Patrick Kane is arguably one of the greatest American-born players in NHL History. The Rangers are very fortunate he both wanted to come here during the trade deadline and is here to help the team go on a deep Stanley Cup Playoff run.
That doesn’t mean he’s the perfect fit in some key special teams units that the Rangers are working on.
New York sits eighth across the entire hockey league in powerplay percentage and 13th in goals scored. That is with the original powerplay units before Vladimir Tarasenko and Kane were moved at the deadline. If the Rangers are to move deep into the playoffs though, the better fit for their extra-man unit might not be the former Blackhawk.
The evidence has been shown to be clear as day over the last couple of contests.
In the last two games that Kane has sat, New York has scored four powerplay goals. The 57% success rate has come with Tarasenko being a part of the first powerplay group with Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider. The former Blue has accounted for three points in four of the powerplay goals scored by the team over the course of the last few games as well.
Tarasenko’s fit with the Rangers’ first powerplay unit offers a difficult decision for Gerard Gallant and the coaching staff. Kane may have over 400 powerplay goals throughout his 16-year NHL career. But with his “pass-first” attitude mixed in with similar mindsets with Panarin and others on the top line, Tarasenko’s more stright-line approach. On several powerplay occasions that Kane has been on, a penchant for finding the perfect pass instead of shooting has come as a common occurance at times for the Blueshirts.
With Zibanejad and Kreider more on the “shoot-first” mindset, having a playmaker like Tarasenko who is willing to take what the defense is giving him over Kane’s play might be the best course of action for the Rangers to move forward with heading into the postseason.
It’s difficult to complain about a group that is a top-10 unit in all of hockey. But when efficiency is such an important role when the Stanley Cup Playoffs, finding the perfect fit in their combinations is a very key question the coaching staff must figure out.
