Conversely, if they weren’t located in NYC, they’d be a bottom feeder. They got Fox and Panarin (for free) only because they’re in New York, same with Trouba though he’s more of a net negative at this point. It’s a hell of a lot easier to rebuild when you’re gifted a Norris Trophy winning defenseman and 90+ point superstar.
The Rangers suck at developing players. Who was their last homegrown talent up front? Chris Kreider? Most of their top picks bust. They tried their best to f*** up Lafreniere too. They sure can pick goalies though, no doubt about that. They’re the NHL version of the Green Bay Packers with QBs.
It's the same conversation we had in the other thread regarding Caps D. Are the Rangers bad at developing forwards, or have they taken the wrong players? Lias Andersson and Vitali Kravtsov have failed to produce elsewhere which suggests the latter.
To answer your question directly (and ignoring Lafreniere since someone taken first overall should be a good player), I'd say Chytil, who is a solid 3rd line center. Not exactly one to hang your hat on but not a bad result for a late first rounder.
The Rangers real success (as much as it pains me) has been developing D. Yes, they lucked into Fox, but they have homegrown guys in Schneider and Miller and Lindgren* all playing big roles plus they parlayed Nils Lundkvist into a 1st and 4th via trade.
*Boston draft pick but went college then Hartford (NYR AHL affiliate) so I give NYR most of the credit
Othmann and Perreault are the next two Rangers draft picks who might be able to answer the first question (can NYR develop forwards.. hopefully not).
