Pavel Buchnevich is not Being Scratched for Cody McLeod

This is a guest post by a man that needs no introduction to the Rangers blogosphere – Brandon Cohen. 

It’s been a long time since I’ve written a Rangers-centric blog post, so please forgive me if I forgo the buzz-worthy introduction. Instead, I’d like to get right down to something that has been a source of frustration for Rangers Twitter collectively, but also myself. Unsurprisingly, Pavel Buchnevich. Sure, the majority of us thought that with a new coach, Buchnevich would be a positive consistency, not a continued consistent source of debate. However here we are, with Buchnevich of the middle of arguments again. While it makes sense that he is, I can’t help but point to something I think both sides are getting wrong. Though Cody McLeod is entering the lineup in place of Pavel Buchnevich, Pavel Buchnevich is not being scratched for Cody McLeod.

I understand you may feel like that either makes no sense, is backwards logic, is stupid, or all of the above, but it’s what I believe to be the truth. The question David Quinn has been facing is not Pavel Buchnevich vs. Cody McLeod, but instead Pavel Buchnevich vs. David Quinn’s expectations of Pavel Buchnevich.

You can wonder about how wise of a coach Quinn is, but the man is not stupid. He has his own style of coaching that clearly includes players riding the pine when they are not meeting what’s expected of them. See Vlad Namestnikov, Tony DeAngelo, Ryan Spooner, and Neal Pionk.

While you may counter with the argument that Quinn has not scratched Marc Staal, or Jimmy Vesey, etc, it’s important to understand that the expectations for those players may not be the same. Staal is what Staal is, a bad, old defenseman with a good reputation in the league because of a long career. Vesey is what Vesey is, a guy who finds himself in good spots and either cashes in or doesn’t. Quinn likely sees no reason for either of those two to learn anything by sitting in the press box, as they are what they are at this point.

Cody McLeod is Cody McLeod. It sounds like I’m not making a point I’m sure, but it’s important to recognize this. The Rangers are not developing Cody McLeod. They are not invested in Cody McLeod. So when Cody McLeod enters the lineup, it’s not that they think it’s good for him, or that they think it will help the team win, or any reason other than that he is the 13th forward, and the 13th forward is the only option to enter the lineup. Cody McLeod could easily be Matt Beleskey, or Cole Schneider, or you, random person reading this article. He is insignificant and a placeholder for David Quinn teaching a lesson.

Which returns me to my original point. Pavel Buchnevich is not being benched because David Quinn believes Cody McLeod is better or gives the Rangers a better chance to win. Pavel Buchnevich is being benched because (right or wrong is where you can truly debate) David Quinn does not believe Buchnevich is meeting expectations. And when Buchnevich comes out someone has to come in, so welcome to the lineup Cody McLeod.

This process will repeat with Buchnevich and with other players. I am certain the arguments won’t stop, but this context is key when making your arguments. Remember, it’s about developing players right now, not primarily winning games. Thank you for reading my bloggie. I don’t remember how to end one when writing about hockey, so bye!