Why Rangers second power-play unit deserves fair shake

The lethal nature of the New York Rangers first power-play unit is well documented. But 2024-25 may be the time to give the second unit its chance to shine.

Of course, that’s easier said than done considering Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck and Adam Fox are so effective and have been together for years. It’s working, too, evidenced by the Rangers ranking third in the NHL last season on the power play (26.4 percent).

However, PP1 takes a massive chunk of ice time on the man advantage. In the Rangers’ 366 minutes and 43 seconds of time on the power play during the regular season, Panarin, for example, was on the ice for 275 of them. That’s 75 percent.

That means that Panarin’s unit roughly takes up 1:30 of a two-minute minor penalty, leaving PP2 with the scraps, generally after the opposing team clears the puck.

So the second unit realistically has about 20 seconds to make something happen.

That’s not enough time to let developing talents like Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko showcase their skills on the power play. Plus, a healthy Filip Chytil alongside K’Andre Miller and Reilly Smith could prove an effective force on the secondary attack next season. And Zac Jones certainly should slot in at times, too.

Let’s start with Miller. He averaged about 38 seconds on the man advantage per game last year.

Fox, on the other hand, averaged a whopping 3:38 on the power play per game. That’s a massive discrepancy, even if Fox is one of the best power-play quarterbacks in the NHL.

Let’s take a favorite statistic – shooting talent above average. This stat tracks a player’s ability to score more goals than the average player when afforded the same scoring chances.

Miller had the second highest on the Rangers power play at 18.9 percent. Lafreniere, another member of the PP2 unit was right behind him, third at 18.6 percent.

They trailed only Panarin, demonstrating that Miller and Lafreniere possess elite capabilities of putting the puck in the back of the net, when given the chance. Yet, because of limited opportunity, Lafreniere scored only two power-play goals last season despite netting an NHL career-high 28 overall.

Another young talent waiting to be unlocked is Chytil, who only played in 10 regular-season games last season after sustaining an upper-body injury believed to be a concussion. He will be another integral part of the power play.

With Zibanejad and Trocheck entrenched now in the top six, Chytil is the third-line center at even strength. So PP2 is the perfect spot for him to get more looks because there’s no doubt that, when healthy, Chytil can be an offensive force.

The newest piece is Smith, a 33-year-old who helped the Vegas Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup in 2023. He joined the Rangers this offseason after a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a second-rounder in 2027.

On a second power-play unit whose average age is 25.2 years old, Smith provides an important veteran presence, a been-there-done-that approach. He had six power-play goals two seasons ago with the Golden Knights. He’ll be a nice balance to the inexperienced second unit.

The notable absence of Jacob Trouba may be a welcome one, after putting up only one assist on the power play in 26 minutes and 19 seconds of ice time. The Rangers captain also only created one rebound throughout that time in only five shots.

In that shooting talent above average statistic? Trouba was -0.3%. So, yes, he’ll slot in behind Fox, Miller and Jones before receiving any power-play time, one would think.

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Rangers find it difficult to get PP1 off ice for good reason

While the young talent on the second power play is undeniable, it’s understandably difficult to give them a chance to prove it with the well-oiled machine on the first unit.

The Rangers first power play is one of the most dynamic in the League because every skater plays a targeted role in its functioning.

It’s for that reason that the Rangers boasted the second highest expected goals percentage in the League while on the power play during the 2023-24 regular season, at 92.8%.

Everyone knows their role, and everyone does their job exceedingly well.

Fox, the 26-year-old right-shot defenseman, serves as the distributor in addition to being an excellent shot from the blue line.

The 2020-21 Norris Trophy winner is an expert in making calculated and smart passes while maintaining a cool head. It seems like every time he has the puck, he makes a good choice. That’s what you need from your power-play quarterback.

“His decisiveness inside of his offensive instincts, that’s been really good. His defense has been excellent as well,” Peter Laviolette said of Fox.

Trocheck is another integral part of the power-play machine. He won 201 face-offs on the man advantage last year at a remarkable 64.01 percent clip. He serves as the bumper and a viable scoring option.

Kreider is a crucial piece of the puzzle, standing strong in front of the net, a master at deflecting shots and burying rebounds. As a result, he led the team in power play goals (18) and led the PP1 unit in shot percentage (24.66 percent). His 110 career power-play goals are second most in franchise history .

Zibanejad, despite his documented struggles with 5-on-5 play, is still a natural power-play goal scorer. He has 101 power play goals with the Rangers, fifth most in franchise history, mostly from his favored left circle spot,

Panarin, who finished fifth in Hart Trophy voting as NHL MVP last season, is the pièce de rèsistance. He’s a lethal finisher and slick puck distributor, and an absolute menace with the extra open space on the man advantage.

Panarin’s ability to change the pace of attack while on the power play is crucial, and creates even more space while up a player.

This doesn’t mean that the Rangers should shut out the second unit as they did last year, but it also doesn’t mean that they should be running equal lines out of the gate.

It’s very much a wait-and-see situation. If Lafreniere and Miller can back up their solid underlying stats and Chytil can stay healthy, we could easily see the second power-play unit picking up more time next season.

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