NHL Year in Review: New York Rangers Forward Ratings and Report Cards

NEW YORK, NY

The New York Rangers season ended in a rather disappointing fashion. It left fans unsatisfied and yearning for more fight and drive. The Rangers may have been bounced from the first round of the playoffs but there was a lot of things they did right this year.

The Rangers had an interesting year with their forwards. There was the emergence of rookie sensations such as Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello.  Derek Stepan made his mark and cemented his spot on the roster in his first career NHL game.

During the Rangers’ season opener against the Sabres, Stepan netted a hat trick against Olympic medalist and the reigning Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller.

Mats Zuccarello made his mark as a shootout specialist for the New York Rangers. His size and hands make him lethal in the “skills competition” he showed some real promise and spent partial time between the NHL and the AHL during the season.

There were also players like Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust who exceeded expectations by contributing a great deal to the Rangers offensive output. Brandon Prust was considered to be the throw in player in the Olli Jokinen trade last spring.

Prust brought a sense of grit and personality to the team. He plays hard and will hopefully be offered a contract extension this offseason. Brian Boyle had a great offensive year by scoring 21 goals and 14 assists for 35 points.

Sean Avery also made strides this year playing with Boyle and Prust especially during the playoffs.

Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, and Artem Anisimov all built upon their success from last year. The “RFA” line’s contracts all are up this year and they played worthy enough to earn a well deserved contract extension and raise. 

Ryan Callahan is being groomed to become the next captain. He embodies what it means to be a Ranger. His presence was definitely missed by the Rangers during the playoffs. Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov also had productive seasons but weren’t the same in the playoffs without their fallen linemate. 

Marian Gaborik, Alex Frolov, Chris Drury, and Erik Christensen all had disappointing seasons but for different reasons.

This is only an excerpt. For the rest of this story please visit Tom at SportsHaze New York City