After last season, Ryan McDonagh had become a mainstay in conversations about the elite defenseman of the NHL. He was named captain of the New York Rangers before the season started, and he was expected to be the team’s best player. However, this did not go down as well as initially thought, and McDonagh has struggled to meet expectations this season. He has been the Rangers’ most disappointing player so far this season.

McDonagh, who is 25 years old, has had a difficult start to the season. During the first 10 games of the season, he was held without a goal and looked to be pressing. Last season, especially during the Stanley Cup Final against the Los Angeles Kings, McDonagh would sometimes try to do too much, and that caught up to him in the early parts of this season. He didn’t get a chance to play himself out of this funk, however, as he injured his shoulder on Nov. 1 against the Winnipeg Jets. He didn’t return until Nov. 28, and has played in seven games since that date.

Since returning from injury, McDonagh has looked better, but he still has a ways to go before he plays like the player we saw last season. He is still pressing, and, quite possibly, adjusting to the pressures of being the captain of the team. It’s definitely a transition for a player who never wore an “A” or “C” at the NHL level to be named captain of a team that already has a bunch of veteran players. As more time passes, McDonagh will become more comfortable in his role as the team’s leader.

Mcdonagh’s stats have taken dramatic hits this season as well. He only has one goal so far, which he scored the other night against the Vancouver Canucks. Along with the one goal, he has added seven assists and has a +/- of 7. From an advanced statistics view, McDonagh only has a Corsi-for-percentage of 46.7 percent, which means when he is on the ice, the Rangers are not getting the majority of shots on goal. That number is down from last season, which saw McDonagh post a CF percentage of 51.3 percent. His numbers will eventually even out as he plays more and gets into a better rhythm.

For the Rangers to string together wins and make a push towards the playoffs, they need McDonagh to play well. Thus far, he has been a disappointment this season, but he should get better as he gets the opportunity to play more games.