Brad Richards to NY Rangers: Are the Rangers the Legit Favorite to Win the East?

It is the question all the New York fans want answered.

Can one guy make a team? Can he move the Rangers from last year’s eighth place and first round loss, or will he do more and lead the Rangers to victory in all of the Eastern Conference?

The answer is yes. Brad Richards is one of the few in the NHL who has enough talent to steer his team toward winning a cup.

It’s not like the Rangers don’t already have talent. Last year, the Rangers had a chance to beat the Capitals in the first round of the playoffs. If they had accomplished that, their next opponent would have been the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Rangers lost all their four meetings against Tampa last season, but haven’t lost by more than two goals in any game.

The pieces are there for the Rangers. They just need to put them together.

The Rangers have a lot of offensive threats and Richards would make these forces more effective. Depending on which line Richards plays, he could boost the Ranger’s numbers in combination with Marian Gaborik or Ryan Callahan.

Last year, Brad RIchards was 10^th in the league in assists and also finished 10^th in points. If there is an open passing lane, Richards is the first to find it. He is one of the best passers in the NHL and that leads to more goals.

Richards also played last season for the Stars, a team that finished tied for 10^th in the Western Conference in scoring.

The Rangers were almost as bad as the Stars in putting the puck in the net last year. The Stars scored 227 times and the Rangers scored 233 times. Richards would definitely help raise those numbers.

The one aspect of the game the Rangers do not need help on is goaltending. Last year, they let up only 198 goals, the third fewest in the Eastern Conference. With offense from Richards, Gaborik, Dubinsky, Callahan and goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers could be unstoppable.

People may be asking: What about the former Stanley Cup champions, the Boston Bruins? Aren’t they the favored?

If the Rangers played the Bruins last year in the playoffs, it is not so far fetched to believe they might be holding the Stanley Cup. With a 3-1 record against the Bruins in the regular season, the Rangers match up very well against them. Thomas may be a little better at goal, but the Rangers offense is better than the Bruins attack.

It seems everywhere Richards goes, he makes an immediate impact. When the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004, Richards was given one of hockey’s most prestigious awards, the Conn Smythe trophy. Also, after he moved from Tampa to Dallas, Richards made the Stars playoff contenders.

Signing Brad Richards was one of the best moves for the New York Rangers. They changed from a playoff team, to a Stanley Cup team. We’ll have to wait and see how this monster signing pans out, but I think Ranger fans are going to like what they see from this All-Star.