What a Difference a Year Makes

The most abused word in the English language is the word if. This is especially true when it comes to sports teams. After watching the New York Giants lose to the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium Sunday, the word if was thrown around so much, had it been a small animal, the ASPCA would've been called in.

If either Tyrod Taylor or Tommy Devito didn't have a collective minus 9 yards passing on the day; if Graham Gano had converted on just one of his two missed field goals; if Brian Daboll had gone for it on 4th and 1 from the Jets 17 with 28 seconds left in regulation up 10-7; if Kayvon Thibodeaux had not stopped the clock with 17 seconds left by jumping offsides; if Wink Martindale had elected to drop eight defenders into coverage instead of trying to rush Zach Wilson, then maybe, just maybe, the Giants might've snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, instead of the other way around. 

But, alas, they couldn't. Against a Jets team that went 2 for 15 on third down, the Jints found a way to one up them, going 2 for 19. And one of those first downs came courtesy of a roughing penalty. Indeed, it was only because of penalties like that, the running of Saquon Barkley and the defensive play of Thibodeaux, who had three sacks on the day - 8.5 on the season - that the Giants managed to get the ball across the 50 yard line at all. Barkley rushed for 128 yards, including a 34-yard run on the opening drive of the second half; and Thibodeaux stripped the ball from Wilson on the Jets opening drive of the game, giving the Giants the ball at the Jets 26 yard line.

And yet all they could muster was a lousy 10 points. That they were seconds away from pulling off an improbable win just goes to show you how snake bit this team truly is. They are nothing if consistent. 

For the third week in a row, Martindale's defense put the Giants in a position to win. They held the Buffalo Bills to 14 points; the Washington Commanders to 7; and the Jets to 13. Last season, they would've gone 3-0; this season, they went 1-2.

After the game, Daboll took responsibility for his decision to go for the field goal rather than the first down. Fans may question the call, but it was the correct one. Considering how bad the Giants were on 3rd down, converting a 4th and 1 would hardly have been a slam dunk. Besides, if your field goal kicker can't make a 35 yard field goal then what's he doing on the team? The fact is had Gano simply done his job, the Jets would've needed to go the length of the field to score the winning touchdown with less than 20 seconds left in regulation.

What a difference a year makes. The 2022 Giants were a resilient football team that found ways to win the close games. The 2023 Giants are the polar opposite; they invent new ways to lose the close games. It's hard to fathom just how fundamentally flawed they are, especially on offense. It doesn't matter who's quarterbacking them, with the exception of that second half against the Cardinals, they have been one of the worst red-zone teams in the NFL. Ironically, the only team worse than Big Blue in the red zone is the Jets, the team that beat them on Sunday.

Oh, death, where is thy sting?

So now that what little hope the Giants had of salvaging this train wreck of a season is gone, the only question that remains is how big of a selloff will they have? The first domino to fall is Leonard Williams. The underperforming defensive end was dealt to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2024 second rounder and a 2025 fifth rounder. Joe Schoen was able to get the return he got because the Giants picked up the bulk of Williams remaining contract. I would not be at all surprised if Adoree Jackson is the next one out the door. It was his pass interference penalty in OT that set up the Jets winning field goal. Both players are in the final year of their respective contracts and neither is expected to return next season. As for Barkley, I seriously doubt he gets traded. John Mara loves him, and let's be honest: without him, this team would probably be 0-8.

If there is a silver lining here, it's that the Giants, as of now, have the 4th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Not quite how the fanbase envisioned things going when the season started. But then I'm sure the passengers on the Titanic didn't envision a collision with an iceberg ruining their voyage across the Atlantic either.

Shit happens, you know.

Rangers Off To A Good Start - So Far

Over the first six games of Alain Vigneault's tenure as head coach of the New York Rangers, they went 2-4-0. Not quite the start they were looking for. The team would struggle most of the first half of the 2013-14 season; on December 20, their record stood at 16-18-2. To say the natives were restless would be putting it mildly.

Fortunately, the Blushsirts turned it around, going 29-13-7 the rest of the way, finishing second in the Metropolitan division, and advancing all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 20 years. Despite losing to the L.A. Kings in five, the consensus was that the season was an unqualified success.

There are several parallels between that team and the current one: a mix of seasoned veterans with a sprinkle of young players, a Vezina trophy goalie capable of stealing games, and an established head coach with a new system.

In his first six games behind the Rangers bench, Peter Laviolette has managed to kill two birds with one stone. Not only has his team gotten off to a fairly impressive 4-2-0 start, in three of those wins they appear to have successfully implemented his system. Granted, the Buffalo Sabres, Arizona Coyotes and Seattle Kraken are hardly the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils, but you have to learn to walk before you can run.

During much of the 1990s and early 2000s, the Devils employed the 1-3-1 neutral zone trap so effectively, they won three Cups. Now that Laviolette has brought that neutral zone trap to New York, the hope is that history will repeat itself on the other side of the Hudson. After watching the Rangers cede their blue line for years, it's refreshing to see them finally stand their ground and make opponents work to gain the offensive zone. 

There are two statistics that stand out. The first has been a sore spot for years. In their first five games, the Rangers have won 55.7 percent of their face offs. Last year, they won 49.1 percent of them. You have to go all the way back to that '94 Cup year to find a team that dominated at the face off circle. In a league that values puck possession, winning face offs is a must.

But it's the other statistic that's turning heads. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Rangers are currently ranked 8th in Corsi for shot percentage at 5v5. Last season, they were ranked 17th. In Gerard Gallant's first season as head coach - the year they went to the conference finals - they were ranked 25th. Combined with a power play that is currently ranked 4th in CF%, the Rangers have the potential to be one of the elite teams in the league this year.

Another encouraging sign is the way Laviolette is utilizing the "kids." Both Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko are starting to flourish in the top six, and Filip Chytil is becoming a solid two-way center with Artemi Panarin as his left wing. Chytil has five assists in his last two games, while Lafreniere scored a power play goal against the Calgary Flames the other night, the fourth of his career. He's tied with Panarin for second most goals on the team with three. Not bad for a supposed "bust."

Look, it's still early. Anything can happen. But with the Carolina Hurricanes struggling and the Devils defense and goaltending leaking like a sieve, a first place finish in the Metro isn't out of the realm of possibility for the Rangers.

Tell me you saw that coming in September. I sure as hell didn't.

2023-24 Knicks Preview

The 47 wins the New York Knicks amassed last season represented the most the franchise has had in a decade. And like that 2012-13 team which lost to the Indiana Pacers in the second round, last year's Knicks also saw their playoff aspirations come crashing down in the second round, courtesy of the Miami Heat.

Since their last championship 50 years ago, the blue and orange have made two trips to the NBA Finals: 1994 and 1999. Both bids came up short. Loyal fans are understandably hoping and praying that this is the season the drought comes to an end.

The good news: The 2023-24 Knicks should be better than the 2022-23 Knicks. Jalen Brunson - arguably last season's best free agent signing - begins his second season with the club, and Josh Hart - acquired at last year's trade deadline - begins his first full season. When they are on the floor together, they are one of the better backcourt tandems in the NBA.

The Knicks also boast one of the deepest benches in the league, led by perennial sixth man of the year award candidate Immanuel Quickley, newcomer Donte DiVincenzo and Isaiah Hartenstein. They give head coach Tom Thibodeau something few coaches have: an ability to rotate players in and out of the rotation without losing any quality on the court.

Assuming he isn't part of a package to land either Joel Embiid or Karl-Anthony Towns, RJ Barrett should continue to improve. The 6-6 guard / forward is entering his 5th season in the NBA and the Knicks are looking for him to drive to the basket more. Julius Randle is the face of the franchise and unquestionably the hardest-working player on this team, but there are limits to his game that were made abundantly clear in the Miami series last season.

And that leads us to...

The bad news: Despite being one of the toughest teams in the league to play against, the Knicks are NOT in the same class as the Milwaukee Bucks or the Boston Celtics: two teams that dramatically improved themselves during the off-season. If anything, the gap between the Knicks and the top two teams in the Eastern conference has widened. The opinion shared by most basketball writers and executives is that unless Leon Rose is willing to pull the trigger on a major trade that brings that elusive and coveted elite player to New York, the Knicks will never be anything more than just a very good team that occasionally teases its fanbase with a win now and then in the postseason, but never seriously competes for a title.

Immediately after the Bucks acquired Damian Lillard in a three-team trade that sent Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers, the speculation was that Rose might at least kick the tires to see what it would take to bring Holiday to the east coast. Apparently, that discussion never took place. Whatever it is that the Knicks plan on doing with their eleven number one draft picks - seven of which are their own - it's clear they aren't going to be parting with any of them soon. Perhaps if the right player becomes available at the trade deadline - another Josh Hart, for example - they might give up one or two. In the meantime, Rose and James Dolan appear content with the makeup of this team.

Prediction: The Knicks will win 48 to 50 games this season and compete with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat for the third best record in the East, but will fall short. It won't be from lack of effort or sweat. The fact is that despite all their depth and grit, it's still front-line talent that determines how far teams go in the NBA. And the Knicks just don't have enough of it to play in the big boys sand box.

Translation? The drought will continue for at least another year.

Below are my predictions for both conferences.

Eastern Conference:

Bucks

Celtics

Cavaliers

Heat

Knicks

Sixers

Hawks

Nets

Raptors

Bulls

Wizards

Pacers

Pistons

Hornets

Magic

Western Conference:

Nuggets

Warriors

Suns

Jazz

Grizzlies

Timberwolves

Lakers

Clippers

Kings

Mavericks

Trail Blazers

Pelicans

Rockets

Spurs

Thunder

Eastern Conference finals:

Bucks over the Celtics 4-3

Western Conference finals:

Nuggets over the Suns 4-2

NBA Finals:

Bucks over the Nuggets 4-3

This One Hurt

The Giants were humiliated by the Cowboys.

They came from behind against the Cardinals.
They were outclassed by the 49ers.
They were out-coached by the Seahawks.
They were overmatched by the Dolphins.

They deserved better against the Bills.

For the first time this season, Big Blue lost a game they should've won.

The much maligned Giants defense held the third best offense in the NFL scoreless through three quarters. Bobby Okereke had his best game as a Giant, forcing a fumble and an interception. It was the second game in a row the Giants won the turnover battle. And had Tyrod Taylor not had the brain fart of the century on the last play of the first half, New York would now most likely be 2-4 instead of 1-5.

It was a play that, like so many this season, has come to define the Giants. With 14 seconds left in the 2nd quarter and no timeouts, Taylor, for some strange reason, called an option audible at the one yard line and handed the ball off to Saquon Barkly, who was stuffed at the goal line. The clock ran out before Taylor could spike the football.

A visibly upset Brian Daboll let Taylor have it on the sidelines. But the damage was done. Instead of being up 9-0, or perhaps 13-0, going in at halftime, the Giants were forced to settle for a 6-0 lead. We all know what happened. The Bills eventually broke through and scored two 4th quarter touchdowns en route to a 14-9 victory. The final play of the game for the G-Men was a pass attempt by Taylor to Darren Waller in the end zone that was incomplete thanks to a no-call on what should've been a holding penalty on Bills cornerback Taron Johnson. It was a fitting end to another bittersweet loss.

Their outstanding defensive effort notwithstanding, the Giants, once again, failed to score an offensive touchdown. That's three games in a row now. Take away the four they had against the lowly Cardinals, and the Jints have scored exactly one offensive touchdown all year.

Pitiful doesn't begin to describe their level of play. Even in Ben McAdoo's second season as head coach - the one where he went 2-10 and was fired - they were more competitive with the football. I'm not suggesting that Daboll should lose his job; just pointing out that what's happening here doesn't bode well for him or his staff.

How can a team that was so disciplined and creative offensively one year be so inept the next? The acquisitions Joe Schoen made during the offseason were supposed to make this team more explosive. If this is explosive, I'd hate to see what comatose looks like.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, there's plenty of blame to go around here. A porous O-line; bad decision making by the QB; bewildering coaching decisions. It's like watching a comedy that isn't funny. And when I look ahead at the remaining schedule, I don't see much hope. Unless something fundamentally changes, this team could well go 3-14, or worse.

You tell me: Washington (twice), the Jets, the Raiders, the Cowboys, the Patriots, the Packers, the Saints, the Rams and the Eagles (twice). Ok, maybe 4-13. MAYBE.

Rebuilding a football team takes time and patience, I realize. But after a playoff appearance last season, there was a reasonable expectation by the fanbase that this team had turned a corner. 

About the only thing the Giants are turning this season are stomachs.

Rangers Make Good First Impression

In the end, a win is a win, right? The Rangers opened up the 2023-24 season with a solid 5-1 victory over the Sabres in Buffalo Thursday night.

Winning the first game of the season isn't exactly newsworthy for the Blueshirts. Last year, they opened the season with an equally impressive 3-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Garden, and we all know how that turned out.

But there was something different about this win. That wasn't your typical Rangers performance out there. You know the kind: jump out to an early lead and then hold off the coming onslaught from the opposition. With the exception of a few minutes in the third period when the Rangers were killing off a couple of penalties they unwisely took, New York was in total control of the game. Against a Buffalo team that finished third in the NHL in scoring last season, they gave up a total of 25 shots, only two of which were high danger chances.

For the first time, Ranges fans got to see the deployment of the 1-3-1 defense, which for all intents and purposes is a neutral zone trap; the same neutral zone trap teams like the Devils utilized so effectively in the 1990s. It proved to be the difference Thursday night. The Sabres top line of Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch was held off the scoring sheet, managed just six shots on goal and was a minus two for the evening. When was the last time the Rangers allowed only one gaol and Igor Shesterkin wasn't one of the stars of the game?

But it wasn't just the stifling defense that stuck out. The Rangers were relentless in their forecheck pretty much the entire game. It led directly to two goals, and Alexis Lafreniere figured prominently in both. After an Artemi Panarin shot was kicked out by Devon Levi, Panarin grabbed his own rebound and slid it across the goal mouth to a breaking Lafteniere who stuffed it in the net for a 1-0 lead early in the first period. Then in the second period, Lafreniere forced a turnover in the Buffalo zone that Panarin pounced on and blasted a shot passed Levi for a 3-0 lead. The only blemish on the night came off a rebound shot by JJ Peterka after Jacob Trouba blocked the initial shot. In all, the Rangers blocked 23 shot attempts.

Chris Kreider - two goals and an assist - might've been the number one star of the game, but it was Lafreniere who got the game hat from this teammates. The first overall pick of the 2020 draft is being counted on heavily this season, and after a less than stellar preseason that left many wondering whether the winger was up to the challenge, his performance Thursday night did not go unnoticed, especially his coach. He even went 4-1 on face-offs. If Lafreniere, along with fellow "kids" Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil, take the next step, this team will be a force to be reckoned with.

But for now the Rangers will take the two points. Next up on the schedule is the Columbus Blue Jackets, another team that missed the playoffs last season. Then they fly home to play the Arizona Coyotes at the Garden. Time will tell if they've fully grasped Peter Laviolette's system, or whether the Sabres were just a lucky one off.

2023-24 NHL Predictions

It's that time of year again when yours truly puts what's left of his reputation on the line. Two years ago, I had the Vegas Golden Knights and New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup Finals; neither team made the playoffs. Last year, I picked the Rangers and Colorado Avalanche to meet in the Finals; both teams were eliminated in the first round. So, I guess you could say I'm improving. At this rate, in another three years, I'll finally nail it.

All kidding aside, it's all done in fun, so don't take it too seriously. After all, I had the Columbus Blue Jackets as a wild card last season and they were one of the worst teams in the NHL. So with that in mind, let's get on with the predictions.

Eastern Conference:

Atlantic Division:

Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs finally won a playoff series last season - beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven - and then promptly lost to the Florida Panthers in the next round. As usual, it's never about the level of talent in Toronto, but rather the level of toughness. Hence, the signings of Tyler Bertuzzi and Ryan Reaves. The fab four will carry the offensive load, but after that, they're a little thin to make a deep run in the postseason.

Florida Panthers: Last season, the Panthers - formerly known as the Puddy Tats - shocked the hockey world by not just knocking off the Presidents' Trophy Boston Bruins, but going all the way to the finals before finally losing to the Vegas Golden Knights. Matthew Tkachuk is one of the best all-around forwards in the game and Sergei Bobrovsky redeemed his reputation last spring as a money goaltender.

Boston Bruins: Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí both retired, Taylor Hall was dealt to the Blackhawks, and Tyler Bertuzzi and Dmitry Orlov both left via free agency. No team in the league was probably more negatively impacted by the constraints of the flat salary cap than the Bruins. And yet, this will still be a solid defensive team with elite-level goaltending that will win its fair share of games.

Metropolitan Division:

New Jersey Devils: If you saw their meteoric rise last season you're a better man than me. Rarely has a core popped all at once. Their speed down the middle is their greatest asset and they will give defenses fits all season long. I'm still not sold that their goaltending is up to the task of going the distance and they're a little thin on the blue line. But their top six is as good as it gets.

Carolina Hurricanes: Michael Bunting should fit right in with this group of forwards which, though lacking explosiveness, is one of the most cohesive groups in the NHL. No team generates more scoring chances than the Canes. But as we saw in last year's ECF, they lack the finishers to capitalizes on them.

New York Rangers: Peter Laviolette is tasked with turning this talent laden team into a Cup contender. It may take a while for his up-tempo system to be fully implemented, hence the third place prediction. With Shesterkin in net, they will always be a threat. Whether they have the testicular fortitude to go all the way remains to be seen.

Wild Cards: 

Buffalo Sabres: If the Sabres had played as well at home as they did on the road, they would've made the playoffs last season. This is an up and coming team that is young, talented and on the verge of being a genuine contender. They will drive whichever team they meet in the postseason up the wall. Defense is their only concern.

Ottawa Senators: Another young team on the rise. Brady Thuchuk - Matthew's younger brother - and Tim Stützle are genuine stars. Like the Sabres, they're also a year or two away from being a contender, but watch out.

Close but no cigar:

Pittsburgh Penguins: One of the oldest teams in the league needed to get younger and better on D. So what did new GM Kyle Dumas do? He traded for 32 year-old winger Reilly Smith and 33 year-old defenseman Erik Karlsson, quite possibly the worst plus / minus recipient of the Norris trophy ever.

New York Islanders: The shame here is that Ilya Sorokin will be a finalist for the Vezina trophy and he's trapped on a team that will struggle to find offense. Poor Lou Lamoriello; he still thinks it's the '90s.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Since they won their second Cup in a row in '21, they've turned over half their roster. And now they'll be without Andrei Vasilevskiy until mid-December. Not even Toe Blake could save them.

Western Conference:

Central Division:

Colorado Avalanche: Even without Gabriel Landeskog, they are a formidable force to be reckoned with. Nathan MacKinnon is one of the best two-way centers in the league and Cale Makar a perennial Norris trophy candidate. Ryan Johansen and Ross Colton were shrewd pickups by Chris MacFarland. They are well coached and a legit threat to go all the way.

Dallas Stars: I underestimated them last season, as did a lot of people. They're deep and they have one of the best defensemen in the the league in Miro Heiskanen, not to mention one of the best goalies in Jake Oettinger.

Minnesota Wild: G.M. Bill Guerin is doing the best he can with the dead cap hits he was forced to take thanks to his predecessor. They'll be in the mix but a lack of depth will come back to bite them in the end.

Pacific Division: 

Vegas Golden Knights: Boy, do I feel really stupid. Not only did I not have them winning the Cup last season, I didn't even have them making the playoffs. I won't make that mistake again. The secret to Vegas's success is their depth at both forward and defense. They can come with you with four lines and all three of their defense pairings are big and mobile. They are the odds-on favorites to repeat.

Edmonton Oilers: The over / under on Connor McDavid's point total this season is 137.5. Take the over. McDavid is without question the best player in the NHL. Mattias Ekholm - a trade deadline pickup - is a solid, stay at home defenseman, a rarity in Edmonton. The flat salary cap has hindered what G.M. Ken Holland can do to address the lack of depth. Jack Campbell is an adequate, but hardly elite, goalie.

Los Angeles Kings: The Kings are betting that Pierre-Luc Dubois will provide the offensive balance they've been looking for to make them a legit contender. It's a bet that may pay off. With Dubois at center and Kevin Fiala at wing, LA has a potent one-two punch.

Wild Cards:

Seattle Kraken: Were it not for the upset of the Bruins at the hands of the Panthers, the Kraken's upset of the Avalanche would've been the story of the year. In just two short seasons G.M. Ron Francis has done a tremendous job meticulously building a team that last season was one win away from advancing to the conference finals.

Calgary Flames: Now that old blood and guts Darryl Sutter has been shown the door, this team can finally exhale. The Flames have the talent and the goaltending to be a playoff team. They're not in the same class as Vegas or Edmonton or Colorado, but they are much better than what they showed last season.

Close but no cigar:

Winnipeg Jets: Losing Dubois and Blake Wheeler - a buyout - will hinder a team that made the playoffs last season by the skin of its teeth. It's going to be a tough year in Winnipeg.

Playoffs:

Eastern Conference Finals: Rangers over the Maple Leafs 4-3

Western Conference Finals: Avalanche over the Golden Knights 4-3

Stanley Cup Finals: Rangers over the Avalanche 4-3

Year End Awards:

Presidents' Trophy: Colorado Avalanche

Art Ross Trophy: Connor McDavid, Oilers

Hart Trophy: Matthew Tkachuk, Flames

Norris Trophy: Miro Heiskanen, Stars

Vezina Trophy: Ilya Sorokin, Islanders

Jack Adams Award: Peter Laviolette, Rangers

Conn Smythe Trophy: Igor Shesterkin, Rangers

Why I'm Bullish on the Rangers

Let's face it. The way last season ended left a bad taste in Rangers fans mouths. After jumping out to a 2-0 series lead against the Devils, the Blueshirts dropped four of the next five games. Three of those losses, including the series clincher, weren't even competitive. Once more, the franchise that has won exactly one Stanley Cup since World War II went home early.

Chris Drury did not take it well. The President and G.M. fired his head coach Gerard Gallant and replaced him with Peter Laviolette, whose resume includes three trips to the finals and one Cup. With the limited cap space he had, Drury then went out and signed three forwards to shore up the bottom six, a defenseman to play on the third pairing and a backup to Igor Shesterkin. No Vladimir Tarasenko, no Patrick Kane, no big splash.

It's easy to understand how some could look at the Rangers offseason and be skeptical about their prospects going into the 2023-24 campaign. As someone who's followed this team since 1971, I've learned the hard way not to get my hopes up. When Jon Matlack asked Jerry Grote what he could expect pitching for the Mets, Grote replied, "If you don't allow a run, I guarantee you at least a tie." Some fan bases are conditioned to be happy with what they can get.

But after giving the matter considerable thought, I think it would be a huge mistake to sleep on this team. To be honest, I'm rather bullish on their chances. And not because I'm an incurable optimist. If anything, I'm more jaded now than I was 30-40 years ago. I just have a hunch that this team, which has broken more hearts than Taylor Swift at a Jets game, might catch lightning in a bottle.

There are three reasons for my optimism:

The core: After getting off to a sluggish 11-10-5 start last season, the Rangers went 36-12-8 the rest of the way. That's a .642 winning percentage. Only the Boston Bruins - at .793 - were better. They accomplished this mostly without the assistance of Tarasenko or Kane, who despite their impressive bonafides, wound up disrupting the chemistry on this team. That no doubt was a contributing factor in their early exit.

With Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren and Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers have one of the more impressive cores in the NHL. If the kids take the next step and fulfill their promise, this will be a very tough team to play against this season.

Blake Wheeler, Nick Bonino, Tyler Pitlick and Erik Gustafsson are the sort of complimentary players Tarasnko and Kane never were. While other G.M.s overpaid for their free agents, Drury didn't panic and got good value. Given what he had to work with, he had himself a helluva good summer.

The coach: Four times over the last 30 years, the Rangers have brought in a more experienced coach to turn around a roster that had underperformed the previous year: Mike Keenan in 1993; John Tortorella in 2009; Alain Vigneault in 2013; and Gallant in 2021. With the exception of Tortorella, every hire paid immediate dividends. The '94 Rangers won their first Stanley Cup since 1940; the '14 Rangers went to the Cup finals; and the '22 Rangers went to the Eastern Conference finals.

While it's no slam dunk that Laviolette will replicate his predecessors success, it's worth noting that in his first full season behind the bench in Carolina, the Hurricanes won the Cup; four years later in his first year as head coach in Philadelphia, he took the Flyers to the finals. Everywhere he goes, his teams win. If that isn't a good omen, I don't know what is.

Laviolette's two greatest challengers will be 1) to convince a team that is used to playing an east-west style of hockey to play a more north-south style; and 2) to get Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko to play like the top six forwards scouts predicted they'd be when they were drafted number one and two respectively. David Quinn and Gallant each failed at both. The hope is that Laviolette will be the proverbial third time charm.

The Eastern Conference: The hockey gods have a strange sense of humor. Last season, the Atlantic division was stacked with the Boston Bruins winning the President's Trophy going away and the Tampa Bay Lightning vying for their fourth consecutive trip to the finals. In the Metro division, both the Devils and Hurricanes had outstanding seasons.

This season, the Metro will still be tough, but in the Atlantic, both the Bruins and Lightning have had roster turnovers that will weaken them considerably. Tampa will be without goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy until mid December. Nobody knows what to make of the Florida Panthers. Are they the team that came within three wins of capturing the Cup? Or are they the team that got swept in the second round in '22. And let's face it, the Toronto Maple Leafs are the Cleveland Browns of Canada. Any team that gets out of the Metro should be the odds-on favorite to advance to the finals.

I'm not saying the Rangers will have an easy path; far from it. But they have had success against the Canes. And if they can find a way to contain the Devils speed, there might be another banner hanging in Madison Square Garden.

Prognosis: Like that 2013-14 team, which went 16-18-2 in their first 36 games, I fully expect the Rangers to struggle out of the gate. They were 1 for 18 on the power play during the preseason. Not a good sign. Going all the way back to game three of the Devils series last season, they're 2 for their last 39. That has got to change. For this team to be a contender, they must have a productive power play.

Assuming they hit their stride by early December, the Rangers should once again finish third in the Metro; the Kids will blossom under Laviolette; and Shesterkin will lead them to their first Stanley Cup in 30 years.

Giants on the Brink

"You're never as good as you think you are when you win; and you're never as bad as you feel when you lose."

- Joe Paterno

Well, one out of two ain't bad. 

After four games this season, the New York Giants record stands at 1-3. In another two weeks, it'll likely be 1-5. While not all stats are indicative of a team's play - like time of possession, for instance - some are undeniable. For instance,

The Giants have been outscored by their opponents 77-9 in the first half. They are dead last in the NFL in offense, averaging 11.5 points per game; dead last in point differential with a minus 76; second to last in sacks allowed with 23 - the eleven they surrendered against the Seattle Seahawks Monday night were the most given up by a Giants team in franchise history. They have held a lead in a game once - the final 19 seconds against the Cardinals in week two. In sixteen quarters of football, they have outscored their opponent in three of them. And, finally, they are the only team in the league not to have a takeaway.

This was not the way the 2023 season was supposed to go. After an impressive and surprising 2022 season in which they made the postseason and actually won a playoff game, the Giants were supposed to be a better team this year. They had what everyone agreed was a successful draft: picking a wide receiver, a center and two cornerbacks to add to their depth chart. They traded for a legit tight end in an attempt to improve their passing game. They signed their quarterback to a four-year extension. And despite a public and, at times, contentious negotiation, their star running back eventually signed his franchise tag. Everything was looking up. I had them winning 10 games and making the playoffs.

But then the season began. A blowout at home against the Cowboys was the first sign of trouble. A dramatic comeback win against the Cardinals in Arizona the following week temporarily allayed any concerns. But the last two games - particularly Monday night's debacle - have removed any doubt. This is a fundamentally flawed team that, barring a miraculous turnaround, will likely finish the season in the bottom third of the league standings.

Consider this: that was not the '85 Bears out there at MetLife Stadium. In their first three games, opposing quarterbacks averaged over 300 yards passing against the Seahawks defense; one of those quarterbacks was Andy Dalton. Daniel Jones managed just 203 yards with two interceptions; one of them a 97 yard pick six.

So what happened? How did this season turn into a train wreck? There's plenty of blame to go around here. Let's start with the obvious.

The Offensive line. Quite frankly this unit has been pathetic. Yes, there have been injuries, but the Seahawks had both starting tackles and a starting guard out Monday night and they were still able to protect Geno Smith. Either the Giants suck at drafting offensive linemen or they suck at coaching them or perhaps both. From Ereck Flowers to Evan Neal, something's not right here and it needs to be addressed.

The Quarterback. I've been a defender of Daniel Jones throughout most of his tenure in New York, but it's time to admit the obvious: he's regressed this season. Without Saquon Barkley, Jones simply isn't the same QB. His fumble at the Giant 7-yard line late in the first quarter and his pick six at the Seattle 3-yard line late in the third accounted for two of the three touchdowns the Seahawks scored. Last season, Jones had a total of five interceptions; this season he already has six. At the rate he's going he will wind up with more than 24. That is unacceptable for a quarterback making $160 million.

Coaching: As I alluded to in my critique of the OL, the coaching staff has to bear some of the brunt of the blame. Last season, the Giants had eight come-from-behind wins. Only the Minnesota Vikings had more. Coach Brian Daboll excelled at making half-time adjustments that were essential to the team making the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

This season, the tables have turned. The league has adjusted to the Giants, and so far Daboll and his staff have not adjusted back. Daniel Jones has been unable to run to his left and right as much as he did last season. As a result, he's been reduced primarily to a pocket passer, which is not a strength of his. On the other side of the ball, offenses have figured out Wink Martindale's defensive schemes and are picking up his blitzes, thus exposing a vulnerable and inexperienced Giants secondary. The 49ers were particularly adept at this in week three.

The schedule. Let's face it: the Giants had a much easier schedule last season than they do this season. In their first seven games in 2022, they played against three playoff teams. This season, four of their first six opponents are playoff teams. To underscore just how critical a schedule can be, after jumping out to a 6-1 start last season, the Giants went 3-6-1 over their final ten games against much tougher opponents.

But bitching about the schedule isn't going to change anything. The truth is that if the Giants had put forth the kind of effort last season that they've put forth so far this season, they would've been lucky to win three of those first seven games. The lack of compete on both sides of the ball has been alarming. Daboll may not have any control over the schedule or who gets injured, but he does have control over how well his team executes the plays that are called in from the sidelines. And right now, both the execution and the effort just aren't there.

It's not too late to save the season. Even if the Giants lose their next two games, there are some winnable games still left on this schedule. But for that to happen, both the coaches and the players will have to step up their game considerably.

David Stearns' To-Do List

Well, it's over.

The season from hell that started with such high expectations finally came to a merciless end Sunday in typical fashion: with a failure to get a timely hit and an overtaxed bullpen imploding. A team that won 101 games last year and went to the playoffs, limped to the finish line with a measly 75 wins this year. Disappointing doesn't begin to describe it.

And now with the formal introduction of David Stearns as President of Baseball Operations, the Mets most consequential offseason in over a decade begins. Stearns comes with an impressive resume. In his eight years running the Milwaukee Brewers, they made the postseason five times including this year. He will have his work cut out for him here.

At the risk of being presumptuous, I've whittled Stearns' to-do list down to a precious five.

The Manager: The news that Buck Showalter would not be returning next season should come as no surprise to anyone who was paying attention. While Buck was certainly not to blame for the injuries to Edwin Diaz and Starling Marte, or the less than stellar performance of Max Scherzer, some of his moves this season were puzzling, to say the least.

One game in particular stands out. It was against the Rockies in Colorado in late May when the Mets were still in contention. Buck elected to start Marte in centerfield even though he hadn't played there in two years and he was clearly hobbled by a nagging groin injury. When he was unable to catch up to a line drive in the bottom of the 4th inning, three runs scored. The following inning Buck allowed Stephen Nogosek to get smacked around with no one warming up in the bullpen. The Rockies scored five runs in that inning and went on to win 11-10.

Now that Buck is gone, Stearns and G.M. Billy Eppler will be tasked with finding a replacement who can effectively and more consistently manage this team. The obvious choice is Craig Counsell who has piloted the Brewers since 2015, when he replaced Ron Roenicke. In 2018, he took the Brewers to the NLCS, where they lost to the Dodgers in seven games. He has a record of 707-625, and the fact that he worked for Stearns should give him a leg up on the competition.

Pete Alonso: Stearns made it clear in his press conference that he has no intentions of trading the first baseman during the offseason, saying "I expect Pete to be the opening day first baseman." That is certainly welcomed news for a fanbase that hasn't had much to cheer about lately. And by lately, I mean eight years.

But saying you're not going to trade Alonso is one thing; actually signing him to a long-term deal that will keep him in Flushing is quite another. While no one knows exactly where the negotiations left off between Steve Cohen and Alonso's agent, we can assume the sticking point was term. Alonso would obviously like a long-term contract; the Mets would probably prefer a shorter term.

Given that Cohen was willing to give Carlos Correa $315 million over 12 years, it's going to be pretty difficult playing hard ball with a homegrown guy who, as I pointed out in August, might well finish his career with 700 plus home runs. If I had to guess, I'd say both sides settle on 9 years and $300 million. That would put Alonso just behind Francisco Lindor's $34 million annual salary.

The Starting Rotation: The "dynamic duo" of Scherzer and Justin Verlander - at $43 million a piece - was a case study in how not to build a starting rotation. The former never fully recovered from a torn oblique he suffered last season; the latter missed the first month of this season. Eppler was able to get the return he did because Cohen was willing to eat more than $80 million in salary owed both pitchers. It's fair to say the owner would prefer not to do that again.

The Mets have shown interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Japanese ace scouts think could be better than Kodai Senga, who turned out to be one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. A starting rotation featuring these two pitchers would be a formidable one-two punch.

But even with Yamamoto and Senga, the Mets still have questions. Like who's going to be the third, fourth and fifth starter? Tylor Megill had a good second half, so perhaps he could compete for the third or fourth spot. Beyond that it's anyone's guess what Stearns will do.

The Bullpen: It cannot be overstated what losing Diaz for the season did to a bullpen that was already thin to begin with. Getting him back next season will be a huge relief, no pun intended.

But like the starting rotation, the pen has plenty of holes that Stearns will have to fill. Does he bring back David Robertson as a setup man? Does he trade for Diaz's younger brother Alexis, who had 37 saves for the Cincinnati Reds this season and is arbitration eligible, to give the Mets a dual closer threat?

The Kids: One of the few bright spots this season has been the emergence of catcher Francisco Alvarez as a genuine talent behind the plate and the development of infielders Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio. Alvarez looks like the real deal. The rookie hit 25 homers and drove in 63 runs. But while the infielders showed promise, they are still works in progress. Stearns may elect to keep all three or he could dangle one or more as trade bait if he believes he can get a proven outfielder, infielder or pitcher in return.

The good news is the Mets finally have their front office in place. Now it's up to them to build a championship team.