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New York Rangers Reportedly Invite Micheal Haley to Training Camp

According to a report from Rick Carpiniello of The Athletic, the New York Rangers have invited veteran forward Micheal Haley to their training camp.

Training camp won’t be Haley’s first time in a Rangers’ sweater. He skated in nine games with the team in 2012-13, scoring no points and accumulating 12 penalty minutes.

Before becoming a Ranger, Haley spent three seasons with their division rival, the New York Islanders. After his tenure with the Rangers, he spent three years with the San Jose Sharks. Before a return to San Jose in February 2019, when the Sharks claimed him off of waivers, he spent less than two years with the Florida Panthers. All told, the 33-year-old grinder has 248 games of NHL regular season experience, 31 points, and 637 penalty minutes.

So why invite Haley to training camp?

There are three possible explanations for this. The first being that this could put pressure on unsigned restricted free agent Brendan Lemieux. The winger joined the Rangers at the deadline last year as a part of the Kevin Hayes trade. While he has more upside than a player of Haley’s mold, stirring things up is a key aspect of his game. Without his presence, the Rangers may want to ensure there’s an element of toughness in the lineup; Haley certainly brings that.

As Tom explored, the Rangers have forwards to fill the lineup without Lemieux. So, if they have depth players that could fill potentially replace his offense; the element that may be missing with their group is grit. That’s replaced with Haley in the mix whenever he’s asked to play. Replacing that part of Lemieux’s game could be what motivates him to sign sooner rather than later.

The other possibility is that the Rangers actually see value in his style of play. Over the last three seasons, Haley’s scoring rate has been less than a fourth liner’s and he doesn’t exactly bolster offense below the surface. His defensive play isn’t inspiring either. Rather, Haley’s asset is his size and physical play, and some teams find value in that.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Jeff Gorton brought veteran toughness into the picture. He did claim Cody McLeod off of waivers and extended him, even though his play didn’t warrant it. And both Alain Vigneault and David Quinn dressed him more than his play warranted. So, at one point or another, the Rangers found value in that element of play — specifically, this front office and this coaching staff.

In Haley’s defense, his scoring rate is better than McLeod’s over the last three years, as is his on ice impact on both ends of the rink. However, whether a team should be using a roster spot for that kind of player is the big picture issue that should be focused on here. It’s possible to find a player that balances toughness with skill, and it’s possible to be a tougher team without being physical in the traditional sense of the word; you can be a tough team because you’re difficult and taxing to play against.

The third, and most likely, possibility is that the Rangers just want to have a certain number of veterans in training camp, and a hard-nosed player like Haley in preseason.

Last year the Rangers had both Cody McLeod and Matt Beleskey, so it wasn’t necessary to add an outsider. But in 2017, a professional tryout was given to Bobby Farnham. Another was given to a physical defensive forward in Andrew Desjardins. It isn’t uncommon for teams to invite veterans to their training camps. Generally speaking, it also isn’t uncommon for teams to invite grinders to camp.

Preseason can be a time for players to prove why they belong on an NHL roster. Sometimes, particularly for grinders battling for a spot on the fourth line, that means showing the physical side of their games. So, in response and in preparation for that, some teams look to bring their own physical players to ensure there’s “protection” for the rest of their team. Whether or not a grinder actually is an effective deterrent, a number of more traditional hockey minds believe that it is. Because of that, players like Haley can, at the very least, skate with a team in preseason even if it doesn’t amount to anything in the regular season at the NHL level.

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