It would be easy to accentuate the positives for the New York Rangers at this point in the season. Despite their play leveling off over the last month, they remain atop the Metropolitan Division with 54 points. Only four other teams have won at least 26 games thus far.

That includes the Vancouver Canucks, who dealt the Rangers an ugly 6-3 loss on Monday night, Jan. 8. It was the Rangers’ second straight defeat. At least they rallied back from a three-goal deficit in a 4-3 shootout loss at the Montreal Canadiens to salvage a point on Jan. 6. Not once have they lost three straight games this season. When they visit the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night, that’ll be tested.

Although they have a 26-11-2 record with a .692 win percentage, the Rangers are 8-7-1 since a 6-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 5. During that stretch, they’ve suffered some lopsided defeats. They’ve lost by three goals or more five times over their last 16 games.

Following the loss to the Canucks, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette had some strong words on his team’s lackluster play.

“We weren’t under siege, but some of the decision-making for line changes or a line rush with people out of place or line changes, they bit us right away against a team that has a lot of talent. There’s no excuse for that. We’re not going to win giving up five goals. You can’t win. Not on a regular basis. You’ll win one out of 10, maybe you’ll score six. And so that has to get taken care of,” he pointed out about how much they struggled defensively against the Canucks.

Even in the shootout defeat at Montreal, they spotted them a 3-0 lead. There wasn’t much Jonathan Quick could’ve done on the three goals that the Canadiens scored. They were left wide open.

Defense Struggles

If there’s been an area that’s taken a step back, it’s the defense. The structure hasn’t been the same over the last month. The defensemen and forwards aren’t doing a good job in coverage. There’s been some miscommunication that’s led to goals against that neither Igor Shesterkin nor Quick could be blamed for.

K’Andre Miller was caught out of position on three Canucks’ goals. In particular, two of the three were bad reads by the fourth-year defenseman. With the Rangers trailing the Canucks by one late in the first period, Miller stepped up instead of staying with Brock Boeser. Elias Pettersson faked him out to sneak a pass by Miller that sent Boeser in alone for a breakaway goal that put the Rangers behind 3-1 with 16 seconds left in the period.

Unfortunately, Miller’s misadventures continued during a crucial point in the game. After leading scorer Artemi Panarin cut the deficit to one with his 26th goal off a nice pass from Alexis Lafreniere, the Rangers were still in it during the second period. However, the explosive Canucks struck twice over 74 seconds to increase their lead to 5-2.

Miller was beaten badly by Pettersson, who made a great move around to get his own rebound and tuck the puck past Shesterkin with 4:27 left in the second period. Nils Hoglander then scored his own highlight reel goal to put the Rangers down three with over three minutes to go in the period. The fumes coming from Laviolette on the Rangers bench indicated how frustrated he was with his team’s effort.

It isn’t only the defensemen who are struggling. There have been too many instances when the forwards are caught watching goals happen. It’s even true for the Panarin line. In a game that Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Lafreniere combined for three goals and three assists for six points, they still finished minus-two each. That included an empty netter from Pettersson that sealed the Rangers’ fate.

Lack of Depth A Concern

For a while, the Rangers overcame the losses of Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko without any trouble. They were carried by Panarin, Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider. The contributions from Lafreniere and Blake Wheeler provided them with two consistent scoring lines. That allowed them to vault to the top of the standings around Christmas.

However, the lack of depth has become a concern. Since Chytil’s suspected fourth concussion on Nov. 2, it forced Laviolette to shift Nick Bonino to the third line. While the well-respected veteran center continues to provide strong defense and penalty killing, he’s not cut out to play in the top nine. He’s better suited in a checking role on the fourth line.

The Rangers have gotten some secondary scoring from Will Cuylle and Jimmy Vesey. However, that’s about it from the bottom six forwards. Both Bonino and Barclay Goodrow each have only a goal this season. Jonny Brodzinski provided a spark initially. But he’s without a point over his last seven games, and his only goal came on Dec. 10. Tyler Pitlick is out with a lower-body injury. He only had a goal and two assists in 28 contests.

It’s hard to replace a skilled player such as Chytil. With no indication on whether he’ll return this season, that’s a big hole to fill. The Rangers will likely have to make a trade for another center. They just saw Sean Monahan score a goal for the Canadiens on Jan. 6.

At 29, he’s affordable with a $1.985 million cap hit for the season. He has 10 goals with 13 assists for 23 points. He is over 57 percent on faceoffs. Monahan should be on the Rangers’ radar. He won’t cost a lot compared to some of the rumored players (Trevor Zegras) that could be available.

The Rangers should also be in the market for a right wing. They can’t continue to play Wheeler on the first line. With only five goals and 10 assists for 15 points, Wheeler would be a better fit on the third line. Interestingly enough, Laviolette had Cuylle skate with Zibanejad and Kreider at this morning’s practice. Perhaps he’s going to get a chance to play with them when the Rangers visit St. Louis on Thursday.

Othmann Sent Down

It comes as no surprise that Brennan Othmann was sent down to the Hartford Wolf Pack yesterday. After appearing in three games, the former 2021 first round pick will get more time in the AHL to develop.

After a good first game in which he had five shots on goal against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 4, Othmann hardly received enough ice time over his next two games. That included 7:16 at Montreal and 7:33 against Vancouver. Laviolette’s reasoning for Othmann only taking two shifts in the second period on Jan. 8 was due to wanting to double shift Panarin. The top two lines saw extensive time while Othmann mostly sat on the bench.

It was pretty obvious that he was going to be returned to Hartford. However, recalling Jake Leschyshyn isn’t exactly going to solve the Rangers’ depth issues. It isn’t going to get any better.

Kakko Nearing a Return

Kakko is nearing a return. He’s been skating in a non-contact yellow jersey during practice. However, he’s definitely getting closer to being back.

While he struggled offensively with two goals and an assist in his first 20 games, Kakko at least can play a top nine role. He’s a strong puck possession player who can be effective on the forecheck. We’ll see if he can turn it around when he returns.

Shesterkin Named All-Star

On Jan. 4, Shesterkin was named an All-Star. With Panarin’s wife expecting a second child around the All-Star break, he can’t go. By his own admission, Shesterkin said Panarin deserved the nod. He hasn’t been consistent. However, the other goalie options for the Metropolitan Division weren’t good with Ilya Sorokin struggling as well.

If there’s a Ranger who deserves to be voted in by the fans, it’s Trocheck. With a dozen goals and 28 assists for 40 points in 39 games, he’s second in team scoring behind Panarin. Trocheck’s been a consistent force all season.

A dependable center who’s won 61.9 percent of faceoffs to rank near the top of the league, Trocheck is the frontrunner for the Steven McDonald Award. No Ranger has given a better effort.

NHL All-Star Weekend is in Toronto between Feb. 1-3. Online fan voting concludes tomorrow night.