The New York Rangers defensemen, who signed for just $825,000, has really stepped up his play in the first 15 games of the season.
There has been a ton of chatter over the past few days about if Erik Gustafsson has been the New York Rangers' best off-season signing, but I think the case can be made that he may have been the best acquisition throughout the entire league — period.
Sure, there were some bigger names that found new homes, such as Ryan O'Reilly signing with Nashville, Matt Duchene going off to Dallas, or Michael Bunting and Dmitri Orlov coming to the Metropolitan Division and joining the Hurricanes. In the Atlantic Division, there was John Klingberg, Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi going to Toronto, while ex-Rangers winger Vladimir Tarasenko went to Ottawa. And if you want to count Tyler Toffoli being traded to the Devils, we can.
I had a chat with my good friend Anna Dua, a Host and Reporter with the NHL, and asked for her thoughts on Gustafsson's contributions thus far. Here's what she had to say:
"A large reason for the great start to the season for the Rangers this year was that they really rounded out their roster and added necessary depth, which helped them power through the setback of Adam Fox’s injury," said Dua. "Adding Erik Gustafsson has been largely impactful. He’s been performing well with seven points in his past five games and getting first power-play time. If New York is able to continue their positive momentum and Gustafsson continues to produce, there is very much a case for him to be considered one of the best off-season signings from this past summer, especially for the value."
When I spoke with Gustafsson on the first day of training camp, I told him that I knew that he had some familiarity with Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette from their time together in Washington. Last year, Gustafsson played 61 games with the Capitals.
Sammi Silber, who covers the Capitals for The Hockey News, said the Rangers got a "steal of a defenseman" in Gustafsson, who was then moved to Toronto at the trade deadline.
"Gustafsson was huge with the Capitals and busted out in their December surge," said Silber. "While he was part of the sell-off, the Swede was an impressive puck mover and helped the team greatly by providing offense and shutting things down in his end. He also helped fill the void left by John Carlson up until February. Gus, while not really shining as bright in Toronto, thrives under head coach Peter Laviolette’s systems, and his reliability and subtlety as a solid top-4 caliber blueliner goes a long way."
I asked Gustafsson about playing under Laviolette, specifically in regards to the defense.
"When they [the Rangers] are attacking and breaking out pucks, they can go the other way a little bit quicker," said Gustafsson. "The team we have here (consists of) very fast forwards, skilled defensemen that can make plays. I think he [Laviolette], wants to play the puck out from your own zone. Finding the middle. Whatever forward is on the wall and bump it into the middle and come in with a lot of speed through the neutral zone. So, I think that can benefit this team with a lot of skill and speed."
Gustafsson was certainly right about his pre-season assessment on Laviolette. The Rangers have done such an incredible job at staying intact in all three zones. Their defense has led to offense, and Gustafsson has been a key contributor in that.
When the Rangers' Norris Trophy-winning defensemen, Adam Fox, went down due to injury there were a ton of concerns about which defensemen would need to step up in his place. Rarely would you think a defenseman making $825,000 a year can fill the shoes of another that is making $9.5 million, but Gustafsson has done all that he's been asked to do in Fox's absence.
Per the NHL Edge stat tracker, Gustafsson is currently sixth at spending time in the offensive zone at all strengths (46.4%). It's a big reason why Laviolette has trusted the offensive-minded defenseman on the power play.
"Gustafsson's been a first unit power play guy for most of his career," said Laviolette. "Obviously, there's going to be a little transition there because of the hands, but Gus is more than capable. If we need him to, he'll be more than capable of jumping in there."
Since stepping up to the first unit on November 3rd, the Rangers power play has been the second-best in the NHL, converting at a 36.4% rate with him as the quarterback. The team has gone 4-0-1 in this span, and Gustafsson has recorded a point in all five games (1 goal, 6 assists). This season, the guy who was signed to be the sixth defensemen on the depth chart is now 26th amongst defensemen in points with 11 in 15 games (3 goals, 8 assists) and has a strong +7 rating.
Not only is he providing offense, but he is also defending well, which is something he was criticized for a lot this summer.
The hype around Gustafsson prior to the season may have been a bit quieter due to his brief stint in Toronto. He didn't put up sexy numbers (no goals and four assists in nine games), but there were other factors that may have effected his performance. I spoke with David Alter, who covers the Toronto Maple Leafs for The Hockey News and asked him about his thoughts on Gustafsson's fit with the Rangers thus far.
"The points he's put up has been impressive and has probably been the best points per dollar output on the back end considering his contract." said Alter.
Added Laviolette: "I think he's played well since he's been here. I thought his training camp was really good. I thought the start of the season was really strong for him. Seems no matter who he plays with they can drive the play in the right direction. I think he's done a really good job. I have history and knowledge, it doesn't surprise me that he's able to step in and play that way. He did it for me last year on a different team and he's doing the same exact thing right now, but he's playing really well."
All of the players I listed earlier have been contributing to their new teams, but what Gustafsson has been able to provide in comparison to the expectations that were set for him is above and beyond.
I'm hoping to sit down and chat with Gustafsson at the next practice I attend to hear from the stud himself on the blue line himself.
The 31-year-old shows no signs of slowing down.