New York Lafrenieres

This is the ping pong ball that sent social media into a conspiracy frenzy while providing the New York Rangers with a luxury they haven't had since 1965 as they were awarded the first-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. It seems like a foregone conclusion that they'll be selecting Rimouski Oceanic left-winger Alexis Lafreniere with the pick, the consensus top-rated pick by NHL scouting minds, and I've heard that adding Lafreniere will "speed up" the rebuild considerably in Manhatten. While this may be true in terms of adding talent to the roster, will the Rangers be that much better next season because of one player?

There's no doubt that there are some legitimate threats in the lineup, but this is a team that scored more goals than 26 other teams last season and still lost 33 games while finishing seventh out of eight teams in the Metropolitan Division. Adding scoring talent to the Rangers like Lafreniere will certainly make them more lethal, but that was never the problem with this team and where they were in the standings.

The arrival of Igor Seshterkin from Russia immediately bolstered the goaltending situation in the Big Apple as he went 10-2-0 in the 12 games he played with a 2.52 GAA and a .932 save percentage. Immediately, that 2.52 GAA sends up red flags when you consider that he's stopping 93% of all the shots he's facing, and it becomes apparent that facing 33 shots a game with the Rangers is do-able for Seshterkin, but not ideal in the long run.

The numbers only get worse when you look at the other two men who occupied the crease for the Blueshirts this season as well. Alexandar Georgiev went 17-14-2 in 34 appearances this season, posting a 3.04 GAA and a .910 save percentage along with two shutouts. He faced, on average, five shots less per game than Seshterkin this season, but had a higher GAA and a lower save percentage than Seshterkin. Additionally, Henrik Lundqvist saw action in 30 games where he posted a record of 10-12-3 with a 3.16 GAA and a .905 save percentage with one shutout for an average of about 27 shots per game. Needless to say, goaltending in Madison Square Garden is starting to look like a career-limiting move.

You might be saying, "Teebz, you can't pin this all on the goalies," and you're right. I can't do that because they need help in doing their jobs. Of the seven defenceman on the roster, the Rangers have just two over the age of 25 - Marc Staal and Brendan Smith. Neither of those names will have the opposition circling them on the gamesheet as players to watch, but the offensive output of the young Rangers blue line has to be buoyed somewhat by a commitment to playing defence. Playing defence is often one of those things that players learn to do, but this group needs to make major steps over the next season or two for the rebuild to look like it's working.

Tony DeAngelo and Luke Fox have been seemingly given the green light to jump into plays and make things happen by head coach David Quinn, but they have to get Jacob Trouba back to a level we haven't seen for a couple of seasons. Trouba's time with the Jets was marked by strong play at both end of the ice with an added mean streak at times, but he seems to be missing that element in his game as he becomes an NHL veteran. Crossing into the Rangers' zone with Trouba on the ice should mean players heads are on a swivel, but they're not as Trouba's physical play seems to be evaporating as fast as his point totals. I suspect that Trouba can turn this around quickly being just 25, but the Rangers can really use a dose of Trouba at his finest next season.

This inexperience on the blue line - the Rangers used three 21 year-olds this past season! - hasn't helped the goaltenders a lot, and this is why they allowed the eighth-most goals in the NHL. David Quinn will need to get a big push from his blue line next season to see the Rangers begin to trend better. Adding Lafreniere will possibly help the Rangers in possession numbers and total offence, but they have to stop the opposition from scoring once in a while as well. An uptick in defensive responsibility and execution will also see the goaltending numbers improve.

Getting the first-overall pick will help the Rangers in the long run. Adding a player like Lafreniere gives them another offensive dynamo to build with, and there's nothing wrong with having scoring options like him, Zibanejad, Panarin, Kreider, or Strome when it comes to denting twine over the next three to five years. If they tighten up the defence, the Metropolitan Division becomes that much tighter with the likes of the Flyers, Capitals, Penguins, Hurricanes, Islanders, and Blue Jackets all vying for coveted playoff spots every year.

Congratulations to the New York Rangers on securing the first-overall pick in this year's draft. Now the real work begins.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!