Is It Time to Change the Power Play? 

At the time of writing this, the Rangers are currently tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for the second best power play in the league. 46 games into the season, they have registered 41 goals leaving them just a bit off from a goal-per-game pace. Those 41 goals give them a 28.7% success rate which generally speaking, is pretty good. That being said, it feels a little over critical to suggest the team needs to make a change in that regard. However, it’s no secret that the power play has seen some struggles as of late, just as the team as a whole has.

Prior to last night, the Rangers had gone 5-for-29 on the power play throughout the month of January across ten games. The five power play goals they did score were across five different games which left them completely ineffective in half of that stretch. The games where the power play did not convert, the Rangers were 0-for-17 on the man advantage. There’s no question that those ten games have been the Rangers worst slump of the season, putting up a record of 3-6-1 while being outscored 34-24 in the process.

The Rangers are not alone in that regard as many of the league’s top teams have been going through it these last couple of weeks. It’s bound to happen at this point in the season with the All-Star break looming around the corner. However, recent history will tell you that the Rangers certainly count on their power play to be successful as they are not super reliant on 5v5 scoring. When you look at it from that perspective, concern is certainly justified despite how successful the power play has been in terms of the bigger picture. With that in mind the question has to be asked, is it time to shake things up?

One of the biggest concerns regarding the Rangers top power play unit dating back to the off-season is the fact that former first overall pick, Alexis Lafrenière is not a part of it. For the better part of the last couple of seasons, that top unit has remained the exact same with the only difference being Vincent Trocheck coming into the picture in place of Ryan Strome. With a fully healthy lineup, this leaves the makeup of power play two as “the Kid Line” (Chytil, Kakko, Lafrenière) with Gustafsson as the QB and either Blake Wheeler or whoever else as an option.

I’m usually a huge defender when it comes to most of the Rangers players, especially top guys like Mika Zibanejad. However, the time to make changes to the top power play unit may be here and unfortunately, it may make the most sense to take Zibanejad off of it. When he’s on, Zibanejad is one of the biggest threats around the league on the power play with that lethal one timer in the spot Ovechkin has made famous on man advantages. For as much as this fan base loves Zibanejad, it’s no secret that he is a very streaky player but even at his best, he’s respectfully a bit of a one-trick pony on the power play.

As we saw in last night’s come-from-behind win in Anaheim, Artemiy Panarin is more than capable of hitting quick one timers from that spot and the same can be said for Vincent Trocheck who is typically found a little deeper in the zone. With that in mind, if anyone was to come off the top unit, Zibanejad makes the most sense as Kreider would remain the net front presence, Fox as the QB, Panarin at the other point/in Mika’s usual spot and Trocheck as the bumper. If you take Zibanejad off, you can get Lafrenière more ice time on PP1 and considering he’s a part of the team’s best line with Panarin and Trocheck, it makes sense to have him there anyway. This also allows for a one-timer option on the right side as Lafrenière is a left handed shot which would really open up options for PP1.

Zibanejad moving to the second power play unit does not need to be viewed as a demotion by any means either. Right now, PP2 is honestly a mismatched collection of guys. You have Lafrenière and Kakko which makes sense, Blake Wheeler, Jonny Brodzinski and currently, Jacob Trouba. Typically, the Rangers view Gustafsson as the QB for the second unit but given his recent injury and Kakko’s return to the lineup, he’s been taken out of that position. Not to mention, the way the Rangers rely on that top unit, PP2 is lucky to see thirty seconds of ice time to begin with. However, if you revamp it and spread the talent out a bit, you have the ability to run two different combinations more consistently.

If you move Mika to the second unit, you now have one of your usual threats as an option for your second power play without compromising the skill on the top one. You can keep Gustafsson as the QB when healthy seeing as he is pretty comfortable in that role and keep Kakko either as the bumper or at the right wing position. Will Cuylle would make great sense to be the net front presence guy and given how good he’s been for this team lately, he’s earned a look there.

This leaves one other position to be filled which, when fully healthy, should go to Chytil. But until either he comes back or this team adds someone via trade, the Rangers have to look to one of their regulars to fill that spot. The obvious answer probably lies in Wheeler as he has the experience, the goal scoring ability and as people often forget, experience playing center. This could allow him to be the bumper or just another option for offense across from Kakko. But what if the Rangers want to get creative?

I know given his recent play this probably won’t be a popular suggestion but K’Andre Miller as the fifth piece to PP2 could really make things interesting. He can act as a second defensemen out there with Gustafsson but at the same time, has the build to be a real puck moving threat if he can find his confidence. Miller also spent most of his playing career as a forward which should make for him being perfectly capable of moving around with and without the puck on the power play. It almost makes for a hybrid of sorts between an umbrella/1-3-1 setup but with the right execution, could really make for something exciting.

At the end of the day, the Rangers are likely going to continue rolling with what has worked for most of the season but there is going to come a point where you have to seriously consider Lafrenière on the top power play unit. Between the recent skids and Lafrenière’s growth on the line with Panarin and Trocheck, now more than ever might be a great time to give it a look at least for a couple of games. This would not only give the team more options but could take some of the pressure off the top unit, especially in games where they see 4-6 power play chances and aren’t getting anything going on the first couple of attempts.