Logging a little more than 25 minutes a game hasn’t affected Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh. In fact, through the first six games of the season, he has five assists and is a plus-2.
But coach Alain Vigneault wants to trim the defenseman’s average time on ice as the season unfolds.
“Our record is really good when he plays 25 minutes or more, [22-1-2 in the past 25 games],” Vigneault said Wednesday. “But if you look at the 82-game schedule, how condensed it is, I think that’s a lot of minutes for any defenseman in this league. I probably prefer to keep him around 23 to 24 minutes.