All training camp, we wanted to know when Derek Stepan would sign on the dotted line. With the key piece of the Rangers in a battle with general manager Glen Sather, it took all preseason to finally get the 23-year old center done agreeing to a bridge contract worth $3.075 million per year.

One area of concern had to be how long it will take Stepan to catch up playing for Alain Vigneault. It’s no secret that the former Vancouver coach runs a different ship than John Tortorella, allowing for more offensive creativity. Even though they lost to the Coyotes 4-1 last night, we got a taste of what to expect. For instance, Marc Staal scored a power play goal by jumping in on the rush. Stepan picked up an assist for his first point.

Centering a Rangers top line flanked by Brad Richards and Rick Nash, Stepan took 24 shifts totaling 19:12. Only Richards (19:35) ranked higher among forwards. Each had some good opportunities with Richards pacing the club with four shots including a dangerous one-timer off a Stepan cross feed that was stopped by a sliding Mike Smith. Perhaps that explains why Vigneault wants Richards on the wing. To become more of a shooting threat.

Despite some solid chemistry in Game 1, Stepan finished minus-two. That included a bad turnover which led directly to Kyle Chipchura giving the Coyotes a 1-0 lead. His pass was intercepted by Oliver Ekman-Larsson allowing Rob Klinkhammer to set up Chipchura 3:36 into the contest. Stepan wasn’t the only guilty party with Nash forgetting to pick up Chipchura in front. A Nash turnover led to Vrbata’s hat trick in the third.

Simple mistakes are correctable. Vigneault talked about how his team had trouble clearing the puck. That was an issue last year. On Vrbata’s first goal, John Moore didn’t get it out. With three days until Game 2 against the Kings on Monday, the coaching staff has plenty of time to make adjustments. One big one could be the return of captain Ryan Callahan. He sat out Thursday but might be ready. If he is, Vigneault hinted that rookie Jesper Fast could come out. I’m not too keen on sitting a kid with speed while keeping Derek Dorsett and Taylor Pyatt in. Dorsett I can see just for the toughness element against a physical Kings roster. I don’t get the fascination with Pyatt. I understand he played for AV before. But come on.

If Vigneault wants to be different than Tortorella, how about giving Fast an opportunity? What is the harm? It’s not like this team can’t use a little jam. Carl Hagelin is missing the first 10 games. I don’t like having Brian Boyle and Dominic Moore center the last two lines. It’s redundant. But I guess he wants to stick with this Richards experiment on the wing. He was one of the bright spots. Hopefully, it works out.

One other note. Ryan McDonagh only played 15:08. He did take a puck to the chin and missed a shift. Maybe they were just being extra cautious. Interestingly, Mike Del Zotto received the second most minutes behind Staal (25:40) logging 24:21. They are paired up and my guess is Vigneault was searching for offense. Del Zotto was minus-two but did get one good shot on Smith. He can benefit from the higher tempo. Just remember, he’s a high risk/reward player. He got a few times with Staal saving him. It’s an interesting dynamic.