Nimmo the First Domino to Fall for Stearns

After the season ended, GM David Stearns said his primary offseason focus would be "run prevention." Well on Sunday, Stearns made the first of what is likely to be several moves meant to address that need. The Mets traded fan favorite Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for gold glover second baseman Marcus Semien. The Mets also sent $5 million to the Rangers. In order for the deal to be completed, Nimmo was required to waive his no-trade clause.

Semien batted a career-low year .230 in 2025 with 15 home runs and 62 RBIs in 127 games. Two years ago, he batted .276 with 29 HRs and 100 RBIs in 162 games, and had 10 postseason RBIs to help the Rangers win the World Series. Obviously, the Mets are hoping he regains his '23 form. Nimmo batted .262 with 25 HRs and 92 RBIs in 155 games last season.

At first glance it appears as if Stearns is trading offense for defense, but it's far more complicated than that. It's no secret that the Mets had a problem at second base last season. Jeff McNeil, Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuna all took turns playing there; none stood out. Semien not only solves the problem at second, he allows Stearns to include McNeil in a package for a starting pitcher. Wouldn't Tarik Skubal look good in orange and blue? The lone concern I have about Semien is his age. At 35, his best years may be behind him. 

As for Nimmo, yes he was a good hitter, and an even better teammate, but he was hardly irreplaceable. To hear some fans, you'd think Stearns had traded Ted Williams away. There are several notable free agents out there the Mets could target that would be considerably better than Nimmo, both at the plate and in the field.

Kyle Tucker is undoubtedly the biggest fish. A career .273 hitter who averages 31 home runs and 103  runs batted in, he hit .266 with 22 HRs and 73 RBIs for the Cubs last season. Reportedly he's looking for a ten-year contract around $400 million. That might too rich even for Steve Cohen's blood.

If that's the case, Cody Bellinger would make an ideal Plan B. He hit .272 with 29 HRs and 98 RBIs for the Yankees last season, playing primarily in left field. If the Mets sign him, it would be the third free agent they've pilfered from their cross-town rivals in the last two years. Juan Soto and Clay Holmes were the other two.

But while the Mets are looking at prospective free agents this offseason, they have two of their own that will be highly sought after: Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso. Ideally, Stearns would like to keep both, but that might not be possible. Between the two, Diaz has to be the priority. As bad as the starting rotation was last season, the bullpen was even worse. Diaz was the lone exception. He was 6-3 with 28 saves and a 1.63 ERA. Losing him would deal a devastating blow to whatever hopes Stearns has of putting a pennant-contending team on the field next season.

Regarding Alonso, the issue with him is not so much salary as it is term. The Polar Bear is looking for a seven-year contract and the Mets would prefer not to go beyond three years. Like Nimmo, he can be replaced if the two sides can't agree.

Bottom line, Stearns is making good on his promise to revamp a roster that severely underperformed in 2025. Nimmo was the first domino to fall.

He won't be the last. 

Make That Definite: the Rangers Aren't That Good

About three and a half weeks ago, I wrote a piece titled: "Is It Possible That Maybe the Rangers Just Aren't That Good?" The Rangers had just lost to the Calgary Flames 5-1 to drop their record to a woeful 3-5-2. They couldn't score at home and their top six looked more like a bottom six. "It's time to admit a painful truth," I wrote, "this team may not be as talented as I and others like me thought they were."

Well with less than a week to go before Thanksgiving, it's time to remove the word "maybe" from that title. The sad truth is that the Rangers simply aren't that good. It's not that they haven't had some good moments. They had a 2-0 win against the Canucks in Vancouver and a 3-2 OT win against the Kraken in Seattle; the latter quite possibly the most complete game they've played in over a year. And scoring six goals on only 18 shots against the Nashville Predators at the Garden constitutes front-page headlines these days. 

But apart from those games, and maybe a couple more, 2025-26 is looking remarkably similar to 2024-25, when the Rangers missed the playoffs by just six points. In fact, New York is on track to finish this season with 82 points, three less than they had all of last season. 

It's unsettling to discover that this franchise went through a four-year rebuild just so it can have a three-year window, but that appears to be the case. This core looks old and slow. Apart from Adam Fox and Will Cuylle, every player who was counted on to produce for this team is seriously underperforming. Below are the adjusted point totals for each player over an 82-game schedule.

I'll cut Vincent Trocheck some slack because he missed a month on LTIR, but there's no excuse for players like Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, JT Miller and Alexis Lafreniere. In 2023-24, the Bread man had 31 multiple point games on his way to a 120 point season. This season, he's had only four such games. 

The problem with Panarin is that if he's not scoring, he's pretty much useless. He doesn't kill penalties and he's the last player you want on the ice if you're protecting a lead. Thursday night in Colorado, two of his turnovers led directly to Avalanche goals: one by Nathan MacKinnon, the other by Cale Makar. Both times the Rangers were ahead by a goal. With him slated to become a UFA at the end of the season, it's highly unlikely that Chris Drury will re-sign him.

Miller and Zibanejad were supposed to be this dynamic duo that would give the Rangers a legit number one line. So far, they've looked more like third liners. Indeed, at times, Noah Laba's line has looked more impressive than Miller and Zibanejad's. As for Lafreniere, he's looking more and more like a bust with each passing game. When Dave Maloney starts calling you out, you know you're bad.

The special teams that were supposed to be the hallmark of this team have been anything but. Thursday night was only the second time this season that the Rangers scored more than one power play goal in a game. They scored twice with the man advantage against the Penguins in Pittsburgh on October 11.

Igor Shesterkin, the rock upon which this franchise was built, look's nothing like the former Vezina trophy winner Drury rewarded with an eight-year, $92 million contract extension a year ago. Indeed, his backup, Jonathan Quick, is having a better season than he is, and for a tenth of the price.

And to think Mike Sullivan left Pittsburgh for this. I don't know promises Drury made to him, but given that the Penguins are currently ahead of the Rangers in the standings, I hope it was worth it. Let's face it, Scotty Bowman wouldn't be able to turn this middling team into a contender. James Dolan may not want to admit it, but the guy he entrusted to run this ship has run it straight into the ground.

I have been a Drury defender from day one; I'm done defending the man. He is currently the GM of a franchise that is in danger of missing the playoffs back-to-back seasons for the first time since Jeff Gorton had that title. And with no tangible plan to fix what's wrong, the prospects for the next several seasons are bleak, to say the least.

And the worst part about what's going on is that while the Rangers spin their wheels, across the Hudson, the Devils are the only team in the New York metro area with a shot at going deep in the playoffs; to the east, the Islanders are very quietly having their best season since 2020-21, when they were one win away from advancing to their first Stanley Cup final since 1984. The Blueshirts are dangerously close to reliving the nightmare of the '80s when they were outplayed and outclassed by their suburban rivals.

It's no longer too early in the season. Twenty-two games is enough of a sample size. The alarm bells are going off. The ship is listing badly and the outlook is dire.

All that's left is for the band to play "Nearer My God to Thee."

OG Anunoby is the Engine That Drives the Knicks

The news that OG Anunoby will be out two weeks after suffering a left hamstring injury against the Miami Heat Friday night at the Garden cannot be overstated. Jalen Brunson may be the captain of the Knicks; Karl-Anthony Towns may be the best scoring center / power forward in the NBA not named Nikola Jokic or Giannis Antekoumpo, but Anunoby is, without question, the most indispensable player on this team. 

No, I have not taken leave of my senses; I'm just going by the numbers.

Let's take a look at the record.

According to StatMuse, when Brunson is in the lineup, the Knicks are 136-85, with a winning percentage of .615.

When Towns is in the lineup, they're 54-31, with a winning percentage of .635.

But when Anunoby is in the lineup, New York is 73-36, with a winning percentage of .670.

To put that into perspective, the Golden State Warriors are 667-371 (.643) with Steph Curry in the lineup. That's right, arguably the greatest pure shooter in NBA history has a lower winning percentage for his team than Anunoby. I'm not comparing the two; obviously, Curry is a first ballot Hall of Famer. Just pointing out that if wins and losses mean anything, OG gets you more wins.

But what about the record when each player is out of the lineup? The Knicks are 19-17 without Anunoby; 20-18 without Brunson; and 5-5 without Towns. It's clear that all three players are badly missed when they're not on the court. It's what happens when they're on the court that's at hand here. 

Want further proof of Anunoby's value to this team? When he's on the court, the Knicks have a defensive rating of 106.4 points per game; when he's off the court, they have a defensive rating of 120.9 points per game. No other player on this roster has that kind of defensive point differential.

Now you know why Leon Rose traded RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Toronto Raptors to acquire Anunoby in December, 2023; why he was willing to re-sign him to a five year, $213 million contract extension last year; and why it would be insane for the Knicks to even think about including him in a package to Milwaukee for Giannis. What OG brings to the table cannot simply be measured on a stat sheet.

Put succinctly, Anunoby is one of the most versatile forwards in the league; capable of playing either the three or the four. He's eighth in the league in plus / minus this season with a plus 127. An elite defender who, along with Mikal Bridges, usually guards the opposing teams' best players, he had an integral role in eliminating the Boston Celtics in last year's playoffs.

Under Mike Brown, we were just starting to see how valuable Anunoby's offensive abilities could be. Not counting the game he got hurt, in which he played only five minutes, Anunoby was averaging 17.1 points per game on 48.3 percent shooting from the floor. On a team that stresses ball distribution and finding the open man, Anunoby has the potential to have a breakout season. Imagine having three players on your roster capable of putting up 20 plus points per game. 

Unfortunately, Anunoby also has a history of injuries that predates his arrival in New York. The 74 games he appeared in last season were the most since his rookie season in 2018-19. The fact is every time he goes up to grab a rebound or drives to the basket to take a shot, he's playing Russian Roulette. Sooner or later you know he's going to come up lame. In game two of the 2023 Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Pacers, Anunoby pulled his hamstring chasing down a bad pass that went out of bounds late in the third quarter. FYI, the Knicks won that game to take a 2-0 lead. But Indiana won four of the next five to take the series.

Bottom line, when it comes to OG, you take the bad with the good, because the good is sooo good. And unlike Towns and Bridges, who occasionally go into the witness protection program during the game, even when Anunoby isn't scoring he's doing other things on the court. Only Josh Hart wears more hats on this team.

So that there's no misunderstanding: I'm not saying Brunson and KAT are not valuable. Far from it. This franchise wouldn't be where it is right now without Rose signing Brunson in the summer of 2022. What I am saying is that the Knicks will go only as far as a healthy OG Anunoby takes them.

You may disagree if you like. Just know that the numbers are not on your side. 

Enough Was Enough

Let's be honest: we all knew the season was over after the collapse in Denver three weeks ago. You didn't think the Giants were beating the Philadelphia Eagles or San Francisco 49ers, did you? Neither did I. It wasn't a question of whether a change had to be made, but when.

Well the "when" came yesterday after the Giants blew a ten-point, fourth-quarter lead and lost to the Chicago Bears Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field. That's four times this season New York has lost a game in which they held a double-digit lead; this latest one was the final straw, so the organization "relieved" head coach Brian Daboll of his duties.

I have no problem with the decision. Daboll was 20-40-1 as head coach, but only 11-33 since 2023. He had to go. My only question is why wasn't defensive coordinator Shane Bowen also shown the door? It was his play-calling that directly led to two of those four losses. Indeed, you could easily make the case that had this team defended better, they'd be 5-5, instead of 2-8. And with the worst of the schedule behind them, it's conceivable that the Giants could've been in the playoff hunt going into December. Instead, the only hunt they'll be in is for the number one pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. They currently have the third pick.

That might be the reason why Joe Schoen was retained. In the end, John Mara and Steve Tisch must've felt that, talent wise, the team was headed in the right direction. That isn't to say Schoen hasn't made some mistakes. The decision to give Daniel Jones such a large contract, in hindsight, turned out not to be such a good idea; the whole Saquon Barkley fiasco could've been handled better; and some his draft picks - Evan Neal, Jalin Hyatt and Deonte Banks - haven't exactly panned out.

That being said, the Giants have their franchise quarterback in place; they have an elite receiver and two outstanding running backs; their front seven - at least on paper - is certainly more capable than what they've shown. With some improvements to the secondary, a place-kicker who can stay healthy and the right coaching staff in place, this team should be vastly improved in the standings next season. 

Regarding the latter, who do the Giants hire? If I had my druthers, I'd go with someone along the lines of a Dan Campbell or Mike Vrabel; a no-nonsense coach who holds his players accountable and isn't risk averse. I'm not piling on here, but when Daboll elected to take the field goal rather than go for it on fourth and goal from the one-yard line, I knew the Giants were going to lose. The message that sends to your players is that you don't believe in them. And any coach who doesn't believe in his players has no business being their coach. I guarantee you that Campbell and Vrabel would never do that to their players.

If the Giants are looking for a name, Mike Tomlin makes perfect sense. He's well respected by his players and he has the distinction of being the only active head coach in the NFL to not have a losing season in his 18 years with the Steelers. But would Pittsburgh be willing to let him out of his contract which runs through 2027? Given that the Mara and Rooney families are practically joined at the hip, I'm sure a phone call from John to Art Jr. might get it done. 

If neither option is available, then I would go with someone who can run an offense, like Kliff Kingsbury, former head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, and now offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders. If he's not available, perhaps Joe Brady of the Bills might suffice. But would Mara and Schoen really want to hire another offensive coordinator with no head-coaching experience? I doubt it. 

One reason the Giants may have fired Daboll now instead of waiting until the end of the season is to give Mike Kafka a look see. The offensive coordinator has been instrumental in Jaxson Dart's development. If he does a good job as interim head coach over the next seven games, they may elect to give him the job permanently.

Whichever route they choose, the Giants will need a defensive coordinator who can actually coach a defense. Ironically, they had one in Wink Martindale, but when Daboll fired two of his assistants, he resigned in protest. That led to the hiring of Bowen, who was the polar opposite of Martindale. 

One man I hope they don't hire is Bill Belichick. There's no doubt about his Hall of Fame bonafides, but with everything that's unfolded at North Carolina, it's obvious that the former New England Patriots head coach is just cashing in on his name. Why on Earth would the Giants want to bring that circus to MetLife?

A lot of possibilities out there for Big Blue, to be sure. Mara and Schoen need to get this one right. The fanbase has suffered long enough.

Jaxson Dart Deserves Better Than This

Since blowing a 19-point lead to the Denver Broncos at Mile-High Stadium on October 19, the New York Giants have lost to the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers. Neither game was competitive. For the third year in a row this franchise, which has made the playoffs only twice since its last Super Bowl win in 2011, is off to a 2-7 start. The previous two seasons it finished 6-11 and 3-14 respectively. Based on the level of play through nine games, there is little reason to expect that 2025 will be any different. 

New York has given up 249 points this season. Only the Tennessee Titans (257), Dallas Cowboys (277) and Cincinnati Bengals (300) have given up more. Yes, they have sustained injuries, especially to their beleaguered secondary, but there isn't a team in the league that hasn't had to contend with injuries. Indeed, the 49ers were missing several key players, including Brock Purdy and Nick Bosa, yet still had their way with the Giants. Quite frankly, it was embarrassing to watch.

The one, lone bright spot in this train wreck of a season has been Jaxson Dart. The rookie has thrown for 1175 yards in six starts with 10 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. His QBR of 61.2 is 14th among starting quarterbacks; five points higher than Drake Maye's was in his rookie season, and eight points higher than Eli Manning's was in 2007, the year he won his first Super Bowl. In fact, Dart's QBR is higher than Bo Nix, Michael Penix, Jr, Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams; the latter the number one pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Ever since the retirement of Eli, the Jints have been looking for someone to take over the reigns. Daniel Jones was supposed to be that guy; and for two seasons - his rookie and 2022 - it certainly looked that way. But, alas, it wasn't to be. Danny Dimes is now on the Indianapolis Colts where he is having his best year as a pro. Good for him.

As for Dart, it's obvious that the Giants have found their franchise quarterback. His resilience is matched only by his exuberance. If spunk was measured in dollars, Dart would be the richest rookie in the NFL. The kid is unflappable. But there's a limit to any man's resolve. John Mara is playing with fire if he thinks that this level of incompetence won't eventually get to the best quarterback this organization has drafted in its history. I'm not being facetious here. Phil Simms took five years to become a good quarterback; Eli didn't come into his own until his third full season; Dart is already there, and with inarguably the worst receiving corps in the league. 

But past performance is no guarantee of future success. Sam Darnold and Justin Fields were highly touted prospects out of college who were both badly screwed up by their respective teams. Darnold eventually resurrected his career in Minnesota and now Seattle, but Fields appears to be a lost cause. Ironically he's with the Jets, the team that drafted Darnold. You can't make this shit up.

Mara has an obligation to make sure history doesn't repeat itself. Even he decides to retain Joe Schoen as his GM, the entire coaching staff must go, starting with Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen. His play calling is directly responsible for two losses this season. And Brian Daboll's reluctance - i.e, refusal - to criticize his assistant, is an indictment of him as a head coach. After the Denver loss, you could tell he lost the locker room. At this point, most of the players are just going through the motions. The lone exceptions are Dart and Brian Burns, who is having a career year. He currently leads the NFL with 11 sacks. 

The argument for keeping Daboll is based on the premise that with a young quarterback, continuity is essential. After all, Daniel Jones had four different offensive coordinators in his tenure as a Giant. No doubt that stunted his development. It's perfectly reasonable not to want to do that to Dart.

But the counter argument is that it's far worse for a young quarterback to be saddled in a system that, no matter what you do, keeps spinning its wheels. Even the most incurable optimist would have a hard time winning under those conditions.

If you want proof, look no further than Drake Maye. In his rookie season with the New England Patriots, his head coach was Jerod Mayo and his offensive coordinator was Alex Van Pelt. The Pats went 4-13 and Robert Kraft cleaned house. He hired Mike Vrabel as his head coach and Vrabel hired Josh McDaniels as his OC. The result is that Maye is fifth in the NFL with a QBR of 74, and New England is in first place in the AFC East with a record of 7-2.

Daboll's claim to fame, and the thing that made him attractive to Schoen, was that he helped Josh Allen become the player he is, but that doesn't mean he's a quarterback whisperer, or for that matter even a good head coach. The fact is that after a surprising 9-7-1 maiden season under Daboll, the Giants have been one of the worst run teams in the NFL since. I find it hard to believe they couldn't find someone considerably better to manage the sidelines, while also developing Dart.

Walking and chewing gum at the same time is something millions of people do every day. It's about time the Giants learned how to do it.

Jaxson Dart deserves no less.

Is It Possible That Maybe the Rangers Just Aren't That Good?

"I do think they will make the postseason; they have too much talent not to."

- Peter W. Fegan

Some days I thank my lucky stars that I don't put my money where my mouth is. I'd be living in my car right now, or under it. Look, I realize it's still early; after all, the 2013-14 Rangers got off to a 3-7-0 start under Alain Vigneault and they not only made the playoffs, they went all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. This core is only one year removed from winning the Presidents' Trophy; certainly there's plenty of time to turn this ship around.

God, I wish that were so, I really do. But if we're being honest with ourselves, the only thing that Rangers team has in common with this one is the logo on their jerseys. This team looks old and slow. With the exception of two road games against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens and two home games against the Washington Capitals and the Edmonton Oilers, they have been outplayed in all the other games. FYI, they lost both those home games. Think about it: they're 2-2 against teams they outplayed, and 1-3-2 against teams that outplayed them.

The top six has looked more like a bottom six. Artemi Panarin is tied with Adam Fox for the team lead in scoring with seven points, and four of those points came against the Canadiens; Mika Zibanjead has three goals, and is on track to finish the season with 50 points; the "Captain" J.T. Miller has two goals and six points; and Alexis Lafreniere hasn't scored since October 9. There are kids on milk container cartons that are more conspicuous. At times this season, the bottom six has performed better than their top six counter parts. Exhibit A: perennial fourth liner Taylor Raddysh leads the team with four goals. 

The Rangers are the second worst scoring team in the NHL this season. Last night, they gave up five goals to a Calgary Flames team that had scored even fewer. And that was two nights after they lost 6-5 in overtime to the previously winless San Jose Sharks. Think about it: against two of the worst teams in the league, the best the Blueshirts could muster was one point. Just imagine what's going to happen when they start playing the elite teams. If the season ended today, not only would the Rangers not qualify for the playoffs, they'd be in excellent position to win the draft lottery. 

It's time to admit a painful truth: this team may not be as talented as I and others like me thought they were. Even with a healthy Vincent Trocheck - who, by-the-way, still hasn't resumed skating and is likely out until late November - this roster doesn't exactly scare the pants off you. From the 2021-22 season through the 2023-24 season, the Rangers power play was fourth in the NHL at 25.3 percent. Not coincidentally, they posted records of 52-24-6, 47-22-13 and 55-23-4. But last season, that vaunted power play plummeted to a paltry 17.6 percent, (21st) and as a result, the Rangers finished 39-36-7 and missed the playoffs.

This season, the power play has gotten off to an even worse start. After last night's game in Calgary, it's 19th in the league at 16 percent. For a team that struggles as much as the Rangers do at even strength, that simply isn't going to cut it. Let's face it: for three straight seasons, under two different coaches, the formula was pretty simple: score on the power play and let Igor Shesterkin do the rest. If either one didn't come through, the result was typically a loss. And that is precisely what we've been seeing the last two seasons: a flawed team that relied way too much on its power play and its goaltending to win, and is now sowing what it reaped.

So what happened? How did a team that went through a four-year rebuild end up with a three-year window? It's complicated. 

Let's go all the way back to that memo then G.M. Jeff Gorton sent out in the winter of 2018 informing the fanbase that he was going to break up the core and start a rebuild. Over the next twelve months, the Rangers traded Rick Nash, Michael Grabner, Ryan McDonagh, Miller and fan favorite Mats Zuccarello. As a result, they missed the playoffs two straight seasons. 

But while Gorton may have cleaned house, he did not strip it down to the studs, so to speak. He left enough talent in place for the team to be competitive. That spring, the Rangers wound up with the second overall pick in the Amateur Draft and selected Kaapo Kakko. The New Jersey Devils, with the first overall pick, chose Jack Hughes. The consensus at the time was that Kakko was a can't miss prospect who had the potential to be an elite winger in the NHL.

Then in the summer of 2019, Gorton short-circuited his own rebuild by trading for Jacob Trouba and signing Panarin to a seven-year contract worth $11.6 million per. While the Rangers record improved enough to qualify for the play-in round against the Carolina Hurricanes, they were none-the-less swept in three games. It wasn't a total loss, though; the Rangers wound up with the number one pick in the 2020 Amateur Draft, which they then used to select Lafreniere.

I'll say it again: both Kakko and Lafteniere were considered legitimate picks at the time they were taken, especially Lafreniere, who all the scouts agreed was the best player on the board. That neither has blossomed into the elite forwards they were projected to become, does not change anything. When you have the number one pick, you take the number one prospect. 

But even with two promising young wingers and Panarin, the Rangers still missed the playoffs. Owner James Dolan was growing impatient with the rebuild and after the Tom Wilson incident at the Garden, he lost it. In what can only be described as the most bizarre moment in Rangers history, he fired Gorton and Team President John Davidson.

Enter Chris Drury. Dolan gave the new President and GM two marching orders: 1. Make the playoffs; 2. Make sure the Wilson incident was never repeated. Drury fired David Quinn and replaced him with Gerard Gallant. He then traded Pavel Buchnevich for Sammy Blais and used the remaining cap savings to sign Ryan Reaves and Barclay Goodrow. Under Gallant, New York had its best season since 2015. With Reaves and Goodrow, the Rangers were no longer easy pushovers. They not only made the playoffs, they advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference finals before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six. 

Despite the loss, the season was considered a glowing success. Zibanjad, Panarin, Fox and Chris Kreider all had career years. Shesterkin established himself as an elite goalie. The Kid Line of Kakko, Lafreniere and Filip Chytil, whom Gorton had drafted in 2018, was growing up in front of our eyes. The future certainly looked bright for the Blueshirts.

But when the 2022-23 season didn't get off to a good start, doubts about the core began to creep in. Trouba, who had been named captain before the start of the season, threw his helmet and screamed at his teammates. Drury grew frustrated at the inconsistencies he saw on the ice, and went whole hog at the trade deadline, acquiring both Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane. The Rangers went into the playoffs with arguably their most talented roster since the 1991-92 team. It didn't matter. After going up 2-0 against the Devils, New Jersey won four of the next five games to eliminate New York.

Drury pinned the blame for the collapse on Gallant and replaced him with Peter Laviolette. And just like they had done in Gallant's first year behind the bench, the Rangers not only had a great season under Laviolette, they won the Presidents' trophy for the first time since 2015. Once more, they advanced to the conference finals where they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. It was a bitter end to an otherwise excellent season, but this time around, Drury saw something that didn't quite sit well with him.

Despite their record, the Rangers were still a middling team at even strength. Too many of their wins were owed to their special teams and goaltending. The Panthers didn't just beat them, they schooled them. To his credit, Drury took notes. That summer, needing cap space, he waived Goodrow and attempted to trade Trouba. The former complained; the latter balked. The offseason maneuvering did not sit well with the players. Despite getting off to a 12-4-1 start, Drury still didn't like what he was seeing. He sent a letter to every GM in the league indicating he was open for business. Both Trouba and Kreider were mentioned in the letter. Trouba eventually cried uncle and accepted a trade, while Kreider, who was already having an off year, sulked along with his BFF Zibanejad. Kreider would eventually be traded this summer while Zibanejad reiterated he had no intention of going anywhere. The only good thing to come out of that hellish nightmare of a season was Drury reacquiring Miller for Chytil, who despite his enormous potential, could never stay healthy.

Once more Drury changed coaches. Mike Sullivan replaced Laviolette behind the bench. The hope was that Sully would be able to motivate this team, but that hasn't happened. The same issues continue to plague them: an inability to generate offense at 5v5; over-passing in the offensive zone, poor puck management in the defensive zone; an ineffective and predictable power play. When Igor isn't standing on his head, this team looks absolutely pathetic. 

So here we stand: a Rangers team that, on paper at least, should be better than its record indicates. Despite an average age of 28, most of the core is over 30, with Panarin leading the way at 34. And while Panarin will be a UFA next summer, Zibanejad, Trocheck and Fox are signed for the next several years to contracts that have either no movement or no trade clauses. That means Drury is as stuck with them as we are.

I honestly don't know where we go from here. What I can tell you is this: the Devils are a good, young team with a much more promising future than the Rangers, and at UBS Arena, the Islanders, thanks to winning the draft lottery, have the best young defenseman to lace up a pair of skates since Cale Makar. 

I'm old enough to remember the mid-1970s when the Rangers couldn't get out of their own way and a GM by the name of Bill Torrey assembled a team on Long Island that would go on to win four consecutive Cups.

I would not be in the slightest bit shocked if history ended up repeating itself. 

Knicks Get Off to a Good Start

To quote Monty Python, "And now for something completely different." 

The New York Knicks got the 2025-26 season off to a good start by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-111 at the Garden. But it was how they beat them that was the story. Eschewing the half-court offense of their former coach Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks employed an uptempo game, distributing the ball equally around the court leading to many open shots. It was a refreshing sight to behold.

True to his word, new head coach Mike Brown went with a deep rotation, By the end of the first half, eleven players had entered the game. The only time that many players saw action under Thibs was when the Knicks were ahead by 20 with a minute to go. The bench, which had been much maligned last season, had 20 points by halftime to help New York build a 65-50 lead. In all, they finished with 35 for the game. Apart from OG Anunoby, not one starter logged more than 34 minutes.

Of course, the men in orange and blue just couldn't resist a trip down memory lane. They reverted back to their old ways in the third quarter and the result was predictable. The Cavs outscored them 37-22 to tie the game at 87. Donavan Mitchell had 21 of his game-high 31 points in the quarter. But then New York snapped out of it and went on a 14-2 run to start the fourth quarter. 

The Knicks got balanced scoring from their players. O.G. Anunoby led the way with 24 points, 14 rebounds and three steals; Jalen Brunson was next with 23 points and five assists; Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds; Mikal Bridges chipped in with 16, 12 in the first half; and Deuce McBride had 15 points off the bench and was a game-best plus 17. Indeed, every Knick was a plus for the game, except Landry Shamet and Ariel Hukporti.

The Knicks out-rebounded the Cavs 48-32 overall, including 39-28 on the defensive boards, and scored 42 points in the paint. They also shot 86.1 percent front the free throw line, compared to 66.7 percent for Cleveland. For a team that went a combined 0-10 against the Cavs, Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder last season, last night's win was a statement game. This year's Knicks team is not last year's.

Of course, Brown was quick to put the win in perspective. "Pretty good effort from our team. The great part of it is we got a lot of room to grow, and that's what's exciting." Translation: let's hold off on the parade down the Canyon of Heroes.

That being said, it's clear that this team - even without Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart in the lineup - is pretty deep and talented. If they're this good in their first regular season game, imagine how good they're going to be in game 10 or 20?

What impresses me most about Brown is that he isn't afraid to utilize his bench in crucial situations during the game. At one point he had Tyler Kolek, Jordan Clarkson, Guerschon Yabusele and Hukporti on the court at the same time. Can you imagine Thibs doing that? Again, this is not about hating on the former Knicks coach; it's about having enough faith in your players. 

Game one is in the books; game two is Friday in Boston.