Some Disturbing, Familiar Trends for Rangers

Eight games into the 2022-23 season and a pattern is starting to emerge. Against teams that play a similar style of hockey or are just porous defensively, the Rangers are 3-0-1 and their power play has gone 5 for 17.

But against teams that play a more defensive style of hockey and clog the passing lanes, they're 0-3-1 and their power play is an anemic 1 for 13. And that one power play goal, it should be noted, came courtesy of a defensive giveaway while on a two-man advantage.

The knock on the Rangers last season was that they were a team that relied way too much on their special teams and their elite goaltender Igor Shesterkin. Despite their impressive record - second place in the Metro division, their 5v5 play was middle of the pack at best. 

The acquisitions G.M. Chris Drury made at the trade deadline last March no doubt helped the Rangers advance to the conference finals before finally petering out against the Lightning. Unfortunately, the same trends that dogged them last season have reared their ugly head this season, and if they aren't addressed soon, any hopes this team has of hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup will be dashed.

Stubbornness is their Achilles heel. This is a very talented team that genuinely believes talent alone will carry them across the threshold. Last night's shutout at UBS Arena proved otherwise. Against an Islanders team that didn't have a single goal from its centers, the Rangers were out hustled, and their vaunted power play was unplugged. Don't go by the 41 shots on goal they generated. Ilya Sorokin made maybe six tough saves the entire game.

Even against the Anaheim Ducks, a team nobody expects to be in the postseason, the Rangers were hardly overwhelming. Without the three power goals they scored, they likely would've lost that game too. They are predictable as dirt, and head coach Gerard Gallant must find a way to convince his players to snap out of it.

The good news is that when it comes to underachieving, the Rangers are hardly alone. The Lightning, Maple Leafs, Blues and Predators are 4-4, 4-3, 3-2 and 2-4-1 respectively. All four of those teams made the playoffs last season and all four are expected to return this season. Also, apart from their performance on the Island, in two of the other three losses, they had plenty of chances to win. This season, the Rangers have managed at least 35 shots on goal in six of their first eight games. Last season, they were routinely outshot by their opponents.

Look, there's still time to nip this in the bud. No hockey team wins or loses the Stanley Cup in October. But this group has to make up its mind how badly it wants a championship. As talented as they are, it was their foot soldiers who were responsible for putting the Lightning over the top. Their willingness to pay the price in the trenches was the difference between an early exit and back-to-back Cups. Drury has modeled his team after Tampa Bay. An argument can even be made that the Blueshirts are the more talented team. But like the Lightning learned in 2019 when they won the President's Trophy and were swept by the Blue Jackets in the first round, you need more than talent to win in the NHL.

With the Rangers pretty much at the salary cap ceiling, there's not much Drury can do personnel wise, at least not until the trade deadline. So the onus is on the players to right the ship. They have the grizzle, now they need to find the grit.

Coaching Matters

Let's be honest. If somebody had told you before the start of the season that the New York Giants would be in second place in the NFL East with a 6-1 record - the best start since '08 when they went 11-1 in their first twelve games - you'd have thought they were either drunk or nuts. Shit, I had 'em going 6-11 and I thought that was being overly optimistic. That's what being a fan of this franchise can do to people. And with only one winning season - 2016 - in the last ten can you really blame them?

Since Tom Coughlin was shown the door in 2015, three head coaches have come and gone: Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge. Apart from McAdoo's inaugural season, when then GM Jerry Reese spent heavily on a revamped defense, they've all been brutal disasters. Judge was so bad, he was fired a week after the end of his second season.

So when John Mara and Steve Tisch decided to clean house - again - and brought in Joe Schoen as the new GM, the faithful weren't exactly beaming with confidence. But so far this season, Schoen's hires have turned the most ardent skeptics into believers. Head coach Brian Daboll, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale have transformed this moribund team. No longer are the Giants the laughingstock of the league. As of this writing, they are a legitimate threat to make the playoffs.

Of all the organized team sports, none is more dependent on coaching than football. You can have all the talent in the world, but if your coaches aren't competent, you're not going anywhere. To be clear, the Giants do NOT have the most talent in the NFL, not even close. But Daboll and company have gotten the most of what talent they have. With a healthy Saquon Barkley, a patchwork defense, a young and inexperienced offensive line, a quarterback with virtually zero pocket presence and a bunch of receivers who are throwaways at best, they have become the unsung story of the 2022 season.

The reclamation job Daboll and Kafka have done with Daniel Jones is nothing short of miraculous. Since Dave Gettleman selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft, he has struggled to establish himself in the league. By giving him just enough rope, Daboll has allowed Jones to play to his strengths. The long bombs have been replaced with short, strategic passes; he runs for the first down instead of staying in the pocket; and when his receivers aren't open, he throws the ball away. In short, Jones has become an effective clock manager. He's no Patrick Mahomes, but with the system the Giants have designed around him, he doesn't have to be. Through the first seven games, Jones has had five game-winning drives - the most by a QB since 1950 - while throwing only two picks and fumbling the ball twice.

The offensive line has been a blemish on this team for years. Daboll's staff has turned that around too. Since the Cowboys game at MetLife in game three, in which Jones was sacked five times, the line has allowed only seven sacks in the last four games. Pass protection isn't the only thing that's improved. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team with the third best-best run defense in the league, the Giants rushed for 236 yards on 39 attempts, for a 6.1 average; 61 of those yards came on their final possession.

They've beaten Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson on consecutive weeks; their defense has made last-second stops to preserve wins; and their offense has run out the clock on opponents. Unlike past years, when they invented ways to lose, they have not beaten themselves once this season. This might be the most disciplined Giants team we've seen since the glory days of Bill Parcells. In fact, the more I think about Daboll, the more he reminds me of Parcells: a no-nonsense coach who demanded and got the most out of his players. If he isn't coach of the year, there should be an investigation. 

Look, it's still early in the season; we're not even at the halfway point yet. But this team is for real. Their resiliency is matched only by their belief in each other. If Barkley stays healthy, there's no telling where they might finish. 11-6? 12-5? Who knows?

It's been a very long time since Giants' fans have had something to cheer about. Thanks to Brian Daboll, there's finally hope in Big Blue land.

Gary Bettman's Potential Early Christmas Present

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's announcement, following a board of governors meeting in New York, that the salary cap might go up to $86.5 million instead of the expected $83.5 million came as welcomed news to every general manager and player agent in the sport.

"We believe that there is a good probability that the escrow will be paid off this season. It may not be, but it’s going to be close we think, which means the flat cap will be replaced by a bigger increase. Revenue is pretty vibrant. We probably did $5.4 billion in [hockey-related revenues] this past season, which is actually about a half a billion more than we projected a year ago when we were starting things up. Things are good."

For those who haven't been paying attention - and from what I've seen on Twitter, that appears to be a rather large contingent of fans - the league has been operating under a flat cap since the 2019-20 season was paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, the salary cap was $81.5 million, and to make sure the cap wasn't reduced, the NHLPA agreed to have part of their players salaries placed into an escrow account. The understanding being that once that balance was paid off, the cap would resume its pre-pandemic trajectory. Initially, that was supposed to be at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. That timeline has now been accelerated by one season.

It cannot be overstated just how significant this development is. Notwithstanding the financial losses the league suffered, many teams are literally staring at cap hell, both this season and next. A look at some of the moves GMs were forced to make over the past two summers underscores just how difficult it's been to build and retain a core of players. Many teams were unable to field a full roster of 23 players this season because they simply don't have the cap space. The Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche couldn't re-sign their number two center Nazem Kadri over the summer because they would've been over the cap. He subsequently signed with the Calgary Flames. Imagine if the Avs had an extra $3 million in the kitty.

Closer to home, Chris Drury is facing something of a quandary himself. At the conclusion of this season, Alexis Lafreniere, K'Andre Miller and Filip Chytil are all RFAs. At present, the Rangers, after waiving Dryden Hunt - or as Ranger Twitter has referred to him, the second coming of Rick Middleton - have just over $900k in cap space. That translates to about $4 million in deadline cap space for Drury to shop around for reinforcements at the trade deadline.

Assuming there are no additional buyouts this offseason, the Rangers will get $3.4 million in dead cap space off the books. Every cent of that money, and then some, will go to re-signing either Lafreniere or Miller, leaving Drury with some tough choices about which players to trade or let go. Even with the expected additional $1 million in salary cap and the expiration of Ryan Reaves' $1.75 million contract, there just isn't enough room at the inn to keep the band together. Imagine going through the pains of a rebuild and not being able to see it all the way through.

Now if all goes according to plan, Drury might be able to have his cake and eat it too. With a salary cap at $86.5 million, the Rangers would be able to keep Lafreniere, Miller and Chytil, provided they can get at least one of them - preferably Chytil - into a bridge deal. Below is what a potential 2023-24 roster could look like:

2023-24 Salary Cap

$86,500,000.00

Forwards
Panarin	$11,642,857.00
Zibanejad	$8,500,000.00
Kreider	$6,500,000.00
Trocheck	$5,625,000.00
Lafreniere	$5,000,000.00
Chytil	$3,750,000.00
Goodrow	$3,641,667.00
Kakko	$2,100,000.00
Blais	$1,525,000.00
Othmann	$894,167.00
Korczak	$859,167.00
Cuylle	$828,333.00
Rydahl	$800,000.00

Total  $51,666,191.00

Defensemen
Fox	$9,500,000.00
Trouba	$8,000,000.00
Miller	$4,000,000.00
Lindgren	$3,000,000.00
Jones	$1,200,000.00
Schneider	$925,000.00

Total

$26,625,000.00

Goalies
Gerand	$828,333.00
Shesterkin	$5,666,667.00

Total

$6,495,000.00

Total Cap Hit	$84,786,191.00
CAP SPACE	$1,713,809.00

As you'll note, I have Blais returning next year for the same salary he's making now and both Othmann and Cuylle making the team. Also, I have Gerand as the backup to Igor. I assume Drury will include Vitali Kravtsov in a deadline deal for either Patrick Kane or someone with a similar skill set. The bottom line is that under the higher cap, the Rangers would be able to retain not only their core but their young studs as well for the foreseeable future.

Of course, none of this is etched in stone. Knowing the NHL's penchant for disappointing their fans, it's entirely possible that the escrow might not be fully paid off by the end of the season. In that event, Bettman has made it clear that the cap will only go up $1 million to $83.5. And if that's the case, GM's like Drury will have to, once more, make lemonade out of lemons.

Mets Go Out with a Whimper

Some postmortems take longer than others to write. This one took five days. The New York Mets season came to a crashing end Sunday night at the hands of the San Diego Padres at CitiField. They didn't just lose the Wild Card round, they were humbled.

The team with the highest payroll in major league baseball was held to exactly one hit and one walk en route to a 6-0 game three drubbing. And while their bats were stymied, their supposed vaunted starting pitching was lit up like a pinball machine in two of the three games. Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt surrendered a combined 10 earned runs in 8 and 2/3 innings pitched. Scherzer's performance was particularly brutal, given the $43 million annual salary the Mets are paying him. All seven of the earned runs he allowed came via the long ball. He looked like he was throwing batting practice out there.

There's no way to sugar coat what happened. This was an epic fail, pure and simple. Yes, the Mets won 101 games, but their flaws were apparent pretty much all season long. You would've had to be blind not to see them. Inconsistent hitting and a bullpen that, sans Edwin Diaz and Adam Ottavino, was unreliable most nights. Why else do you suppose Buck Showalter brought in Diaz in the 7th inning of game two with a one-run lead? He literally had no one else he could count on.

As I wrote earlier, this is all on Billy Eppler. The GM knew there were holes in both the lineup and bullpen and yet, at the trade deadline, he acquired players who did little more than patch them up. Daniel Vogelbach was the cream of the crop, batting .255 with 6 home runs and 25 RBIs over 55 games, but was virtually useless against lefties. Tyler Naquin was supposed to provide Showlater with badly needed outfield depth, but batted .203 with 4 homers and 13 RBIs in 49 games. Not to be outdone, Darin Ruf literally brought up the rear, batting a putrid .152 with zero HRs and only 7 RBIs in 28 games. For the beleaguered bullpen, Eppler's sole acquisition, Mychal Givens, never got untracked. In 19 appearances, he gave up 24 hits, 6 walks and had an ERA of 4.79. 

So, where does Eppler go from here?

Well, for starters, he has some decisions to make about what to do with several of his own free agents. Even though the Mets had the highest payroll in baseball, it will undoubtedly need go up. How much will depend on who they keep and who they let walk. Let's take them in order.

Jacob deGrom: The two-time Cy-Young award winner missed the second half of last season and the first half of this one. He made $33.5 million in 2022 and was set to make $30.5 in 2023, but elected to opt out of his contract. How high Steve Cohen will go to retain the most popular pitcher the franchise has had since Tom Seaver remains to be seen.

Edwin Diaz: The best closer in baseball made $10.2 million this season and will command a very hefty pay raise over the winter. Cohen must not let him skip town, even if it means overpaying.

Brandon Nimmo: The center fielder was a reliable leadoff hitter this season and has outstanding range. He made only $7 million so Eppler should be able to re-sign him for a manageable number.

Then there are the players who are arbitration eligible.

Pete Alonso: The popular first baseman tied Aaron Judge for the most RBIs in the majors at 131 and made a paltry $7.4 million. Figure around $15 million for 2023 gets it done.

Jeff McNeil: The National League batting champ made only $3 million and, like Alonso, will see his salary double.

Now for the players under contract who are owed increases.

Chris Bassitt: Overall, Bassitt had a good year, but wilted in his last two starts against the Braves and Padres respectively. He made $8.65 million this season and is due to make $19 million in 2023. Eppler could include him in a package for Shohei Ohtani over the winter.

Starling Marte: At $14.5 million, Marte was one of the better signings the Mets have made in quite some time. Even at the $19.5 million he is due to make next season, he is still a good value. I doubt Eppler will move him.

Carlos Carrasco: At best, Carrasco is a fourth starter whose salary will increase from $12 million to $14 million. There are cheaper options out there that Eppler can and must explore over the offseason.

If the Mets can work out a deal for Ohtani, it would behoove them to do so. Ohtani kills two birds with one stone. He gives the Mets a solid power hitter who could smack 35 plus home runs per season and who makes the lineup deeper and less vulnerable to the types of ups and downs that plagued it throughout the season. As solid a season as Alonso had, there were too many times he struggled at the plate. Having Ohtani batting fifth behind him would force pitchers to throw him more strikes.

As a pitcher, Ohtani went 15-9 with 219 strikeouts in 166 innings pitched and a 2.33 ERA on a really bad Angels team. Imagine what he could do on a winning team. He just signed a $30 million contract extension for 2023, so if the Mets do acquire him, they would have to move out some contracts. That's why I think it's very possible that deGrom has pitched his last game as a Met. The money he would command could easily go to Ohtani.

But if there's one thing Eppler must do, it's fix the bullpen. A team with championship aspirations cannot let the likes of Tyler Megill (5.13), Trevor May (5.04) and Joley Rodriguez (4.47) take the mound next season. Showalter desperately needs relievers he can rely on. Just look at the job the Cleveland Guardians pen has done. In four postseason games, it hasn't allowed an earned run.

Bottom line, the way the Mets went out with a whimper will stick in the craw of the fans, as it should. If Cohen is serious about his commitment to make this team a legitimate contender, he needs to prove it. It is simply unacceptable for this franchise to have only two World Series championships in 60 years.

2022-23 NHL Predictions

Seeing as how I was so "great" with my predictions last year - I actually had the Islanders over the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup finals and neither team qualified for the postseason - I thought I'd give it another whirl. As always, take them with a rather large grain of salt.

Eastern Conference:

Atlantic Division:

Florida Panthers: They gave up their leading scorer and second best defenseman to land Matthew Tkachuk. That should tell you how desperate they were to get rid of the stench of last year's sweep at the hands of the Lightning. Time will tell if it was worth it.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Both Ryan McDonagh and Ondrej Palat were cap casualties and will be sorely missed. But there's still more than enough talent on this roster, and so long as they have Andrei Vasilevskiy in net, they have to be taken seriously as a Cup contender.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Everyone has jumped on their bandwagon this season, which is odd given that they didn't address their lack of depth during the offseason and they're relying on a goaltender whose best years are half a decade behind him. Auston Matthews will once again keep them relevant. 

Metropolitan Division:

New York Rangers: Vincent Trocheck is a step above Ryan Strome; the "kids" seem poised to have a break out year; and last season's Vezina trophy winner Igor Shesterkin is the best in the league. Chris Drury has done a masterful job as GM.

Carolina Hurricanes: Yes, Brent Burns is better than Tony DeAngelo, and they got Max Pacioretty from the Golden Knights ostensibly for free, but losing Trocheck to the Rangers and Nino Niederreiter to the Predators will cost them.

Pittsburgh Penguins: They kept "the band" together. So what? The last time this "band" won a playoff series was 2018. The core of this team is old and getting older. Ron Hextall keeps punting the ball hoping for a muff. It won't work.

Wild Cards: 

Boson Bruins: God only knows how Don Sweeney managed to entice Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to return on such team-friendly contracts - $2.5m and $1m respectively. Good for him. Sans them, this team would have a hard time staying above .500. But even with both on the roster, it's hard imagining them going far in the playoffs.

Columbus Blue Jackets: They made the biggest splash during the offseason, signing Johnny Gaudreau and then re-signed Patrik Laine. They'll score a ton of goals but struggle on D. 

Western Conference:

Central Division: 

Colorado Avalanche: They steamrolled their way to a Stanley Cup championship last season, going 16-4 in the tournament. And while losing Nazem Kadri to the Flames will test the depth of this team, the core is about as elite as it gets.

Nashville Predarors: McDonagh and Niederreiter were solid additions during the offseason and will make this team a formidable opponent during both the regular and postseason. Their goaltending is elite and their defense is among the best in the league.

St. Louis Blues: Balanced scoring throughout the lineup makes them a genuine threat, and Jordan Binnington is still one of the better goalies in the league.

Pacific Division:

Calgary Flames: Talk about turning lemons into lemonade. Their two best players departed over the summer: one via free agency, the other via a trade, and they managed to actually get better. Jonathan Huberdeau is one of the best forwards in the league and Kadri was the second best center on last year's Colorado Cup team. Despite last season's poor showing against the Oilers in the second round, Jacob Markstrom is an outstanding goaltender.

Edmonton Oilers: I'm going out on a limb here by picking them again for second place. They have the scoring up front with Connor McDavid; the issue is the defense. Jack Campbell may not be an elite goalie, but he's head over heels better than Mike Smith.

L.A. Kings: They lucked out when the Wild had to shed Kevin Fiala's contract in an obvious salary dump. Now they will at least be able to put some pucks in the net. Jonathan Quick should still have enough left in the tank to give them first-rate goaltending.

Wild Cards:

Minnesota Wild: Fiala was a salary cap casualty. And that's unfortunate for a team that challenged for second place in the division last season. They re-signed Marc-Andre Fleury so that will help.

Vancouver Canucks: Now that they've extended J.T. Miller and they have their coach in place, I expect they will do what they should've done last year: make the playoffs.

Close but no cigar:

Eastern Conference:

New York Islanders: For the second straight offseason, Lou Lamoriello failed to add an elite scorer to this otherwise pedestrian forward group. Pity Mathew Barzall, who deserves better than what he's been given.

Washington Capitals: They needed to get younger and didn't. The good news is that at least their fans will be able to see Alex Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky's goal record.

New Jersey Devils: They needed a sniper on the wing; they got Ondrej Palat. They needed a solid goaltender; they got Vitek Vanecek. They'll score a lot of goals; they'll give up more.

Western Conference:

Vegas Golden Knights: Their successful pursuit of Jack Eichel has cost them Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, and Max Pacioretty. It will now cost them a second-consecutive postseason berth.

Dallas Stars: They extended the Flames a full seven games in the opening round of the playoffs last season. This year they won't get that chance.

Playoffs:

Eastern Conference Finals: Rangers over the Lightning 4-2

Western Conference Finals: Avalanche over the Flames 4-3

Stanley Cup Finals: Avalanche over the Rangers 4-2

Year End Awards:

Presidents' Trophy: Colorado Avalanche

Art Ross Trophy: Connor McDavid, Oilers

Hart Trophy: Jonathan Huberdeau, Flames

Norris Trophy: Roman Josi, Predators

Vezina Trophy: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning

Jack Adams Award: Gerard Gallant, Rangers

Conn Smythe Trophy: Cale Makar, Avalanche

Buck is Playing with Fire

In theory, the strategy makes sense. You start your best pitcher against the Padres in game one of the wildcard round. Then, assuming he wins, you start your third best pitcher in the clincher. And if everything goes according to plan, your second best pitcher is available to start game one of the NLDS against the Dodgers.

Sounds perfect. What good possibly go wrong?

Well, for starters, let's say Max Scherzer out duels Yu Darvish. So far, so good. Buck Showalter hands the ball to Christ Bassitt in game two, who pitches well, but not well enough to win. Now, Buck has to rely on Jacob deGrom in game three to save the season, and quite possibly his job. 

Regardless of what happens, the grand strategy is out the window. If Jake throws a gem, Buck has to decide whether to go with Carlos Carrasco or Taijuan Walker as his game one starter in the NLDS. Either way, the Dodgers go up 1-0. But if Jakes loses, Buck will spend the entire off season trying to justify why he elected not to go with his two best pitchers in the first playoff series this franchise has appeared in since 2015.

I cannot emphasize enough just how critical it is for this team, after blowing the division to the Braves in the final days of the season, to win at least one playoff series. To go out in the first round is simply a non-starter. If the Mets go on and lose to the Dodgers, the fans will be disappointed, but they'll live. After all, the Dodgers are the best team in the majors. They're suppose to win. But if the Mets lose to a team like the Padres, the fans will be outraged, and rightfully so.

Look, the goal of every professional sports team is to win championships, I get it. And owner Steve Cohen has made it abundantly clear he's willing to spend whatever it takes to accomplish that goal. He's already invested $279 million in salaries this year and will likely spend another $20 to $30 million next year. That is music to the ears of a fanbase that for far too long has seen its team play second fiddle to the Yankees.

But, let's be honest for a moment. As good as the Mets have been this season - and winning 101 games is not too shabby - it does have flaws; and some of those flaws were revealed in Atlanta last weekend. Only an incurable optimist would believe this team is capable of winning a World Series.

But the Padres are not the Braves. The Mets should beat them. They're the better team. While the pitching staffs may be comparable, the Mets have a deeper lineup and Edwin Diaz in their bullpen. If they lose because Buck was caught looking too far ahead, it will be the worst decision by a Mets manager since Davey Johnson decided to leave Doc Golden in to face Mike Scioscia in the top of the 9th in game four of 1988 NLCS. We all know what happened. Scioscia's two-run homer tied the score, and the Dodgers went on to win the game, the pennant and the World Series.

Buck Showalter is playing with fire, and if he doesn't knock it off, the whole season could go up in smoke.

Analyzing the 2022-23 Rangers

Last season was one of the most exciting and unexpected for the New York Rangers in more than a generation. After missing the playoffs four straight years, the Blueshirts not only qualified for the postseason, they made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals. And if they hadn't run out of gas against the Tampa Bay Lightning, they would've made it all the way to finals.

This team is now a bonafide contender, and that is due in no small part to the job Chris Drury has done as GM. While his predecessor Jeff Gorton laid the foundation, Drury added the missing pieces, including the head coach, Gerard Gallant, who was the polar opposite of David Quinn. The rebuild was a resounding success.

So let's breakdown where this team stands and the key players who will determine how successful it will be this season.

Vincent Trocheck. The former Carolina Hurricane is an upgrade over Ryan Strome, who signed with the Anaheim Ducks over the summer. Trocheck checks all the boxes. He's a good skater, good passer, good checker and good in his own zone. He's not afraid to go into the corners and, oh yeah, he's good on face-offs. Last season, he won 54.6 percent of his draws. He's a solid 2C who will benefit from having Artemi Panarin on his line.

Vitali Kravtsov: After last year's clusterfuck, it's obvious Drury had no intention of letting lightning strike twice. The talented winger has been practicing exclusively with Panarin during the preseason and the two have developed a chemistry that, if it clicks in the regular season, will give the Rangers one of the better second lines in the league. If it doesn't, Drury will have trade bait at the deadline.

The Kid Line: It's no secret that the Rangers relied a great deal on Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko in the postseason. Without this line, it's doubtful they would've beaten the Penguins in the first round, much less the Hurricanes in the second. It seems Gallant has decided, for now, to keep the kids together to start the season. How long they stay together will depend on how well both they and the right wings on lines one and two perform.

Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox and Panarin: There's no getting around it. The Rangers will go as far as the Fab Four takes them. Kreider's 52 regular season goals led the team last season, and while he doesn't necessarily need a repeat performance, the team can't afford to have him revert to his old ways of scoring 28. Zibanejad was second on the team in power play goals with 15 and led the team in postseason scoring with 24; Fox finished right behind with 23. While Panarin struggled in the playoffs, he is the one of the most talented forwards in the NHL. His 96 points led the team.

Braden Schneider: Mini Trouba, as he is called in the locker room, had an impressive rookie season. The Rangers are counting on him to develop into a solid, stay at home defenseman. With Zac Jones on his left, the two should be a considerable upgrade over the tandem of Patrik Nemeth and Nils Lundkvist, both of whom Drury unloaded during the offseason. 

K'Andre Miller: With the exception of Lafreniere, no other player on this team is poised to have the kind of breakout year than Miller. He was third on the team in plus / minus with 23. He has the size, speed and skating ability to be an elite defenseman in the NHL. The sky's the limit with this kid. Like Lafreniere, he will be an RFA after the season, meaning Drury will have his hands full getting him re-signed.

Igor Shesterkin: Last season's Vezina's trophy winner was also unquestionably the team's MVP. He led the league in save percentage (.935) and goals against average (2.07). The Rangers will need him to be just as brilliant this season.

The Power Play: The Rangers had the fourth best power play in the league last season at 25.2 percent. And on a team that struggled to score at 5v5, that was the key to their success; that and Shesterkin's acrobatics in net. For the Blueshirts to contend this season, they will need the power play to be as potent.

The prognosis: Unlike last season, when Gallant was trying to figure out who went where, most of the positions on this team are set. Indeed, the only questions remaining to be answered are who will play RW on the Zibanejad line, and who will the team keep as its 13th forward and 7th defenseman. The Rangers are one of those rare teams that has a veteran core but also some of the youngest players in the league. That combination might just be the special sauce that propels them over the top.

The fact is if you look objectively at the Eastern Conference, a case can be made that the Rangers are the best of the bunch. While an in-depth analysis of the league is forthcoming, in short, each of the top teams in the conference was forced to shed talent to get under the salary cap. The Lightning lost Ondrej Palat to the Devils in free agency and Ryan McDonagh to the Predators in a trade; the Hurricanes were unable to re-sign either Trocheck or Nino Niederreiter; the Panthers surrendered Jonathan Huberdeau, their top scoring forward last season, to acquire Matthew Tkachuk; the Penguins couldn't afford to keep Ivan Rodrigues, who signed with the Avalanche; and the Maple Leafs opted to go with a goalie that hasn't had a good season since his cup years in Pittsburgh half a decade ago.

By contrast, the Rangers have depth at virtually every position and the elite goaltending to go on another extended playoff run. Last October, I said they were a year or two away from the Holy Grail. I've seen nothing over the last twelve months that would change that assessment. 

So Much for Control

No, the season did not come to an end Sunday night in Atlanta. The Mets clinched the playoffs two weeks ago in Milwaukee, so there will be at least two postseason games at CitiField after the conclusion of the regular season Wednesday night against the Nationals.

What did come to an end Sunday night is the illusion that this resilient team, which had turned so many heads this season, is a genuine threat to win the World Series.

Let there be no ambiguity about what happened here. The Mets rolled out their top three starters and the Braves treated them like they were rookie league pitchers. Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt collectively surrendered 17 hits and 11 earned runs in 14 and a third innings pitched for a combined 6.91 ERA. For a team built on starting pitching, that's about as ugly as it gets.

And while Seaver, Koosman and Matlock were getting their bells rung by the likes of Dansby Swanson and Matt Olson - both of whom smacked homers in each of the three games - Pete Alonzo and Francisco Lindor were held in check. Neither had so much as a single RBI the entire series.

There are sweeps and then there are beat downs. This was a beat down. The only matchup the Mets won was when Edwin Diaz took the mound in the bottom of the 8th of the third game. He struck one of the two hitters he faced. A small consolation prize in an otherwise abysmal weekend.

So now it's come down to this. If the Mets take two out of three from the Nats they will secure their fourth 100 win season in franchise history. Then they host the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card round starting Friday. 

But before you go reserving your NLDS tickets, it's worth noting that, apart from having home field, there is little evidence that this team is capable of winning a best of three series. Yes, on paper, they should be favorites, but then if paper meant anything at all, the Mets wouldn't have gone a collective 6-8 against the Nats, Marlins, Cubs and A's in September (0-3 against the Cubs). Indeed, the only reason they had a winning record at all last month was because they took six out of seven against the Pirates. And to think, September's schedule was suppose to be a breeze.

Clearly, the loss of Starling Marte took its toll. An already top heavy lineup was made even more so after the right fielder fractured a finger on his right hand September 6. For the last four weeks, Buck Showalter has had to shuffle his hitters around, looking for the right combination, with mixed results. And with Marte doubtful for the playoffs, Buck will have his hands full. The Padres pitching staff may not be able to exploit the advantage; I can assure you the Dodgers staff will.

To some extent, Atlanta might've done the Mets a favor by sweeping them. With the division now gone, Buck is free to set up his pitching rotation the way he wants. deGrom, Scherzer and Bassitt will have a full seven days rest and should be ready to go. The Padres hitters are good but they're not nearly as potent as the Braves. This is the one matchup that actually favors the Mets.

The lion's share of blame for what went wrong must go to Billy Eppler. His trade deadline acquisitions just haven't panned out. Daniel Vogelbach has been ok against righties but dreadful against lefties; Darin Ruff, who was suppose to platoon with Vogelbach, has been an unmitigated disaster; and Tyler Naquin, who was suppose to provide much needed depth in the outfield, of late, has been an automatic out. Had Eppler acquired a legit bat to hit behind Alonso, there's no telling what could've been.

But the lineup wasn't the only area Eppler dropped the ball on. The bullpen, aside from Adam Ottavino and Diaz, has been a sore spot all season long, and yet while the Braves plucked Raisel Iglesias from the Angels, the Mets overpaid to land Mychal Givens. Going into Sunday night's game, Iglesias had a 0.36 ERA as a Brave while Givens had a 5.03 ERA as a Met.

Regardless of what happens over the weekend, Eppler must shore up the bullpen and add a bat. He also has to re-sign Diaz and figure out whether or not to keep deGrom. Both are free agents after the season and will cost an arm and a leg to retain. Steve Cohen will have to pony up some big bucks this winter.

Apologists might argue that going into the 2022 season, most people didn't expect the Mets to be a playoff team, much less a division winner. That may be so, but after leading the Braves most of the year, it will be a bitter pill to swallow if the Braves go on to repeat as champions, especially knowing how well they played against them earlier in the season.

Mets fans are used to being disappointed. This disappointment will sting for a long time.