Mailbag: Rangers' resurgence; Wilson's impact on Capitals

Here is the Nov. 14 edition of Dan Rosen's weekly mailbag, which runs every Wednesday. If you have a question, tweet it to @drosennhl and use #OvertheBoards.

The New York Rangers are surging but without many regulation wins during this span. Does that change anything in your view of the Rangers because of the recent success? -- @nickinzzz
My view of the Rangers, who are 6-0-1 in their past seven games, has changed from the start of the season because they're improving. They play hard. They play fast. They're getting better defensively. They're leaving fewer holes, giving up fewer quality scoring chances, especially off the rush. They've allowed 2.43 goals per game in their past seven games after yielding 3.45 per game in their first 11 games. They're still prone to giving up game-tying or go-ahead goals late, as they've done four times in their past eight games, but that's part of learning how to win. I'm not close to being ready to predict them to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they'll be in the mix for a while. That should make their approach in the coming months leading to the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline interesting, especially as it relates to forwards Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello, who are potential rental options for other contending teams. If the Rangers follow their rebuilding path, they'll eventually trade those two. That might be the best thing for them in the long run, but a playoff push could do wonders too. Remember, they announced a rebuild, not a tank.
For now, the focus should be on what they're doing well, which is a testament to the coaching they're getting from David Quinn and the buy-in they've gotten from everyone, most importantly Henrik Lundqvist (6-6-2, 2.54 goals-against average, .923 save percentage), who looks like the goalie of three seasons ago and not at all like the Lundqvist we saw the past two seasons, when he combined for a 2.87 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 120 games. However, the best part about the Rangers right now is the young players are getting better and showing they can be part of the core they're trying to form through the rebuild. We've seen defensemen Neal Pionk and Tony DeAngelo, and forwards Brett Howden, Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich take significant strides in the past few weeks. It's unfortunate for the Rangers that Buchnevich will be out for 4-6 weeks with a thumb injury because he was playing well since Quinn scratched him for back-to-back games (at the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 30 and at the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 1). Buchnevich is a terrific talent who just needed to buy into Quinn's system more and, frankly, push himself to play at a higher level. He can't allow the injury to be a setback for him.

How much will the return of Tom Wilson impact the Washington Capitals' lackluster performance so far? -- @ryan\ouimet08
Wilson had his League-imposed 20-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist reduced to 14 games by an independent arbitrator on Tuesday. He returned to the Capitals lineup on Tuesday and scored a goal in a 5-2 win against the Minnesota Wild, infusing some must-needed energy. He's big, fast, determined and he obviously works well on a line with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin. But Wilson can't let his latest suspension or previous suspensions impact the power-forward game he plays. He needs to be able to quickly find that line that separates the good, which is legal and powerful, from the bad, which is illegal and dangerous, and stay on the good side. I can only image that it's going to be challenging for him because of how he plays and what has made him successful in the NHL. He can't hold back, but he can't be reckless. He's going to be an interesting study for the remainder of this season.
When will Erik Karlsson blossom into the player we've all expected him to be? -- @bloodfury\96
I'm not surprised Karlsson has struggled in the first quarter of the season with the Sharks. I think we underestimate how challenging the adjustment is for a player to go to a new team, especially when that player for years knew of only one team, one way, one home, division, conference, etc. Karlsson didn't arrive in San Jose until training camp had started, cutting short his time to get acclimated. He has struggled defensively and has been turnover prone, but most alarming are his offensive numbers. He has eight points, all assists, including five on the power play, in 19 games. The one thing the Ottawa Senators could always count on from Karlsson is offensive production. He'd lead the charge from the back end, quarterback the power play, get his shot through and create goals either for himself or through tips and deflections in front. He's not getting production in that fashion. However, I think by midseason we could be looking back on this first quarter and saying, "Remember when Karlsson was struggling, seems so long ago." He'll get more comfortable with more games. The importance of the games as it gets later in the season will drive him. He's likely trying to establish his comfort zone, figure out what he can and can't do in the Sharks' system and with his new teammates. I'll be surprised if he's not playing the Karlsson game we know by January.
Is it too late for the Los Angeles Kings to turn their season around, especially with the loss of Jack Campbell and Jonathan Quick? Can they go on a magical run? -- @TJRinger1
It'll be too late if the Kings don't start scoring more. The Kings have scored two or more goals in five of their 17 games. You need at least three in the NHL to have a semblance of a chance to win on most nights. This season, with scoring up, you probably need at least four goals, especially if your No. 1 goalie is out. It's terrible what has happened to their goaltending depth with the injuries and subsequent knee surgeries for both Quick and Campbell, but it doesn't matter if they don't score. Their struggles this season fall on the shoulders of forwards Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli, and, to a degree, Ilya Kovalchuk, although he has at least produced more than the others. They fall on defensemen Drew Doughty, Alec Martinez and Jake Muzzin. The production from all areas has to be better, has to improve, has to be more consistent. It won't be too late if they start scoring more, if their power play improves, if they generate more shots on goal, more traffic, more quality scoring chances. I don't see any magical run coming, but a few wins in a row and the Kings could get themselves right back in the mix, especially with Quick and Campbell not back until some point in December most likely. Nobody is running away with the Pacific Division.

Will the Calgary Flames finish the season with Mike Smith as their No. 1 goaltender? What are their options? -- @01Ainsy
I think it's 50-50 at this point. I wonder if or when coach Bill Peters is going to start giving David Rittich more opportunities. Smith was good in a 3-1 loss against the Sharks on Sunday, making 26 saves on 28 shots, but can he repeat that performance if he starts against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday? Can he keep repeating that type of performance to give the Flames stability in net? Can he stop giving up leaky goals, from shots that go through him, off rebounds, etc.? He's earned the benefit of the doubt, but certainly Rittich (5-1-0, .935 save percentage, 1.91 GAA) has been better in his six starts than Smith has been in his 12 (5-6-1, .877 save percentage, 3.51 GAA). I'd be foolish to rule out Smith going on a big run, but his recent trend suggests that's unlikely.
What happens with Calgary's goaltending is interesting because Smith is signed through the rest of this season and Rittich could be the Flames' next No. 1. I wouldn't rule out the Flames looking to acquire Sergei Bobrovsky in a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets, but at this point it makes more sense to go with Smith/Rittich through the season and keep all the assets they'd have to give up in a trade, especially when Bobrovsky might be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. That's a route they may take, but first I think they should give Rittich a chance to be the No. 1 and see how he handles it. It's a tough call, though, because Smith has some veteran equity in the League and he also has experience in handling ups and downs, something Rittich doesn't have. However, the benefit of doubt only goes so far on a team that otherwise should be good enough to make the playoffs.