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Putting the Pieces Together

The Rangers puzzle is finally coming together but it’d be best to find the right pieces instead of forcing the wrong ones

You know when you get a new jigsaw puzzle and you pull off the shrink wrap, take the cover off the box, and pour all those little pieces of cardboard out on the table into a big pile? As you begin, you check the image on the box cover and start looking for the border pieces, the easiest part of the puzzle to find and piece together. With the border all nice and defined, you start working your way through the inner parts and this is where things might get tricky.

There gets to a point where the puzzle is almost complete but there’s a few pieces that just don’t seem to fit properly. You can see the entire picture, but those open spaces just stand out, almost taunting you. After committing so much time, you want to not only complete the puzzle, but make sure it’s done correctly.

I’m sure you can see where this is going, right? When the offseason began, the Rangers had three young centers in Lias Andersson, Filip Chytil, and Brett Howden all vying for the second-line center position behind Mika Zibanejad. Coming into the preseason, if you were to handicap the race, it was Chytil who had the inside track to that spot — most likely slotted between Chris Kreider and Kaapo Kakko — followed by Andersson and Howden.

But things are murkier for the Blueshirts through four exhibition games. None of the three young centers have staked a claim to that coveted spot, and notes from practice on Wednesday, along with comments from head coach David Quinn seem to indicate that none of the three have any track to that spot at all.

With the season a just a week away, teams often begin playing their expected lines towards the end of preseason. This would mean Ryan Strome can potentially slot in to the 2C spot with Howden on the third line and Chytil on his wing. Andersson, meanwhile, shifts to centering the fourth line, which is less than ideal.

The Blueshirts have a problem on their second line, and they’re doing everything they can to make it harder on themselves. Against the Islanders Tuesday, Quinn gave Howden an audition to fill that role between Vitali Kravtsov and Kakko, and the 21-year-old did not impress in the slightest.

Howden’s struggles in the defensive zone during his rookie season appear to have carried over into the preseason. He seemed to be over his head when playing with the two high-skill wingers, though you can argue that Howden was not put in the right position to succeed.

I’ve often been a believer of playing your skill players together and letting them vibe off each other. You saw how the first line of Artemi Panarin, Zibanejad, and Pavel Buchnevich clicked almost immediately, and it led to some wonderful chances and a beautiful goal Tuesday night.

That magic was borne from the fact that three players with high offensive instincts were allowed to play and practice as a group. Being able to read a play before it develops and react accordingly are rare skills, and having a line that can read each other like that is a big weapon. Having two lines that can do that is an even greater advantage.

Unfortunately it seems the Rangers are going to force something that just isn’t there. With two wingers like Kreider and Kakko, the ideal center would be one that can not only move the puck up the ice but also facilitate and create space and timing for their wingers.

Howden isn’t that kind of player; he’s someone best suited to staying in front of the net and clean up the garbage.

Chytil on the other hand, while still incredibly raw, plays the skill game that lends itself to that second-line role.

Former Ranger Kevin Hayes was in a similar position several season ago when the skilled pivot was saddled with players like Michael Grabner and Jesper Fast. While both are good, versatile players, neither possess the offensive instincts someone like Hayes needed to maximize his skillset.

Every piece of a puzzle has its place and helps make the picture whole. If you try and force a piece into the wrong spot, it ruins the piece and puzzle as a whole. The Rangers are making this second line center battle a lot harder than it has to be and it’s coming that the expense and development of three young, talented players.

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