The New York Rangers are still moving in the right direction this season, even with Igor Shesterkin out of the lineup. That alone says something, because the last two years set the bar painfully low.
A retool only works if the team actually gets better, and New York has done that. But the season has still been uneven, and there are a few things that keep sticking out.
The biggest one is Shesterkin’s injury. It’s hard not to look at what this team has become and think about how much better the whole thing felt when he was healthy.
This is the best Rangers defense in a long time, and Shesterkin was part of that from the start. He opened the year on a ridiculous run and even had that fairytale moment when he scored in the home opener.
The energy around the team was as good as it has been in a while. Now it’s just a huge bummer, and the hope has to be that he comes back healthy next season and the vibes come back with him.
Another roster decision that deserves a second look is the one that kept Matt Rempe on the NHL roster instead of Dylan Garand. I used to think the Rangers made the mistake when they waived Garand to keep Joonas Korpisalo, but I’m changing my mind.
At this point, I don’t understand why Rempe is still there. Mike Sullivan clearly doesn’t trust him, and when he does play, he’s basically a non-factor.
That’s not really a shot at Rempe as much as it is an issue with how little he’s being used. If he isn’t trusted and there’s trade value to be had, then that’s the path.
The Rangers couldn’t have known Shesterkin would get hurt, but extra goalie depth always felt more valuable than a player who isn’t bringing much of anything.
Mika Zibanejad’s start has also flown a little too far under the radar. He’s been fine as a playmaker, but the scoring just hasn’t been there, and that has hurt the Rangers.
He has had slow starts before and found his way out of them, but New York can’t really afford for this to turn into an off-year. The need for a true first-line center has been obvious for a while, and if Zibanejad can’t fill that role in the meantime, that hole is going to keep hanging over the team.
There’s also the question of what the Rangers are getting from their young defensemen. Alberts Smits has gone 18 games without a point, and that’s not exactly the kind of production that gets anyone fired up.
The belief here is pretty simple: if you’re spending a top five pick on a defenseman, he needs to bring offense too. If he ends up being only a defensive-defenseman, that’s going to be disappointing.
That said, this may be an overreaction, especially since he appears to have been playing hurt.
And then there’s the bigger issue, the one that sits underneath all of it. Alexis Lafreniere has been awesome this season.
Pavel Dorofeyev is still a player to believe in. Gabe Perreault’s vision is excellent.
Adam Fox is an all-world defenseman. But when the game is on the line, who is the guy the Rangers trust to get the big goal?
That’s still missing. It does not have to be the player with the most goals, either.
Chris Kreider and Sam Bennett are proof of that.
That is why the next step has to be finding a superstar. The Rangers should be fully focused on getting that kind of player.
There’s no issue with adding Dorofeyev, but he is not the answer at the very top, and he never should have been treated like that solution. How they get their #1 guy is anybody’s guess.
But that has to be the goal now.
In Other News...
Chris Kreider's MSG Return Suddenly Feels Far Less Certain
Chris Kreiders first season with the Canadiens has already taken an unexpected turn, and now his next trip back to Madison Square Garden is suddenly in question. The veteran winger left the game against the Bruins with a lower-body injury after favoring his left leg, did not return, and there was no postgame update on his condition.
For Rangers fans, the timing is notable because Montreal is scheduled to visit MSG next, which had already made Kreiders return a point of interest. Instead, the focus has shifted to whether he will even be available, turning what looked like a familiar reunion into something far less certain. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Fans Are Already Split On A Debate That Could Grow Fast
Early-season hockey always invites a quick verdict, and Rangers fans have already found a few names to argue about. Pavel Dorofeyevs scoring has drawn attention, but so has the minus rating attached to his start, while the goaltending conversation has naturally drifted toward Igor Shesterkin and Dylan Garand. Even Matt Rempe has become part of the debate, with some fans focused on his ice time and others on what he can realistically bring beyond the physical edge.
A scout quoted in the piece urges some patience before turning those first impressions into hard conclusions, which is usually the sensible way to handle October noise. Still, the split is real because these are the kinds of players and roles that tend to shape how a season feels long before the standings do. Whether the skepticism is about Dorofeyevs all-around impact, Garands comparison to Shesterkin, or Rempes fit in the lineup, the larger question is how quickly Rangers fans want to decide what theyre seeing. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers May Need More From Scott Morrow Than They Planned
Scott Morrow has already started to look like more than a depth call-up for the Rangers, even in a small sample. Through six games, his even-strength numbers have been encouraging, and the club has begun using him on the second power-play unit while he settles in as a third-pair defenseman playing about 13 minutes a night.
The next question is whether New York is ready to give him a bigger look before the season gets much deeper. There is a case for moving Morrow up alongside Marcus Pettersson on the second pair, not because the Rangers need to force a decision immediately, but because his underlying performance suggests he may be worth testing in a role that asks more of him. [Read more 🡒]