Regarding the Rangers, one point better entering the All-Star break than last season but two points further out of a playoff spot, as if that is the measure of progress:
1. There is probably as good a chance that the team will continue to carry three goaltenders through the Feb. 24 trade deadline as there is that Alex Georgiev will be dealt.
And while it is sensible not to rush to judgment simply to avoid an unwieldy situation, let’s not kid ourselves, this might represent the height of interest in Georgiev, who has turned in some excellent performances but has not exactly established himself as an untouchable over the last six weeks.
If so, if general manager Jeff Gorton can stoke a bidding war for the 23-year-old pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights, if the Blueshirts could get a no-doubt top-nine winger with potential top-six upside, this would be the time to strike.
The situation has not been ideal since Igor Shesterkin’s Jan. 6 recall, but it never is for a backup. And since Dec. 12, Georgiev has gone 4-5 with a .882 save pct. and 3.78 GAA average. Henrik Lundqvist over that same period? The Swede has gone 2-3-1 with a .894 save pct. and 3.25 GAA.
There is zero evidence that Lundqvist will ask to be moved. There is no indication that he would agree to waive his no-move clause if a Cup contender comes calling. There is no chance that management would approach him with that request absent legitimate interest from a third party.
Perhaps the dynamics could change, but that seems quite unlikely. Absent further notice, then, expect Lundqvist to be here through at least the end of the season, if not through the remainder of his contract that expires after next year.
And if the Rangers expect Lundqvist to be a functioning goaltender and partner for, presumably, Shesterkin, then the mushroom act where they open the closet door and water him every once in a while isn’t going to work. Lundqvist has played one game since Jan. 2.
The reluctance to part with Georgiev is understandable. But the Rangers have had a line of succession in mind for years and there has been nothing in Shesterkin’s first four months of North American pro hockey to suggest that the original plan should be scuttled. He is 24, he is lightning quick, technically superior, supremely confident and in command.
The Canadiens did not move Carey Price because Jaro Halak carried the team to the 2010 conference finals after taking out both Alex Ovechkin’s Caps and Sidney Crosby’s Penguins. Rather, the Habs stuck to their plan and the-then 25-year-old Halak was traded within a month of those two staggering upsets.
If, as likely, the remainder of this season becomes more about 2020-21 and beyond than 2019-20, wouldn’t it be best to ride Shesterkin with Lundqvist as his backup rather than to continue auditioning the two young goalies?
There is no reason for Gorton to be stampeded into making a choice before its time, that is true, but, again, this could well be the only time the Rangers have leverage in trade talks as it applies to Georgiev. The last thing they need is to be sitting at the draft table in Montreal and fielding offers of late second-rounders and/or thirds for No. 40.
2. Replacement All-Star Chris Kreider will be five months from hitting the open market when the season resumes with a home-and-home against the Red Wings that begins at the Garden on Jan. 31. Thus, leverage would seem to be on the other skate when the Blueshirts finally engage the winger in contract talks.
Kreider’s goal on Tuesday against the Islanders was his 10th in the last 16 games, 15th on the season and 150th of his career. Since Kreider first joined the NHL in 2012-13 (following his 2012 playoff debut), he has recorded .3 goals per game.
Over that span, 31 forwards, including 17 wingers, have played at least 500 games with at least 150 goals while averaging .3 GPG. (Thanks to the hockey-reference.com play index.)
Kreider is one of them.
3. Plus-minus is a largely overlooked stat these days, popularly supplanted by numbers that are likely more predictive of future performance.
But Marc Staal has been on the ice for a total of 13 goals against in 458:42 of five-on-five play (per NaturalStatTrick.com) in going plus-one primarily playing with Tony DeAngelo against top-six matches.
Artemi Panarin, by the way, has been on for a staggering 56 of the 103 goals the Rangers have scored at five-on-five, a plus-30 in the process.
And then there is Micheal Haley, who has been on for one Rangers five-on-five goal in 120:00 in going minus-seven. There are two forwards in the NHL who have played at least 120:00 and have been on for only one goal. Carolina’s Brian Gibbons is the other.
For more on the Rangers, listen to the latest episode of the “Up In The Blue Seats” podcast:
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