I don't know if I would say the offense is lacking skill and finish. Stepan and Brassard lines have plenty of each at times. But it could stand to improve, I suppose. However the roster is also lacking the ability to sustain a forecheck. Win puck battles. And score when the perfect tic tac toe play isn't there on a platter.
With rare spurts the Hagelin-Richards-Callahan line has not given the Rangers enough. That line in an ideal world would be something like (in terms of style, not saying the Rangers will get these players) Hagelin-Bergeron/Kesler-Oshie/Zucker. Skating, some bite, great defensively, great in the corners, capable offensively. Hagelin-Richards-MSL will score but it really doesn't provide a ton the Rangers don't have already with their other 2 lines. So in a series with Boston or the Western champ...I am not sure they can keep the puck out of their own end enough with 3 lines that play such a similar, often one-dimensional game.
The mix of the forward group leaves a lot to be desired, again just my 2 cents. MSL makes them better no doubt, he is a tremendous player. But he doesn't help to shift the mix enough. And I am especially talking about up the middle.
