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Rangers? Greg McKegg is Getting Job Done


Phil

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Maybe Greg McKegg had no business being elevated into Kaapo Kakko?s spot on the wing for those shifts in the third period at Calgary on Jan. 2 in the sequence of events that drew Larry David?s ire on Michael Kay?s fine radio show.

 

But the fact is ? and you had to know this was coming ? the 27-year-old Rangers forward did a pretty, pretty, pretty good job in his standard role as coach David Quinn?s fourth-line center.

 

The problem is that for Quinn?s two years behind the Rangers bench, the role of the fourth-line center has been as narrow as the role of the fourth line, which has been used for the most part as a repository for tough guys and mismatched forwards, but rarely as a defined unit.

 

Quinn has insisted that he views himself as a four-line coach, but not through two seasons in New York. Part of that surely is personnel-driven. But Quinn loves to ride his top-of-the-line talent, and until the last month or so of this season, he apparently felt it was necessary to have a pseudo-enforcer in the lineup. Hence, Cody McLeod in 2018-19 and, until his season ended in early February with surgery on his bilateral core muscle, Micheal Haley this year.

 

So, really, the fourth line that most often included Brendan Smith, needed on the penalty kill at his usual defense spot, kind of got leftover minutes and produced little in terms of offense or change of momentum.

 

Lemieux will be battling for top-nine minutes and Gauthier likely will get an opportunity to show off his offensive talent. But if the Rangers are serious, they could sure use a defined fourth line. They could do much worse than re-upping McKegg to center it.

 

https://nypost.com/2020/04/05/note-to-larry-david-rangers-greg-mckegg-is-getting-job-done/

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I don't know...Don't really think 4th line center is the position that makes or breaks this team as a contender.

 

He's fine for a 13th forward. He doesn't pass the puck at all, but when I see his wingers...I get it.

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Seems like we have a handful of guys that could battle for the 13th forward position on a good team. That's a part of the problem with this group taking the next step

 

Maybe the more accurate statement is way too many bottom 6 where you could just throw the names in a hat. Meaning lots of guys that aren't good enough at this point to help elevate this team. Some are young, some I have little faith in.

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As long as he's in our lineup we aren't contending for anything.

I dunno. He played half the regular season and all but one of Carolina's playoff games last season when they went to the ECF.

Not saying he's a great player, or even that they should keep him, but the idea he can't play on a contending team is demonstrably untrue.

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I would MUCH rather have a 4th line center that can win a face off.

 

I look at a player like MacTavish and say, YEAH! That's a good 4th line center. That guy could be relied upon to kill penalties, win key faceoffs, and also play a shut-down defensive game when called upon against some star potential opponents.

 

Not a guy like McKegg...sorry, they can do better than him....and it wouldn't cost a lot.

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I would MUCH rather have a 4th line center that can win a face off.

 

I look at a player like MacTavish and say, YEAH! That's a good 4th line center. That guy could be relied upon to kill penalties, win key faceoffs, and also play a shut-down defensive game when called upon against some star potential opponents.

 

Not a guy like McKegg...sorry, they can do better than him....and it wouldn't cost a lot.

I'm just dying for you to stop referencing the 94 team lol.
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i don't know. guess he was serviceable. i still believe we need to develop more depth down below. DQ definitely has a penchant for riding his top guys. i don't believe thats a recipe for success in today's NHL.

 

there should be no reason why we can't upgrade this given all the draft picks we have had and are about to have the next two years.

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If many of us are like... “I don’t know” “maybe” “he’s not so bad” and using adjectives like serviceable and inconsistent that should tell us all we need to know.

 

I’m fine having him on the roster. But ideally he’s your extra forward.

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