Pierre McGuire believes Rangers are ‘best passing team in the League’
The New York Rangers are off to a blazing 4-0-1 start to the regular season, and are one of just four NHL teams who don’t have a regulation loss to this point.
The forwards are scoring, the defensemen will get a boost from the return of Ryan Lindgren when they play the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, and the goaltending has been stellar.
Former NHL assistant coach and network analyst Pierre McGuire, though, believes he knows what sets the Rangers apart from the other top teams in the NHL.
“You know what’s amazing about the Rangers, I’ve watched every one of their games so far this year. I don’t think I’ve seen a team pass the puck better this NHL season than the New York Rangers,” McGuire explained on TSN 690 in Montreal.
It’s a unique observation. And a point that may not be made often enough about the highly skilled Rangers lineup that features slick puck movers like Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad and others.
But McGuire makes a great point here. The Rangers have been dominant through five games and their puck movement is a huge reason why.
“Just watch them pass the puck,” McGuire continued. “Right now, they’re the best passing team in the League and they’ve got to be considered one of the top three teams in the NHL right now. They’re that good of a team, they really are.”
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Rangers chemistry a difference maker this season
Part of the reason as to why the Rangers have been so successful in this area is due to the chemistry within their lineup. Aside from Reilly Smith and Sam Carrick as the new additions, as well as Filip Chytil’s return to the lineup, this Rangers team is almost identical to the one that reached the Eastern Conference Final last season. That familiarity is paying off.
Chris Kreider and Zibanejad are beginning to find chemistry with Smith on their line. The trio of Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere looks even more dangerous than it did last season. The third line of Will Cuylle, Chytil, and Kaapo Kakko is rock solid on both sides of the puck. And then there’s Fox, paired the first five games with another adept puck-moving defenseman in K’Andre Miller.
It takes the entire lineup to generate the type of play that McGurie is talking about. Yes, Panarin is tied for the NHL lead with 12 points, but New York is much more than just the Breadman.
“I would defy anybody who say’s they’ve watched the Rangers play and it’s all just about Panarin, it’s not,” explained McGuire. “Kreider has been good, Zibanejad is getting better all the time, Alexis Lafreniere just continues to evolve into this great power forward, Filip Chytil is finally coming to the floor.”
So, McGuire mentioned three different lines there. That’s depth up front. And doesn’t even touch on the defense corps, where Fox has six assists and Jacob Trouba has five already.
They’ll get to put their passing skills on display once again when they face-off with the Canadiens as part of the League’s “Frozen Frenzy,” when all 32 teams are inaction. New York then gears up for a battle with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers on Thursday, which should be a true test to see where the Rangers stand this season.
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