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Mercogliano: The Curious Case of Brett Howden


Phil

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Unprompted, New York Rangers team president John Davidson and coach David Quinn both heaped praise on Brett Howden last week.

 

A collective cringe reverberated from the fan base.

 

The fierce reaction spoke to the enigma the 22-year-old forward has become — harshly criticized by some, yet seemingly favored by the Rangers' powers that be.

 

Davidson was specifically talking about Howden's play in the qualifying round, where the Rangers were dominated in a three-game sweep. The fashion in which they were eliminated makes the acclamation a bit of a head-scratcher.

 

Statistically, Howden didn't do much to distinguish himself from a pack of poor performances. He had no points, two shots on goal and three scoring chances, with his most memorable moment coming on a prime net-front chance in Game 2 that was stopped by the glove of Carolina Hurricanes goalie Petr Mrazek. He also finished with a 38.1% Corsi in the very short sample size, and after going 3 for 4 on faceoff attempts in Game 1, he went 3 for 11 the rest of the series.

 

In fairness, there were positive signs. Howden had 11:22 shorthanded time on ice — easily the highest among Rangers forwards — and was only on ice for one goal. He also went all three games without a giveaway and finished second on the team with 13 hits.

 

On a team that collectively fell flat, Howden at least pulled his weight. That's not saying a whole lot — but an honest evaluation would tell you that he didn't look overwhelmed or make crucial mistakes, brought some toughness and gave them valuable time on the penalty kill. With Jesper Fast injured and Mika Zibanejad logging heavy minutes, the PK time, in particular, was much-needed.

 

Much of the fan frustration over the deal has been focused on Howden. That explains why, despite only being 22, some seem anxious to write him off.

 

It's premature for that, but the concerns can't be ignored.

 

In many respects, Howden regressed. He went from a modest total of 23 (six goals and 17 assists) in 66 games as a rookie to 19 points (nine goals and 10 assists) in 70 games this season. His Corsi also dropped, from 42.4% to 40.3%, as did his expected goal rate, going from 33.4 to 22.

 

With Howden on the ice this season, the Rangers averaged 26.31 shots for per 60 minutes and 35.39 shots against, according to Evolving Hockey. Only rookie Kaapo Kakko had a higher rate of shots against among Rangers' forwards, and Howden's rate of shots for was the worst among forwards who played at least 25 games.

 

https://www.lohud.com/story/sports/nhl/rangers/2020/08/18/curious-case-brett-howden-ny-rangers-and-whats-next/3379255001/

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From my end, the frustration has always been him getting force fed 15 minutes a game without having done anything visibly meaningful to "earn" it. I don't mind him being on the roster in a more limited capacity to see if he grows into something more, but you can make the argument from there that he might be/have been better served getting minutes in Hartford.
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Right. He's basically Canadian Lias Andersson. But unlike Andersson, he's, by all accounts, a good soldier, so he's working with a lot more rope.

 

In fairness, and I don't remember what game it was, I do recall him having a good game in the qualifiers. I also recall him missing a couple of real good chances, which is both a pro and a con. Pro: in a position to get those chances. Con: can't finish for shit.

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I think this coming season is going to be more of a "tell-tale" season for Howden....and how the rest of us judge him. Is the sample size still too small yet?

 

I personally don't think next season is a MUST to make the playoffs, so I suppose one more year of watching his progress can't hurt....but I'd like to see a lot more out of him than we have, that's for sure.

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Nah. Christensen is the polar opposite. Howden displays effort but has none of the tools. Christensen had all of the tools and none of the effort along with just really poor self-confidence.

 

well same result at least. One is a hard working Albertan thatll produce a good 20 nhl points and the other is an aloof Albertan that will accidentally produce you 20 nhl points lol

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well same result at least. One is a hard working Albertan thatll produce a good 20 nhl points and the other is an aloof Albertan that will accidentally produce you 20 nhl points lol

 

Can't disagree with you there lol. I loved Christensen, though. I was really hoping he'd find his game next to Gaborik. Too bad that only lasted for like seven games.

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I'm not as anti-Howden as the rest of the fanbase has been.

 

I think he's been put in a similar position to Chytil. Probably could have used more time developing but was rushed into the NHL. Maybe he turns out to be Manny Malhotra and bounces around the league for a while while still managing a solid career. Or maybe we keep him up here and are patient and let him develop. Sure he's older than Chytil but they have basically the same amount of pro experience

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As for propping up his trade value, I doubt JD would even bother trying. He is worth very little in a trade at the moment and nothing JD says to reporters will change that. The ice time and confidence he has gotten for two years is perplexing, and it is rather remarkable that he never spent a season in Hartford. I suppose the counter argument on Howden is that we haven't had anyone better for our bottom six, so why not play him? The prominent role he has played on the PK indicates that Quinn really believes in the guy, which remains questionable. I cringe to think of Stevie's untouchable list in Detroit. Stay away!

 

The upside remains Malholtra, which is a yawn, and the downside is Troy Mallette, which is a gag. That's it, a yawn or a gag.

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As for propping up his trade value, I doubt JD would even bother trying. He is worth very little in a trade at the moment and nothing JD says to reporters will change that. The ice time and confidence he has gotten for two years is perplexing, and it is rather remarkable that he never spent a season in Hartford. I suppose the counter argument on Howden is that we haven't had anyone better for our bottom six, so why not play him? The prominent role he has played on the PK indicates that Quinn really believes in the guy, which remains questionable. I cringe to think of Stevie's untouchable list in Detroit. Stay away!

 

The upside remains Malholtra, which is a yawn, and the downside is Troy Mallette, which is a gag. That's it, a yawn or a gag.

 

Maybe a future 4th line defensive-center that kills penalties and can win defensive zone draws consistently, Sod??? I'd take that...especially if we don't have to break the bank to keep him. ;) I dunno, maybe???

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As for propping up his trade value, I doubt JD would even bother trying. He is worth very little in a trade at the moment and nothing JD says to reporters will change that. The ice time and confidence he has gotten for two years is perplexing, and it is rather remarkable that he never spent a season in Hartford. I suppose the counter argument on Howden is that we haven't had anyone better for our bottom six, so why not play him? The prominent role he has played on the PK indicates that Quinn really believes in the guy, which remains questionable. I cringe to think of Stevie's untouchable list in Detroit. Stay away!

 

The upside remains Malholtra, which is a yawn, and the downside is Troy Mallette, which is a gag. That's it, a yawn or a gag.

 

Howden was truly one of the very few bright spots of our playoff cameo appearance. 9 goals 10 assist in 70 games playing mostly with 4th liners or worse is not bad.

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Howden is 22 I am willing to give him another chance. Especially after solid 3 playoff games.

 

EfzFnD7XgAA95Bk?format=jpg&name=900x900

 

"Solid."

 

Lias couldn't touch Howden's production in NHL so Howden is better so far. 9 points in 66 games vs 42 points in 136 games.

 

Andersson: 0.14 P/GP

Howden: 0.27 P/GP

 

"Better."

 

Yeah, like how a fart in your soup is "better" than a turd floating in it.

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Maybe a future 4th line defensive-center that kills penalties and can win defensive zone draws consistently, Sod??? I'd take that...especially if we don't have to break the bank to keep him. ;) I dunno, maybe???

 

Right, that's Malholtra, the yawn.

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EfzFnD7XgAA95Bk?format=jpg&name=900x900

 

"Solid."

 

 

 

Andersson: 0.14 P/GP

Howden: 0.27 P/GP

 

"Better."

 

Yeah, like how a fart in your soup is "better" than a turd floating in it.

 

He's playing 13:00/game this season, 2:00 of that killing penalties. The issue isn't his production, which is OK for his role. It's that he doesn't provide anything additional. He's slightly under 50% on draws, he's not an overly physical player, he's only average defensively, doesn't gain or maintain the offensive zone overly well.

 

If he wants to stick in the NHL, he's going to have to improve. Can he? Who knows.

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