The New York Rangers had an incredible season last year, finishing first overall in the Eastern Conference, but somehow the team still managed to fall short of a Stanley Cup Finals berth.
So what did they do in the offseason? They only went out and traded for one of the league’s premier power forwards.
The Rangers were able to do this offseason what other top-tier teams have failed to do year after year – they took a winning team and improved it.
The Rangers didn’t have any issues on defense. Not only did they have arguable one of the top three goalies in the league last year, but they finished third overall in goals per game and fifth on the penalty kill. If there was a weakness, evidently it was on offense, where the team finished 11th in goals per game.
That changes with the addition of Rick Nash, a perennial 30-goal scorer and one-time 40-goal scorer.
Sure, the Rangers had to give up Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov to get Nash, two players who, in their best years, combine for nearly 90 points compared to Nash’s 59 last season, but Nash has never had the type of support he will get in New York. He’s never had a center like Brad Richards, who averages over 50 assists a year. He’s never had the supporting cast to help carry the load. And he’s certainly never played in a place like New York City.
And it will be fun to see what he’s capable of playing with a proper offense where he doesn’t have to do all the work.
While Dubinsky and Anisimov might seem like a high price tag for Nash, the move was the right one to address the pressing needs of the Rangers after a disappointing early playoff exit. They didn’t need Ryan Suter, Shea Weber or Matt Carle. They probably would have liked Zach Parise, but there was no way he was moving across the river. Nash was the best available option for the team.
The problem becomes trying to not herald Nash as some sort of savior on Broadway. While Nash is a nice addition to the team and will certainly offer his fair share of goals during the regular season, several other players are vital assets to a winning formula for the Rangers.
Goalie Henrik Lundquist had scary good numbers last season, including a 1.97 goals against average and eight shutouts. But Lundquist is incredibly consistent, and he should benefit this year from a full season of having Marc Staal patrolling the blue line after injuries limited Staal to just 46 games last year.
The biggest question mark, however, remains Marian Gaborik, who managed to play in all 82 regular season games for the first time in his career last year. Regardless of health, Gaborik is a vital asset to the success of this team – but obviously having him on the ice scoring goals is more beneficial than him sitting in the press box.
Could Nash be the final piece to the puzzle that the Rangers need to make them serious contenders for the Stanley Cup? It sure seems that way. He’s got a great opportunity to really show what he’s capable of, and you better believe that everyone will be watching, waiting to see how he fares.
It would be difficult to say that the success of the Rangers rests on Nash this season. But given their success last year and the fact that most – if not all – of a winning team is returning this year, it would be easy to say that the expectations are high for the team now that Nash is in the fold.
