Nemeth’s struggle
The Rangers signed Nemeth in the hope that he would provide stability in defense, assist with the penalty kick, and play with physical strength. He is also a left-handed defensive man, and blueshirts have more depth with right-handed defensemen.
While Nemeth has been physically strong this season, he is He has not proven to be a trustworthy defender. He’s certainly willing to throw punches and block shots, but his lack of speed has been a problem. It is also used to provide support and allow opponents to easily enter the defensive zone of the Rangers.
This season, Nemeth scored two goals and five assists in 63 regular season games. It was also minus 9. While plus minus isn’t always the most telling statistic, all six other Rangers defenders have been at least plus 4 this season. His defense partners this season are Nils Lundqvist (plus 4 in 25 games) and Braden Sneijder (plus 5 in 43 games.) Corsi Nemeth has been in the only 37.5 percentile this season.
Nemeth was an offensive burden, struggling to make clean penetrating passes from the defensive zone, and has a slow shot and an inaccurate shot. He wasn’t expected to give much in attack, but the problem is that he didn’t play well defensively to make up for his offensive struggles.
The same problems that plagued Nemeth in the regular season continued into the post-season, and the Pittsburgh Penguins capitalized on their weaknesses in their first three playoff games in New York. He has been repeatedly stopped from his position, and has already taken three penalties, which is minus 4.
Rangers have alternative options in defence
Rangers acquired Justin Brown just before the trade deadline, and the veteran did well by stepping in for Ryan Lindgren, who has missed the last two games with a lower body injury. Brown got a good helping hand in the second game, and he made some important defensive plays as well. Although he is right-handed, he has experience playing on the left side, and seemed comfortable playing on the left side with Adam Fox.
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Lindgren is day to day according to Gerard Gallant, Blueshirts head coach. Ideally, he’d be able to go back to Game 4, and Brown could move to the third pair of defense in New York. If not, Rangers may be looking to give a young defensive man a chance to step in in place of Nemeth.
Zach Jones is left-handed Who has the upside attackAnd he has experience playing with Schneider. He’s not a lock-down defender, but he makes clear passes to start the dash and skates really well. Additionally, he got some experience playing in the NHL this season and at the end of last season.
Matthew Robertson is also a left-handed player, and played well defensively in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Hartford Wolfpack. He’s a solid defensive guy who skates fairly well, but doesn’t have the offensive side of Jones and doesn’t have any NHL experience yet.
Another interesting option is Nils Lundqvist. He has some experience in the National Hockey League, and played defensively for the Rangers earlier this season, but was sent to the AHL. like Jones, skates well and He makes clean passes from the entry area, but unfortunately he is right-handed and does not have much experience playing on the left side.
To advance in the Rangers
Rangers are in post-season for the first time in five years, and they should play the players that will give them the best chance of winning matches. This means Nemeth has been appointed despite having two more years on his contract.
Jones, Robertson and Lundqvist are all options that definitely have the potential to make a difference for the Rangers. The Rangers scratched the Browns in Game 1, and he’s led them in the last two games. If Lindgren can’t make it back in Game 4, hopefully another Blueliner for Rangers will do the same.
Although Nemeth is a seasoned player with experience in the supplement, he simply did not play well enough to remain in the squad.
I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, rooting for Rangers, Yankees, Giants, and Knicks. When my dream of playing for the Yankees failed, I started writing about the sport instead. I am proud to have graduated from the Philip Merrill School of Journalism at the University of Maryland.