’t want to get hurt and miss significant time like last
season. The worth of Callahan to the
lineup is massive as was seen in his absence during the playoffs and it is the
double edged sword when discussing him.
The Rangers need him to play with that reckless disregard for his own
health while on the ice, but they also need him to stay healthy and the way he
plays (blocking shots, delivering hits), at his best, lends itself to him
getting injured.
Those expecting Callahan to
continue last seasons .8 point per game pace were always likely to be
disappointed because of how drastically it differed from his prior statistical
output, but those will more reasonable expectations of 25-30 goals and 55
points will likely get what they are looking for when the season is over. Whatever
the issue is for Ryan Callahan over the past few games, the New York Rangers
need him to figure it out quick or they are going to continue to struggle to
find their stride as a team, instead relying on Henrik Lundqvist to save them
long enough for the team to steal some points.
