NHL Today: Ranger Regression

This week, Quinn Hughes suggested it’s Gold or bust for Team USA at the Olympics as it seeks to win it all for the first time since the Miracle On Ice squad; the disappointing Devils are apparently beating the bushes for reinforcements; and after being retired for nearly two years, Rick Bowness is back behind an NHL bench in Columbus. Other Fantasy hockey stories we’re tracking include…

Vincent Trocheck Keeps Producing

When looking at the current state of the New York Rangers, it’s hard to believe that just two seasons ago they won the President’s Trophy by having the best record in the NHL. Last season regression at both ends of the ice – but especially defensively – saw the team slip to barely over .500 and out of the playoffs for the first time since 2020-21.

But things have gotten even uglier this season as both the scoring and goaltending numbers have been among the league’s worst. After getting whipped at home 8-4 on Wednesday by Ottawa, the Rangers are now mired in a five-game losing streak, sit in the Eastern Conference cellar and have more points than only two Western teams.

Losing 2C Vincent Trocheck early on this season didn’t help matters. In the second game of the season, he went down with an UBI and missed the next 14 games. He returned in mid-November and a month later was maintaining a high level of production.

Flash forward another month and while Trocheck hasn’t hit the scoreboard in the last two, he had posted points in six straight games before that (3-4-7). This is a dude who was playing on New York’s top line late last season despite the fact he failed to come close to duplicating his career-best performance from 2023-24.

So far this season, Trocheck is putting up better numbers (nearly 0.8 PPG), but because of the injury, his totals will be held in check; in fact, barring a huge second half, he’ll likely fail to reach 50 points for the first time since the Covid-shortened 2020-21 – a season in which he also dealt with injuries. (Speaking of injuries, keep him away from the refs… see video below.)

For his part, the Rangers’ embarrassingly poor play of late is getting to him. Trocheck remains a strong Fantasy option given his offense and physical play and is really the prototypical 2C because of his two-way play and skills. Really, the biggest knock on him is his extensive injury history.

Brady Tkachuk’s Breakout Game

Things were really looking up for the Ottawa Senators last season when they enjoyed their best campaign since 2016-17 and returned to the playoffs for the first time since that same season.

This season, however, things are not going well. They’ve won their last two to start digging their way out of a bad stretch, but thanks to a much worse defense this season, they are just three games over .500 and currently five points out of a playoff spot.

If you’re taking the longshot odds that no Canadian team makes the playoffs this season (+8000 at FanDuel), at least Ottawa is doing its part.

As mentioned above, it was the Senators who laid the latest major beatdown on the Rangers on Wednesday, led by an even better Fantasy asset – left winger Brady Tkachuk. He’s been a bit injury prone in recent campaigns, suffering an UBI late last season and then missing 20 games this season with a torn thumb ligament.

It had been about three and a half weeks since Tkachuk had a multi-point effort before exploding for a goal and three helpers against the Rangers. He’s now back to a near point per game rate, which is great to see as since doing so for the only time in his career in 2022-23, he’s been getting further away from that pace (0.91 PPG in 2023-24 and 0.76 last season).

The goal was the 200th of Tkachuk’s career, making him just the fourth Senator to accomplish this feat. Assuming he stays healthy, by season’s end he could be breathing down the back of Alexei Yashin for third place.

To round out his big night, Tkachuk had six shots, a +3 rating and a pair of hits. He’s always been a great play driver, but he’s taken it to another level this season with a career-best 64.5 Corsi for percentage.

Waiver Wire Pick of the Week

Nick Paul, C, Tampa Bay Lightning (ESPN: 2.8 per cent; CBS: 6 per cent): With Brayden Point (LBI) out week-to-week, Paul takes over the C1 for Tampa Bay, lining up between Jake Guentzel and Nikita Kucherov. Paul will also see PP2 time, and while his numbers are modest this season, bear in mind he underwent surgery in mid-September so didn’t make his debut until late-November. But this is a dude coming off back-to-back 20-plus goal seasons who will now be playing with some serious talent. Paul potted his fifth of the season in Saturday’s blowout and we think plenty more are coming soon.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

In 1991 Blue Note records released a phenomenal tribute album to the Beatles entitled Blue Beat: Blue Note Plays the Music of Lennon and McCartney. The lead track is a cover of “Can’t Buy Me Love” by late American saxophonist Stanley Turrentine.