With this year and possibly even next year serving as rebuilding seasons for the Rangers, just how big of a role will each of this players serve moving forward?
Players in this series will be listed 25-1, but will be broken up into clear tiers to distinguish the different groupings and levels represented in the organization.
In this first installment of the series, we look at the players who just barely missed the cut, plus the player who just made the cut.[/text_output]
C Morgan Barron, 19 – 5 goals, 13 assists in 33 games for Cornell (NCAA)
D Joey Keane, 19 – 12 goals, 32 assists in 62 games for Barrie (OHL)
F Vinni Lettieri, 23 – 23 goals, 13 assists in 55 games for Hartford (AHL), 1 goal, 4 assists in 19 games for Rangers
LW Tim Gettinger, 20 – 33 goals, 36 assists in 66 games for Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
G Tyler Wall, 20 – 3.98 GAA, .868 S% in 12 games for UMass-Lowell (NCAA)
D Fredrick Claesson, 25 – 1 goal, 7 assists in 64 games for Ottawa Senators[/text_output][text_output]The guys who just missed making the list present a bit of a mix bag of goodies.
Tyler Wall is one of a handful of young, talented goalies the Rangers have stashed in their system (3 made my 25 under 25 list) and burst onto the prospect scene in a big way after posting a monster freshman season at UMass following his sixth-round selection by the Rangers. But his sophomore year was a bit of a mess. He’s obviously still young and extremely raw, and his stock can easily skyrocket again with a more characteristic junior year. Him missing this list is not a reflection of his talent not being there.
Joey Keane is an intriguing defenseman to watch moving forward for the Rangers, who drafted a ton of D prospects in this year’s draft. Snagged in the third-round, Keane struggled mightily in his first go-around in the OHL, but busted out in a big way last year. Scouts were relatively high on Keane, but him being an overage prospect in the draft always meant he was going to fall on draft day. People who know more about Keane than I do see an NHL-quality player who provides offensive upside while more than holding his own defensively. That’s good enough for at least a mention on this list.
Note from Drew Way: I was a fan of the Joey Keane pick at the time, and I think he performed well with the US. team at the World Junior Summer Showcase. I’m with Greg in having him just miss this list for now; that said, if I had to bet on one guy that makes the jump from outside of the top-25 to inside the top-20 next year, my choice is either Joey Keane or Tim Gettinger.
Drew Way pushed fairly hard for Fredrick Claesson to be included in the 25, mainly because he’s already proven to be an NHL-caliber defender. If the Rangers want to include Claesson in the line-up on any night, specifically playing over someone like Marc Staal, the team would benefit from his style of play. At the end of the day, though, Claesson is never going to be much more than either a bottom-pairing defender or a good team’s #7, so the limited upside kept him on the outskirts of my list.
Morgan Barron is a prospect I’m personally high on, but couldn’t find room for him in my 25. Last year’s sixth-round pick got off to a flying start for Cornell last winter, notching nine points in the team’s first 10 games. But the freshman skater turned real quiet after that, only managing another nine in the his final 23 games. Still, Barron even being mentioned for candidacy in the 25 is more than what the team could’ve hoped for when they took him 174th overall, and he will remain a super intriguing piece moving forward.
That brings us to a trio of wingers who barely missed the cut.
It took Tim Gettinger some time to get his feet under him in junior hockey, but his last two seasons with Sault Ste. Marie are extremely encouraging. The Rangers made him an overage pick in the 2016 fifth-round, and he rewarded the team’s faith by putting up 64 goals and 123 points over the last two years. The Rangers system is dearth of strong wing prospects, so Gettinger is going to get every chance to play top-six minutes this year in Hartford and possibly force his way into the big club’s plans on the wing should more trades happen.
Note from Drew: Gettinger is a really intriguing prospect to me, whose combination of size and skill should allow him to develop into an NHL player. If we are talking pure upside, I’d move Gettinger higher up the list; however, it’s important to note, and Greg will touch on this more with some other players, that upside was only one of many factors considered while making this list.
Vinni Lettieri has already done what Gettinger is attempting to do this fall, but with even less fanfare. I don’t know if anyone expected Lettieri to be more than a solid organizational filler, providing strong offense for a team’s AHL affiliate. But thanks to a spate of injuries to the parent club, his strong play in Hartford and the Rangers aforementioned lack of winger depth, Lettieri got a serious look in the team’s line-up last year. He’s firmly going to be in the mix for a spot on the Rangers fourth line in training camp, and it would be rather surprising if he didn’t make another cameo with the team this year even if he starts the season back with the Wolfpack.
That brings us to Meskanen, who I would deem my “#26″. I tried to find every excuse possible to include him in the Top 25, but ultimately ran out of spots.
Meskanen is pure intrigue for me. He broke out last year in Liiga (the same league a young Filip Chytil began to make his name), more than doubling his career points total. His ability to put the puck in the back of the net is something the Rangers desperately need from their wings, and like Lettieri (and a player listed in our Top 25 we’ll get to later), Meskanen will be given every opportunity to make the parent club roster out of camp.
If Meskanen doesn’t break camp with the team, though, his presence in Hartford is equally important. Priority #1 for the Rangers next year is seeing what Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson are capable of. Priority #2 might be making sure Brett Howden has a smooth transition from Junior Hockey to the AHL, and getting a talented, scoring winger like Meskanen on his side is a boon to his development. While many will be watching what the kids can accomplish in camp this year, mine might be transfixed on Meskanen and if he can break out in a big way for the Rangers.[/text_output][custom_headline type=”center” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]#25 – D John Gilmour[/custom_headline][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”2862″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Stats – 6 goals, 20 assists in 44 games for Hartford (AHL), 2 goals, 3 assists in 28 games with Rangers
I know what you might be thinking: why am I even reading this article?
First of all, rude.
Second, what you were actually thinking: why put Gilmour on this list instead of Claesson?
A fair question! Both are 25, both have proven they can survive on an NHL roster already and both might not fit into the Rangers long-term thinking.
The picture for Gilmour, to me, is a little less clear than it is for Claesson, which makes him a smidge more intriguing.
I’m fairly comfortable in saying that Gilmour is likely no more than a bottom pairing defenseman/#7 defender with wicked speed and some offensive upside. The underlying stats from what we saw last year from Gilmour’s 20+ game cameo also highlight that assessment.[/text_output][image type=”none” float=”none” src=”2871″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Expecting Gilmour to make a significant jump next season is a little irresponsible, but he could thrive under a new set of eyes. One of the most exciting aspects of David Quinn’s introduction as Rangers head coach (and, honestly, most terrifying) is we really don’t know how the defenders are going to play under him. We know nearly everyone struggled last season under Vigneault, but what can the Quinn and his staff (specifically Greg Brown) bring out in a player like Gilmour?
The worst-case scenario for Gilmour is he becomes a blue line fixture in Hartford, and is able to help prospects like Ryan Lindgren and Libor Hajek make the transition to the AHL. Having an NHL-caliber defenseman, even if it’s someone who will never project to be as good, playing significant developmental minutes with a top prospect is important. Gilmour’s role on Hartford, arguably, could be more important than any role he has with the Rangers.
Best-case scenrio? Gilmour jumps at the opportunity to fill out the back-end of the Rangers defensive line-up, and his up-tempo playing style thrives in Quinn’s defensive structure. If that happens, and the Rangers still don’t feel he’s someone worth hanging onto beyond this season, we live in a world where Nick Holden’s expiring contract netted a third-round pick and an organizational depth piece. The Rangers could flip Gilmour, who signed as a college free agent, as a free asset if he is able to keep swimming in The Garden, especially since he retains restricted free agents rights after this season.
Gilmour’s a wild card, and you love having 25-year-old wild cards entering a complete rebuilding season.[/text_output]
Author: Greg Kaplan
Greg Kaplan is a man of mystery. Did he write this? No. Was he asked to write this? Yes. But did he write this article? Maybe, do you like it?