The New York Rangers are 5th in the Metropolitan Division and have struggled all season. Despite this fact, several players in the lineup have been nominated for the Steven McDonald Spirit Award, but should they be?
The New York Rangers are 34-32-6 and 5th in the Metropolitan Division in the NHL. They're still in the hunt for a wild card spot in the playoffs, with a regulation win putting them over the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders.
As they stand right now, they have 74 points in the Eastern Conference race, which remains tight until the end of the season.
Despite the team's poor performance as a whole players like Will Cuylle and Jonny Brodzinski have been nominated to have a shot to win the Steven McDonald Spirit Award.
Along with teammates like Sam Carrick, a dependable fourth-line forward, and the Rangers' elite goalie Igor Shesterkin, made the list as well.
The Steven McDonald Award presented by Northwell for the 12th year, is awarded annually to the Ranger who, as chosen by the fans, "goes above and beyond the call of duty."
The award, which has been given out since the 1987-88 season, bears the name of New York City Detective Steven McDonald, who was shot and injured in the line of duty on July 12, 1986 and passed away on January 10, 2017.
The award, which has been given out since the 1987-88 season, bears the name of New York City Detective Steven McDonald, who was shot and injured in the line of duty on July 12, 1986 and passed away on January 10, 2017.
Cuylle arguably deserves the award more than anyone, as his second season wearing the Rangers uniform full-time has resulted in success and promotion for himself.
He's played 70 points for the Rangers this season and scored 38 points (18 goals, 20 assists) and found himself up and down the lineup.
At the moment, he's on the third line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. He played some of his best hockey being centered by Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko as his linemates.
