![Player Ratings: A review of New York Rangers Defensemen and Goalies’ Regular Season and Playoff Performances Player Ratings: A review of New York Rangers Defensemen and Goalies’ Regular Season and Playoff Performances](https://i3.wp.com/cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/06/09212010/GettyImages-2023789552-scaled-e1717982470957.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
After evaluating all the forwards on the New York Rangers roster, let’s take a look at New York’s defensemen and goaltenders. First, some parameters:
• Each rating is based on the expectations of the player in question. The bar for Adam Fox to get an A is much higher than it is for Zac Jones.
• We rate only defensemen and goaltenders who appeared in 25 or more regular season games. Apologies to people like Louis Domingue and Connor Mackey, who deserves recognition for his big fight against Ottawa before the All-Star break.
• The players in this story are ordered by their regular season scoring. Arthur Staple rated the defenders and Peter Baugh rated the goalkeepers.
Here are the ratings:
Defenses
adam fox
Regular season: 72 games, 73 points (17 goals, 56 assists)
Qualifiers: 16 games, 8 points (0 goals, 8 assists)
Regular Season Grade: TO
playoff grade:B
The bar is high for Fox to earn an A rating, but it met it this season. A career-high in goals, including six power-play markers, and a third consecutive 70-point season, all while he missed 10 games in November with a right knee injury.
He was still a top-10 defender in scoring plus/minus for the Rangers, generating high-danger opportunities at a better rate than any other defenseman on the team.
The playoffs were a disappointment fueled in large part by a new right knee injury thanks to a leg-to-leg hit by the Capitals’ Nick Jensen in Game 4 of the first round. Fox wanted nothing to do with it. “If you’re on the ice,” he said, “there’s an expectation to produce.”
It’s now 29 straight playoff games without a goal for Fox, dating back to Game 7 of the 2022 second round. The Rangers clearly need him at whatever percentage of full health he has, and he needs to be more dominant for the Rangers to advance as far as they can. deepest of the postseason.
regular season: 76 games, 31 points (6 goals, 25 assists)
Qualifiers: 16 games, 3 points (0 goals, 3 assists)
Regular Season Grade: B+
playoff grade:C-
When Fox fell 10 games into the season, it was certainly a concern as to who could step up on the Rangers’ blue line. Gustafsson, on his seventh team in five years, didn’t seem like the most likely candidate, but he was the man for a month, taking Fox’s place in the top four and on a power play that didn’t miss a beat. Gustafsson slowed considerably as the season progressed, but those first 30 games, with 19 points for Gustfasson, were enough to more than offset his $825,000 salary.
But the playoffs have long been a problem for Gustafsson, and this streak again did not sit well with him. It’s hard to imagine the Rangers bringing him back when they could look for a better fit on the third pair. But we will always have November.
Regular season: 80 games, 30 points (8 goals, 22 assists)
Qualifiers: 16 games, 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists)
Regular Season Grade:B
playoff grade:B-
Miller was primed to take a big step forward after a fantastic 2022-23 season, but it didn’t quite materialize under Peter Laviolette. He still led the defense corps in even-strength times on ice, and the late-season pairing of him with Braden Schneider gave a glimpse of what will likely happen next season. There was a lot to like.
There are still too many instances of hesitation or poor decision-making to fully trust Miller as a true rising star. And in a postseason in which the Rangers mostly collapsed at five-on-five, Miller, with either Jacob Trouba or Schneider, took the brunt. Of all defensemen who have played in the playoffs, Miller’s expected on-ice goals of -8.58 ranks last. It’s not all on him, but it’s also time for Miller to start determining some outcomes on the ice instead of reacting to what others do.
Jacob Trouba
regular season: 69 games, 22 points (3 goals, 19 assists)
Qualifiers: 16 games, 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists)
Regular Season Grade:B-
playoff grade😀
It was a so-so season for the Rangers captain, nothing really bad but nothing particularly good on the ice either; Perhaps his best contribution was captaining a team that needed to immediately accept Laviolette’s system and style. That’s no small feat.
In the postseason, things took a decidedly downward turn for Trouba. He had one of the defenders’ two postseason goals, but he was offside very badly on his own end, staying out of position frequently and committing 11 penalties. Trouba said the broken ankle he suffered in March was not a factor in his postseason play, but honestly, if he stays beyond this season, the Rangers might prefer the ankle to be an issue.
Braden Schneider
regular season: 82 games, 19 points (5 goals, 14 assists)
Qualifiers: 16 games, 2 points (0 goals, 2 assists)
Regular Season Grade:B
playoff grade:B
Another quiet and steady step forward for Schneider, even though he didn’t take on major minutes until the end of the regular season. Stability in the top four is needed with Trouba gone, and Schneider can provide it.
He took on bigger assignments in the postseason, and his pairing with Miller seems likely to be the second starting pairing next season. If that’s the case, Schneider will rise to become the Rangers’ top five-on-five pairing and appears ready to give it a try.
regular season: 76 games, 17 points (3 goals, 14 assists)
Qualifiers: 16 games, 3 points (0 goals, 3 assists)
Regular Season Grade:B
playoff grade:B
Lindgren usually performs like Fox does, but his regular season gets a boost by having a hot streak in November when Fox was away. Despite his usual bumps, bruises and facial injuries, Lindgren didn’t miss much time this season and was effective for the most part, especially in the top-five shootout.
In the playoffs, there were some flashes of skill, as seen in Chris Kreider’s Game 6 winner against Carolina and Alex Wennberg’s Game 3 winner against Florida. There are no problems with what Lindgren brings to the table when it comes to his next contract; If he ultimately doesn’t return, it will strictly be a salary cap issue. He is a Ranger heart and soul through and through.
Zach Jones
regular season: 31 games, 9 points (2 goals, 7 assists)
Qualifiers: N/A
Regular Season Grade:B
playoff grade: N/A
Jones’ underlying numbers in limited play action weren’t bad: His on-ice expected goals barely dipped into the red, minus-0.54 expected goals, which ranked third among Rangers defensemen. Since he doesn’t get any power play time, this seemed like it might have been enough to earn him a uniform for at least one game in the postseason, but it didn’t happen. He has one more year on his contract and is certainly in line for a roster spot, but that may not be enough for him right now.
The big question of Igor Shesterkin’s offseason is whether the Rangers will reach an agreement on an extension with him. (Joel Auerbach//Keynote USA/Getty Images)
Goalkeepers
regular season: 55 games, 36-17-2, .913 save percentage, 17.36 goals saved above expected (Evolving Hockey)
Qualifiers: 16 games, 10-6, .927 save percentage, 15.62 goals saved above expected (Evolving-Hockey)
Regular Season Grade: B+
playoff grade: A+
Shesterkin had a good, not great, regular season. He had a rough January (.863 save percentage in 10 games), which dragged down his overall numbers a bit, but he was rock solid the rest of the year. The Rangers gave him a few free games to work with goaltending expert Benoit Allaire, and that proved fruitful. He had a .929 save percentage in 23 games the rest of the season.
Although 2023-24 was not the Vezina Trophy-level season that Shesterkin is capable of, he was still among the best goaltenders in the NHL. He finished in the league’s top 10 in wins (third), games started (sixth), save percentage (seventh) and shutouts (eighth) among goaltenders who played at least 41 games. He ranked 11th in goals saved above expected.
The playoffs brought out the best in Shesterkin. There’s a chance the Rangers wouldn’t have beaten the Hurricanes without his brilliance, and the Panthers’ series might have been shorter than six games without him in the area. After New York lost Game 6, Vincent Trocheck hugged the goalie.
“He was our best player by a significant margin in the playoffs,” the center said. “If there was anyone I thought needed to hear that after the loss to keep my spirits up, (it was him). I simply told him that he was our best player and that he deserved better.”
Among goaltenders who played in five playoff games over the first three rounds, Shesterkin ranked second in save percentage and first in goals saved above expected, according to Evolving-Hockey.
The big question of Shesterkin’s offseason is whether the Rangers will reach an agreement on an extension with him. When asked if he had given much thought to the possibility of a long-term deal, he smiled.
“Sorry, I don’t speak English,” the Russian goalkeeper said, in English.
regular season: 27 games, 18-6-2, .911 save percentage, 12.82 goals saved above expected (Evolving Hockey)
Qualifiers: N/A
Regular Season Grade: TO
playoff grade: N/A
Quick was one of the most heartwarming stories of the Rangers season. After posting an .882 save percentage with Los Angeles and Las Vegas in 2022-23, he signed a one-year, $825,000 contract with the Rangers, the team he grew up rooting for. He proceeded to have a resurgent season backing up Shesterkin, giving Laviolette a reliable option whenever the team’s number one needed a night off. The players in the locker room also praised Quick.
Quick’s good play earned him another year in New York. He signed a one-year, $1.275 million extension during the season.
“His reputation preceded him as a great teammate and locker room man,” Jimmy Vesey said. “He has been just as he announced himself to us.”
(Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba photo above: Rich Graessle/NHLI via /Keynote USA/Getty Images)
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