Welcome to your New York Rangers offseason grades! It ultimately did not end the way the organization wanted it to, but there was a lot of jog and excitement. It is summertime for the Rangers, but that does not mean we cannot reminisce on the season. Today we will look at Vladimir Tarasenko’s offseason grade.
New York Rangers Offseason Grade
Report Card: Vladimir Tarasenko
The next segway for the New York Rangers offseason grade shifts to the trade deadline. This is the second season in a row where general manager Chris Drury made a splash. In fact, he made multiple splashes. The first splash was acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko. As a pending free agent, the St Louis Blues moved on from long-time winger and Stanley Cup Champion. Tarasenko went on to come in with a winning pedigree and a motivating attitude. But how did things go with his new team?
The Season
During the course of the season, the team juggled wingers on the top two lines. Kaapo Kakko went on to see some time there as well as Jimmy Vesey. No slight to those guys, but given their ability to produce, an upgrade was in need. That is where Tarasenko comes in. For his entire career, he has been a top-line winger. Even though he is getting older, he is still a solid option to have on the top two lines. As we look into this New York Rangers off-season grade, the sample size is smaller. That is one thing to keep in mind as we take a dive into his impacts.
Finding chemistry was not an easy thing to do. Considering the juggling of lines, Tarasenko had multiple linemates. Tarasenko had a successful campaign of 18 goals, 32 assists, and 50 points. With New York, he went on to have eight goals, 13 assists, and 21 points. His ability to generate chances was there (25.16 xGoals for), and scoring chances (265). All with him on the ice the offence was there and that is what the club was looking for. The move benefited him as well, as his xGoals against got better overall. New York provided better defensive structure than what he had with his former team.
For the 31 games that he did play on Broadway, he made his impact felt. As everyone saw, the chemistry was hard to come by. That is a different topic for a different day when it is the grade for Gerard Gallant.
The Playoffs
This section bodes well for the New York Rangers offseason grade. When brought on board, this was the moment for Tarasenko to shine brightly. In seven games against the New Jersey Devils, Tarasenko went on to score three goals, one assist, and four points. In fact, Tarasenko went on to score the first goal in the first two games. Those games proceeded to be blowout victories when the team took a commanding 2-0 series lead. Tarasenko went on to generate just 4.84 xGoals in all situations. However, with him on the ice and playing big minutes, Tarasenko accounted for 7.8 xGoals against. Not to mention, when on the ice scoring chances were also not in his favour. New Jersey heavily outplayed the Rangers in the series and that is a reason why every metric is lopsided.
The Verdict
“I like everything. I cannot say a single bad word about my time. I enjoyed everything.”
Vladimir Tarasenko, who calls the Rangers “one of the top organizations in the league, if not the best,” on his time in New York: pic.twitter.com/gsaiv02FrO
— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) May 3, 2023
It is not 2017 anymore, but that is not to say this New York Rangers offseason grade was a fail. Tarasenko is still an effective player and a worthy presence on any contending playoff team. It may not have been the results anybody expected or wanted, but he did his best during his tenure in New York. He was near a point per game played and showed up in the playoffs. Tarasenko is a pending unrestricted free agent and given their current cap situation, there is a chance he does not return. He is open to coming back, but it will be hard to make that happen.
Grade: B
Main Photo: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
The post New York Rangers Offseason Grade: Vladimir Tarasenko appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.