Kreider only has 6 PPGs this year. 2 years ago, he only had 8, but he had 36 goals overall, and that was in between years of 26 and 18 PPGs. I can't recall a single deflection goal from him this year.
Maybe teams are doing a better job of defending it and maybe we aren't trying it nearly as much as a result. Or maybe Kreider's skills have slipped to where he is no longer as good at deflecting pucks. Likely it's a combination of factors.
And then there's Maude (Mika). His one-timer used to be a real threat on the PP. Between 2017-18 and 2023-24, he averaged just shy of 14 goals per year on the PP. This year he has 6.
Since Panarin has been a Ranger, his PP goals are fairly steady. 7, 5 (42 games), 5, 9, 11, 8. His assists are way down though because Kreider and Mika aren't scoring.
Fox scored 6 PPGs last year but scored between 0 and 2 every other year. He has 1 this year. His assists this year are the lowest since his rookie season when he was splitting time with TDA.
There have definitely been some shifts in terms of strategy, but those shifts are likely due to prior strategies (Mika one timer, Kreider deflection), no longer working as well as they once did. I have a hard time identifying what strategies they are actually employing now, but whatever they are, they aren't working.