Just after sending Anthony DeAngelo down to the AHL and waiving Adam Cracknell, the New York Rangers have decided on who they’ll bring up to fill the roster spot. Cristoval “Boo” Nieves is on his way up to the team, something many fans wanted right from the start of the season.
Nieves will likely get into the lineup right away when the team takes on the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night, but will have to make quite an impact to turn around the Rangers’ recent fortunes. The team has just two wins on the season and one in their last seven games, while finding it difficult to score on a regular basis. Nieves did contribute offensively at the University of Michigan, but hasn’t found quite the same playmaking ability in the AHL. Through 55 games in the minor league, he has 26 points.
What Nieves will bring, is a big body to slot into the center position for New York. A weak spot after trading away Derek Stepan in the offseason, the depth down the middle has been suspect all year for the Rangers. While Mika Zibanejad does have seven points through ten games, just two of those have come at even strength, where he is being relied upon for nearly 19 minutes a night. If Nieves can find a bit of success, perhaps some of the pressure can be taken off the top two lines and a more balanced attack can be found for the team.