Puck Daddy’s NHL 2014-15 Emoji Preview: New York Rangers
(The 2014-15 NHL season is nearly upon us, and attempting to handicap the winners and losers can sometimes leave us speechless. So we decided to break down all 30 teams with the next best thing to words: Emojis!)
Last Season In Emojis
Last Season, In Summary
The Rangers made the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1994 before succumbing to the Los Angeles Kings, but it was a heck of a ride: Winning in seven games over the rival Flyers, rallying to beat the rival Penguins, thwarting the Canadiens before falling in five games to LA. The death of Marty St. Louis’ mother provided an emotional undercurrent to the whole run.
They finished 45-31-6 with 96 points under Alain Vigneault in his first season as head coach.
Last Season’s Definitive Highlight
Christopher Krieder steamrolling Carey Price.
Off-Season Transactions
The biggest change for the Rangers was the buyout given to Brad Richards, a former No. 1 center whose diminishing returns in the postseason necessitated the move. Anton Stralman, Benoit Pouliot, Brian Boyle, Dan Carcillo and Raphael Diaz were among the players to leave as free agents.
Dan Boyle arrived from the San Jose Sharks on a 2-year deal. Tanner Glass, Matthew Lombardi, Lee Stempniak and Ryan Malone were among the other new arrivals.
The Rangers’ top line should be Derek Stepan (57 points in 82 games), Rick Nash (39 points in 65 games) and Chris Kreider (37 points in 66 games), with the pressure on Nash to improve on his numbers from last year’s injury-riddled campaign, in which he produced the lowest points-per-game average since his rookie season and just three goals in 25 playoff games.
Derick Brassard had a breakout season with 45 points. What’s the upside for himself and Carl Hagelin if they get a full season of Marty St. Louis on their wing? Or will the Rangers move leading scorer Mats Zuccarello (59 points) on a line with St. Louis?
The Rangers have an interesting mix of veterans in their bottom six to augment a few good young players. Center Dominic Moore, an ace defender, returns; he and center Matthew Lombardi will vie for a No. 3 center spot with J.T. Miller, who had six points in 30 games last season.
Tanner Glass brings his truculence. Lee Stempniak brings a few flashes of offense here or there. Ryan Malone brings … well, whatever he has left as a post-arrest reclamation project. They join Jesper Fast, Chris Mueller, Oscar Lindberg, Danny Kristo, Ryan Haggerty and rookie free agent coup Kevin Hayes to fill out the roster.
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Ryan McDonagh had a star-making performance in the run to the Cup Final, with 17 points to lead the team and an average ice time of 26:49. Dan Girardi, who pretty much had the opposite playoff experience, returns as his partner.
Dan Boyle likely moves in for Stralman with Marc Staal, bringing a bit more offense and a little less puck possession than the underrated Stralman.
John Moore and Kevin Klein are a solid third pairing for the Rangers, with Mike Kostka and Matt Hunwick in reserve.
Henrik Lundqvist had a 33-24-5 record with a 2.36 GAA and a .920 save percentage. And that was considered a down year. He also carried the Rangers farther than ever before in the postseason, posting a .927 save percentage and a 2.14 GAA.
Hey, remember when Cam Talbot made this a goalie controversy for a nanosecond last season?
Probable Text Conversation Within Organization
Special Teams
The Rangers were 15th in the NHL with an 18.2 percent conversation rate on the power play, with 264 opportunities. Will a full season of Marty St. Louis and the arrival of Dan Boyle change that? Probably.
On the kill, they were third at 85.3 percent with 232 times shorthanded, second fewest in the NHL. Will the loss of Brian Boyle factor into that?
GM and Coach
Alain Vigneault went from Vancouver to New York and led the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup Final in 20 years. His predecessor … well, if you know anyone that needs a head coach …
How much heavy lifting Glen Sather actually does in the Rangers front office is anyone’s guess, but the bottom line is that the Rangers have made a slew of smart decisions in building and maintaining this roster … and a few questionable ones. But you can’t argue with success, and the Rangers look like they’re contenders again this season.
And Now, A Blooper
The Rangers bring New Yorkers together like no one else.
The Potential Best Thing About This Team
Lundqvist. Still the NHL’s best goaltender and maybe one with a little more goal support in front of him than last season.
The Potential Worst Thing About This Team
Nash. He needs to turn his numbers around before becoming yet another lightning rod for scorn in New York sports. If he hasn’t already.
Single Emoji Prediction
The mighty horse.
Sometimes the Rangers galllop. Sometimes they trot. One thing's for sure -- it's going ot be hard to push them over. A playoff team out of the Metro again.
