Every year players move in and out of organizations, some retire and others end up on different teams. Here we will have a look at the type of season that some former New York Rangers are having.
Dominic Moore
Dominic Moore was a natural player to rally behind during his time with the Rangers. He’s a player that fought through tragedy in his personal life, but battled back and continued to be a terrific bottom six-type player. Last season in New York, Moore took a bit of a step back, posting only 15 points during the season — a sizeable step down from the 27 he posted in 2014-15. This drop-off was part of the reason that New York let him walk in the offseason.
As an unrestricted free agent, Moore ended up signing a contract with the Boston Bruins, and we’re happy to say that the veteran forward seems to be back on track. Moore has 12 points in 36 games this season while also logging an average of 12:58 per game.
In short, Moore is still a fourth-line player, but his offensive game that took a hit last season is coming back to him. He’s a regular in Bostons’ lineup and has been a critical piece for a team that currently holds a playoff position in the Atlantic Division.
Moore is a UFA again after this season, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bruins resigned him before that time comes.
Viktor Stalberg
The Rangers wanted to keep Stalberg and reportedly reached out to him, but he decided to go with the Carolina Hurricanes, and so far he’s in virtually the same role that he was in New York. Stalberg plays 1:34 on the penalty kill per game, and on average plays about 12:12 altogether on the third and fourth lines. He’s plugging along at about the same offensive rate with nine points in 32 games, which is similar to last season, where the veteran Swede had 20 points in 75 games played.
Stalberg has had some success against the Rangers this year, as three of his seven goals on the season have come against his former club. He seems to be playing that much harder, or he knows something about Henrik Lundqvist.
Stalberg will also be a UFA at years end.
Keith Yandle
Yandle was a hard player for the Rangers to lose this offseason — the defender had 47 points in 82 games and was one of the Rangers most offensively gifted defenders. The team traded valuable assets like Anthony Duclair to acquire Yandle, but at the end of the day, New York just didn’t seem to have the money to keep him.
After 35 games in Florida, things aren’t going great for Yandle. His numbers are down a bit as he only has 15 points so far and the team finds themselves fifth in the Atlantic Division heading into the Christmas break. Yandle is the team’s second most used player, logging an average of 22:21 per game, second to only Aaron Ekblad whose currently playing 23:00 per game. If Florida is going to climb back into the race, they will need Yandle to be front and center, and there’s no doubt they expect as much after signing him to a massive seven-year deal worth over $44 million.
Fun Fact: Yandle also has a goal against his former team this season.
Eric Staal
Staal was added by the Rangers last season near the trade deadline, but for one reason or another, the forward just never seemed to find any rhythm in New York, logging only six points in 25 games after the trade. The two parties seemed to mutually part ways at season’s end, which has worked well for both sides.
Staal signed a three-year deal worth over $10 million with the Minnesota Wild, and so far it’s been a good investment as the big forward has 28 points which lead his team through 33 games. Staal is also eating up a fair amount of ice-time logging 19:18 per contest for the club which is good for seventh on the team.
We saw just how effective he is before the Christmas break coming back to New York and posting two points while continuing to be a presence at center. It’s good to see the big center playing so well after a few tough years in his career.
Derick Brassard
Brassard hasn’t had a very good season with the Ottawa Senators so far. Over the offseason, the Rangers moved Brassard, who routinely played on the first and second lines for the Rangers, to Ottawa for Mika Zibanejad.
Brassard hasn’t been the same offensive catalyst for the Senators that he had been in New York. Through 34 games this season Brassard has 15 points and is only on pace for a bit over 30, which is a major drop off from the 58 he posted last season.
The good news for Brassard is that he has three goals in his last four games. It also relieves some pressure that Ottawa is in the middle of a good season sitting in second place in the Atlantic Division; this should keep some pressure off of the center as he continues to look for his scoring touch.
We hope everyone enjoyed catching up with how these former Rangers are fairing in life after Broadway and we hope all of our readers enjoy the holiday season.