As of December 15, The New York Rangers sit in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with 32 points and a 14-10-4 record.
This has them outside looking in at third place in the division by one point and locked in a three way tie for the final Eastern Conference Wild Card spot. One reason why the Rangers are still in the mix of a wide open Eastern Conference is the play of defensemen Kevin Klein.
Klein was acquired last season in a trade with the Nashville Predators for defensemen Michael Del Zotto. Last season, Kevin recorded six points with a goal and five assist with a plus four rating, thus taking his game to a whole new level come playoff time. During last year’s amazing run, the defensemen scored once and assisted three times for four points with a plus seven rating. He’s played mostly on the third defensive pair with John Moore and has done a good job as he continues to “up his game” this season.
Aside from left winger Rick Nash, Klein has emerged as one of the best players this season for the Blueshirts. When Ryan McDonagh got injured on November 1agaisnt the Winnipeg Jets, the Rangers were also waiting for Dan Boyle to return from his injury. They would look to Klein to fill in and play important minutes. After that, Klein flourished in the top four role and just dominated from that point on. The unsung hero has set a career high in goals with six this year, which leads all Rangers defensemen. He also has three game winners to go along with his scoring touch. His most recent game winner came on December 8 in an overtime thriller at the Garden against the division leading Pittsburgh Penguins. This game is where he almost lost a chunk of his ear thanks to a high stick. He would go to the locker room to get 13-14 stiches to reattach it, then come back in and score the game winner. How about that for being clutch? Klein can do it all. He can shut down the opposition’s best player, play important minutes, defend well and score goals when needed. Klein has also stepped up when guys like McDonagh, Dan Giradi and Marc Staal aren’t playing at their best and has filled that void very well. There are a lot of great things to be said about this underappreciated and talented player.
In fact, fans agree..
“He should be an All Star but will probably not be” said Adam Guntmacher. “We are lucky to see him every day. He’s been our best defensemen so far”. For a guy who is a defensive specialist that can play in all situations, he’s really finding his scoring touch as he continues to find ways to score some goals. This area has really been a big factor in his play this year. It also benefitted the Rangers defensive corps a lot because it’s always good to see a defenseman who can play on both sides of the puck and that brought out the best in this great player.“Klein has been playing great!” said Zack von Arnold. “He has definitely developed into a great player and an asset to the team.” Klein developed into a leader on the ice when McDonagh went down and has shown times where he manages to stick up for his teammates. The November 23 game against the Montreal Canadiens was a perfect example. When former Ranger Brandon Prust bumped into Henrik Lundqvist, Klein was there to defend his teammate. He showed that he wasn’t afraid to drop the gloves and help get the team going.
“Klein’s steady play has people slowly forgetting the mistakes of letting analytics darling Anton Stralman go” said Billy Gibson. “With the early injuries to McDonagh and Boyle, Klein has stepped up and has been asked to play more tough minutes against top lines than ever before. He has taken his level of play to another level this season and proving himself to be a top four defensemen if needed.” Another point proven is that he’s starting to come into his own. When he was playing in Nashville, he was paired with Shea Weber after Ryan Suter left for the Minnesota Wild and he was tasked to play big minutes with Weber. Here in New York, he doesn’t have to play with another superstar to up his game and minutes. He’s already joining a defensive corps that is one of if not the best in the NHL. His play speaks volume and he’s capable of making his presence known on both sides of the ice while averaging between16 to19 minutes of ice time per game. He can score, pass, block shots, and play on special teams. He’s been doing at all! To start off on the third defensive pair and end up playing a crucial role in the top four while leading the corps in goals is an impressive feat for this under rated player. In his last five games, he has two goals, a plus one rating and seven shots on net.
Fortunately, the Rangers were lucky to catch a much needed break and win big against the Penguins. They also got off to a great 2-0 start to their four game Western trip in a dominating 5-1win against the Vancouver Canucks and 2-0 shutout against the Edmonton Oilers this past weekend. They have a current three game winning streak. With guys like Kevin Klein playing well this year, it looks like the Rangers Faithful are lucky to have a player of his caliber in the lineup every night. The Rangers will need more from other key guys who are expected to contribute if they are going to make another deep run this season.
