Referencing the way our offensive was choked by teams that play an Islander/Canadiens style... I'd say that's exactly why guys like Blais and Goodrow were brought in and you'll likely see them getting bigger roles than anticipated. We were too much of one thing offensively. Blais or Goodrow may not merit top-six minutes on their own, but as seen with Blackwell, you don't need to in order to be effective on the Panarin line. What is needed is guys who can make dump and chase work more effectively, who forecheck hard, disrupt the breakout with physicality and allow the Rangers to establish possession against teams that trap and clog the neutral zone. Being able to breakthrough against those defensive teams is a necessary step to competing and it's a necessity in the post-season when 'pretty' doesn't get it done. Even a guy like Hunt is a good add to the 4th line, even if he only dresses 50% of the time, in this capacity.
Obviously we have the offensive depth and potency to put goals on the board. Being able to crack those teams that neutralized that offensive talent with some grit and tenacity on the chip and chase game will help. The defense has been the bigger issue overall, and with Miller gaining another year of experience and Nemeth/Lundkvist replacing Smith/Bitteto/Hajek, we should see an improvement there as well. More help on the way with Robertson and Schneider as well.
