2024 Report Card: Erik Gustafsson
When the Rangers have gone bargain bin shopping for depth defenseman in free agency over the years, the results have been mixed.
Sometimes the player in question turns out to be a Matt Hunwick or a Fredrik Claesson, a pair of useful defenders that played more than one might have expected in their lone seasons on Broadway, and played effective hockey before moving on to greener pastures.
For every Hunwick or Claesson, there tends to be a Jack Johnson or a Patrik Nemeth that comes and goes. Two players that, through a combination of injury and poor play on the ice, had brief stints in New York that Rangers fans only wish could have been even more brief than they were.
Erik Gustafsson spent the early portion of the 2022-23 campaign with the Peter Laviolette-coached Washington Capitals before being traded to Toronto, and that was enough time for the pair to seek out a reunion in New York once Laviolette succeeded Gerard Gallant as head coach and Gustafsson entered free agency last summer.
Boxcar Stats: 76 GP, 6 G, 25 A, 93 SOG, 17:23 TOI/GP, 35 PIM, -7 Penalty Differential, +2 Even Strength Goal Differential
5-on-5 Analytical Metrics: 0.99 Points/60, 5.56 Relative CF%, 4.08 Relative SF%, 0.63 Relative GF%, 3.22 Relative Expected GF%, 5.77 Relative SCF%, 99.2 On-Ice PDO, 6.6 Goals Above Replacement
Playoff Stats: 3 Points, 18:09 TOI/GP, 1.25 Relative CF%, 6.65 Relative xGF%, -1 5-on-5 Goal Differential
Gustafsson had to contend with Zac Jones in a battle for an opening night lineup spot alongside Braden Schneider on the third defensive pairing, and Gustafsson edged out Jones to open the 2023-24 campaign as New York's sixth defenseman and second power play unit quarterback.
That was the role Gustfasson filled for first three weeks of the season, but a lower-body injury to Adam Fox that forced New York's franchise defenseman to long term injured reserve for ten games gave Gustafsson a chance to shine.
The Swedish defenseman posted a modest 2-2-4 stat line and skated less than 19 minutes in all but one of the Rangers' first ten games prior to Fox's injury, but rose to the occasion as New York weathered the storm for the majority of November. Gustafsson skated over 20 minutes in seven of the next ten games, and recorded 11 points (1-10-11) in Fox's stead to help the Rangers go 7-2-1 with their star defenseman sidelined.
Upon Fox's return, Gustafsson returned to his quiet, effective third pair role alongside Schneider. Whether one wants to look at shot attempts, scoring chances, expected goals, or any statistic in that mold, Gustafsson was near or at the top of the leaderboard of play-driving defenseman for the Rangers. If there was something that Gustafsson was the best at, Fox was second, and if there was something that Fox was the best at, Gustafsson was second.
Physicality, or a lack thereof, is the biggest flaw in Gustafsson's game. That didn't stop him from stepping up when he felt it was necessary, such as when Schneider took a high hit from Ottawa's Dominik Kubalik in December:
Aside from the occasional outburst like that, it was Gustafsson's smooth skating, puck handling, and ability to crisply move the puck up and around the ice that made him a welcome presence on the bottom defensive pairing. That bottom pairing became one featuring Jacob Trouba in place of Schneider in the latter stages of the regular season and majority of the playoffs, and the switch did help Trouba to some extent.
Gustfasson's shot attempt numbers remained strong throughout the playoffs, but his offensive production went the way of the dodo as the postseason progressed. Gustafsson tallied a pair of assists in Game 2 of the Blueshirts' opening round series against Washington, but was held to zero goals and a lone assist over the remaining 14 games against Washington, Carolina, and Florida.
That was part of the theme of a lack of offense out of New York's blue liners throughout the spring. Rangers' defenseman only scored two of the team's 47 playoff goals, and both came shorthanded, which is to say the blue line corps accounted for as many even strength goals as you or me. This isn't to put any significant portion of the team's playoff shortcomings on Gustafsson, there's an argument to be made he was the team's second best defenseman from opening night until the end of the season, so he isn't deserving of being raked over the coals more than anyone else.
The end of the season marked the end of Gustafsson's time on Broadway. With Zac Jones waiting in the wings as a tailor-made replacement to be the new #6 defenseman, the Rangers opted to let Gustafsson walk into free agency and sign a two-year, $4 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.
A tad pricier than what he accounted for against the salary cap last season, but a $2 million cap charge is still strong value for what Gustafsson brings to the table, and he should do well on a team that is very quickly becoming Rangers Midwest. Gustafsson will join former Ranger rentals Andrew Copp, Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Tyler Motte in Hockeytown next season while the Rangers look to fill the void of his departure.
Final Thoughts:
Depth defenseman roulette is a game the Rangers seem to find themselves playing frequently over the years. Erik Gustafsson hit as well as any depth free agent signing can hit, as he gave the Rangers strong on-ice play and excellent value relative to the six figure salary he made last season. Of all the players Chris Drury plucked out of the bargain bin last summer, Gustafsson turned out to be the most effective of the bunch.
With Gustafsson now departed, the Blueshirts will rely on Jones to replicate what his predecessor brought to the ice. If Zac Jones can be another Erik Gustafsson, that's a win for the Rangers, and a testament to what Gustafsson did in his lone season in New York.
Author Grade: B+
Masthead Average: B+ (1 A-, 1 B+, 3 B's)
All data via Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick, and NHL.com
