Are the Rangers the worst President's Trophy winners of the Cap era?

[Hughes SpeciMAN]

I look at the Rangers and I don't see a team that really deserves to be in the position they're at. I see the gap in CORSI between them and Carolina is momentous. Carolina definitely should have won the President's Trophy, but NYR is a very luck-based, hope-for-a-penalty team and it got them where they are.

Honestly maybe the Rangers are a bubble playoff team in a Deserve-To-Win factored scenario, but you see so many teams with excellent analytics like the Devils for example that should be in but got unlucky with bad goaltending. When you look at Fenwick, GF%, etc. it paints a really scary story if you're a Rangers fan.

The only team I think that might be worse, SINCE THE CAP ERA, would be the 2009 San Jose Sharks. But I wanna know your opinions. Is the Rangers lucky/how big will an upset of them in Round 1 be compared to Boston last year.

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[Wierzbowski426]

This is one of my favorite first posts ever.

And yes.

Goaltending and pp will be good enough to beat the caps though.

 

[HockeyVirus]

I don't think they are the worst but they have obvious flaws maybe some other teams haven't had. Defense for them is pretty mediocre a lot of the time and their goaltending has been inconsistent (just had different guys getting hot at different times).

A team that will be interesting for sure this playoff. Of course they also have questions about their stars in the playoffs like Panarin.

 

[Greg02]

This isn't even the worst Rangers Presidents Trophy winning team of the cap era.

 

[Cup or Bust]

They won the most games in the league. They are top seven in goals for, goals against, goal differential, had a 120 point scorer, five 70 point players including a d-man. 5 players with over 20 goals. Decent depth and goaltending. Looks like a pretty solid team to me. I wouldn't call them a lock for the Cup though.

 

[Rowlet]

The 2015 Rangers are probably worse, but they made some serious noise in the post season.

I think if the Rangers go out early this year, you could probably make the claim that yes, they're the worst.

You could also make the claim for a team like the 2009 Sharks, they went out in the first like others did too, but of the 6 President's Trophy winning teams who lost in the first round, all but the Sharks' and Lightning' opponent won another round. The Lightning was a much better team, and they proved it by winning back to back cups shortly after.

 

[GlitchMarner]

Are they even the worst Rangers team to have won the President's Trophy during the era?

The 2007 Sabres, 2010 Capitals, 2012 Canucks, 2018 Preds are probably also among the weaker winners. All still great teams, though, of course.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

I probably am totally wrong but it’s one of the less frightening Rangers teams I can recall. Even when the Caps had a better regular season and the Caps played the Rangers regularly in the postseason there were multiple years where I felt the Rangers were better suited for playoff hockey despite a worse record. This year feels a bit like smoke and mirrors to me for the Rangers but since I said that the Rangers will now slaughter on their way to a Cup so you’re welcome, Rangers fans.

 

[Rowlet]

Are they even the worst Rangers team to have won the President's Trophy during the era?

The 2007 Sabres,, 2010 Capitals, 2011 Canucks, 2018 Preds are probably also among the weaker winners. All still great teams, though, of course.

The 2011 Canucks was the best statistical team in the league, they were first in basically every stat that was tracked at the time and they were one of the most complete teams built in the salary cap era. They made it to game 7 of the finals. They also had a 10 point margin over the second place team.

If you're referring to the 2012 Canucks, they lost in the first round but to a Kings team that won the cup, the only President's Trophy team winner who's upset led to a cup win by the 8th seed. They also didn't have Daniel Sedin because Duncan Keith headshot him right before the playoffs started.

 

[WarriorofTime]

I think the holy triumvirate of Panarin, Fox and Shesterkin is like ninety percent of their team so they will go as far as that group takes them.

 

[Raspewtin]

objectively, maybe?

they had a garbage bottom 6 most of the year, Igor wasn't great, and Mika and Trouba are having terrible seasons. really bouyed by Panarin-Trocheck-Laf having the seasons of their lives.

subjectively, they still can break games wide open and get godlike performances out of Igor especially if Chytil comes back, whom we desperately miss.

 

[IronCladCane]

They won the most games in the league. They are top seven in goals for, goals against, goal differential, had a 120 point scorer, five 70 point players including a d-man. 5 players with over 20 goals. Decent depth and goaltending. Looks like a pretty solid team to me. I wouldn't call them a lock for the Cup though.

They were also awful at 5 v 5

 

[Synergy27]

I think the holy triumvirate of Panarin, Fox and Shesterkin is like ninety percent of their team so they will go as far as that group takes them.

This is the answer. If Panarin goes ghost mode again, they are going to have a hard time.

I don’t think that people who don’t watch the team regularly understand how deep the Rangers forward corps is. Panarin-Trocheck-Lafreniere is one of the best lines in hockey.

Zibanejad and Kreider on the second line rivals just about any other team’s. They do most of their damage on the PP but they can be used as a shutdown line without killing overall offense as long as Bread is going.

The bottom six is also very good. You have players like Vesey and Cuylle playing on the fourth line.

The defense is where things get interesting.

K’Andre Miller can win or lose the series himself. He can be both that good and that bad. You never know what you’re going to get.

Trouba has also been quite bad, but as long as he’s on the third pair that can be dealt with.

We’ll see which Shesterkin we get. You know he’s happy to not have to go to PPG Paints Arena this year.

The Rangers are a lot better than they get credit for which is crazy given how often they have won this year.

 

[JaegerDice]

No, the 2012 Canucks are the weakest, followed by the 2010 Capitals.

Both fed on laughably bad divisions.

 

[Rowlet]

No, the 2012 Canucks are the weakest, followed by the 2010 Capitals.

Both fed on laughably bad divisions.

The Canucks lost to the cup winners, not a fair comparison.

The Sharks and Caps went out to nobodies while also playing in a laughably bad division. Canucks are third worst at least.

 

[Cup or Bust]

They were also awful at 5 v 5

We will see how that effects them come playoff time.

 

[NYRKing]

Wall Street Journal wrote an article on the NYR luck. Centered around a 12-4 OT record, mainly.

 

[dgibb10]

I don't think the team is well constructed as a whole, and as a team they've significantly struggled in the last 2 playoffs, with xGoals%s similar to those of the Anaheim Ducks.

Igor Shesterkin in the playoffs has been generational tho, and I wouldn't bet against him.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

I look at the Rangers and I don't see a team that really deserves to be in the position they're at. I see the gap in CORSI between them and Carolina is momentous. Carolina definitely should have won the President's Trophy, but NYR is a very luck-based, hope-for-a-penalty team and it got them where they are.

Honestly maybe the Rangers are a bubble playoff team in a Deserve-To-Win factored scenario, but you see so many teams with excellent analytics like the Devils for example that should be in but got unlucky with bad goaltending. When you look at Fenwick, GF%, etc. it paints a really scary story if you're a Rangers fan.

The only team I think that might be worse, SINCE THE CAP ERA, would be the 2009 San Jose Sharks. But I wanna know your opinions. Is the Rangers lucky/how big will an upset of them in Round 1 be compared to Boston last year.

You mention the 2009 Sharks, but the 2012 Canucks or the 2015 Rangers also stand out as weak Presidents Trophy winners.

Predators in 2018 for me is my pick though.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

They were also awful at 5 v 5

Since the TDL they've actually been pretty good 5v5 and that matters more since thats the roster they're running with now rather than the one that was getting their teeth kicked in earlier in the season.

As others have said, probably not even the worst Ranger team to win the presidents trophy in the cap era. If they were to win the whole thing they wouldn't be the worst team to win it either. The 2017 Pens and 2018 Caps winning it all still makes no sense.

 

[FoxysExpensiveNYDigs]

Oh look a Devils fan shitting on the Rangers in their first ever post. Stay salty and go follow your team on the golf course.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Coming from a Devils fan makes this just looks so hilariously bad.

 

[JaegerDice]

The Canucks lost to the cup winners, not a fair comparison.

The Sharks and Caps went out to nobodies while also playing in a laughably bad division.

The 2012 Canucks had a 48.65 xGF% at 5v5 (18th in the league), one of the lowest of any PT winner of the cap era.

By comparison, the 2009 Sharks had a 54.66 xGF% at 5v5 (2nd in the league), and the 2010 Capitals had a 52.66 xGF% at 5v5 (4th in the league).

The 2009 Sharks and 2010 Captials losing when they did were legitimate upsets. The 2012 Canucks, not so much.

 

[josra33]

Top 5 Goalie, solid Defense both in stars and depth, solid depth scoring… what am I missing.

 

[Peltz]

Lol, this OP.