Rangers Finally Call It a Night on Kakko

To fully appreciate what happened with Kaapo Kakko, we need to go all the way back to that letter then GM Jeff Gorton sent out to the fanbase on February 8, 2018, informing them that the New York Rangers were going to be sellers - not buyers - at the trade deadline. 

It was an extraordinary acknowledgment, one seldom seen in professional sports. Typically franchises don't go public with their plans regarding rebuilding; they just go ahead with it. But this was different. The Rangers, after going to the finals in 2014 and winning the Presidents' Trophy the following season, were clearly on a downward trajectory. To continue investing in this core would've been fruitless. Credit Gorton for being able to read the tealeaves.

There was just one tiny problem. The Rangers didn't actually do a formal rebuild in the traditional sense of the word; that is they didn't tear it down to the studs. Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller, Rick Nash, Michael Grabner and (later) Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes were all sent packing. But Gorton elected to keep Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Pavel Buchnevich, Marc Steal and Henrik Lundqvist. In other words, what the Rangers did was more a retool than a rebuild. 

Lady luck then shined on the franchise. The Rangers wound up with the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, which they used to select Kakko, a player generally viewed by many scouts as a future star in the league. Fans already had him pegged as the next Jaromir Jagr. 

Of course on any other rebuilding team, Kakko would've gotten a top six forward spot, including time on the power play. Unfortunately for him, Gorton had other plans. Over the summer, he signed Artemi Panarin and traded for Jacob Trouba. He also acquired a little known defenseman from Jericho, New York by the name of Adam Fox. The formal announcement in May of that year that the Rangers had hired John Davidson to be their President ostensibly meant that the rebuild was, if not officially over, at least unofficially put on hold. Two seasons in the tank was enough for owner James Dolan. It was time to start winning again. 

For most of the 2019-20 season, the Blueshirts were fun to watch. Panarin led the team in overall scoring while Zibanejad led them in goals. They flirted with the playoffs. Then Covid-19 hit and the NHL, like everything else, shut down. When play resumed over the summer, the Rangers somehow managed to qualify for the play-in round, where they were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes. Their reward for failing to advance to the playoffs was to wind up with the number one overall pick in the 2020 draft, which they used to select Alexis Lafreniere. 

Lafreniere, like Kakko before him, should've gotten a top six forward spot. Instead, he was buried, for the most part, in the bottom six. And he rarely, if ever, got time on the power play. Think about it: the Rangers, in consecutive years, landed two elite prospects in the draft only to treat them as if they were checking forwards. 

And it wasn't just Kakko and Lafreniere who were consigned to the back of the bus. 2017 first-round pick Filip Chytil was also having a hard time getting ice time. This reluctance by the organization to give their young players the attention they badly needed meant that their growth was stunted from the beginning. Between the three, though, Kakko was the one most snake bitten. The closest he came to realizing his potential was in 2022-23. He scored 18 goals and added 22 assists that season. 

But before you get the impression that this was all the fault of the Rangers, it should be noted that both Chytil and Lafreniere eventually had breakout years: the former scoring 22 goals as the third-line canter in 2022-23; the latter 28 goals last season playing on the second line with Panarin and Vincent Trocheck.

The bottom line was that even with Peter Laviolette as his coach, Kakko was never able to come into his own. It was not for lack of effort; God knows the kid tried. He was one of the hardest working forwards on the team. He just couldn't finish around the net. And when you're the second overall pick in the draft you're expected to produce.

So yesterday, Chris Drury finally pulled the plug and traded him to the Seattle Kraken for defenseman Will Borgen and two middle-round draft picks in 2025. To say it was a disappointing return would be an understatement. Borgen will likely replace Victor Mancini - who was sent down to Hartford - on the third pairing with Zac Jones.

Already the Monday-morning quarterbacks are at it. The prevailing sentiment is that Drury could've had Jake Guentzel last season in return for Kakko, a first rounder and a couple of prospects. First off, we don't know if that was true; second, even if that was true, it's likely those prospects would've consisted of Will Cuylle and Gabe Perrault. The former has been arguably the team's second best forward this season; the latter is one of the most talented players in college hockey today. Drury would've been a fool to give up that much for what amounted to a rental. Besides, what did Guentzel do for the Hurricanes last season? Oh yeah, they lost to the Rangers in the second round, and Guentzel is now a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Hindsight is always 20 / 20, especially in sports. The Twitterverse is replete with shoulda, coulda, woulda trades that always seem to work out for the prognosticators. In the end, though, I can't blame Drury for wanting to hold onto Kakko as long as possible. It's obvious the skill is still there. Hopefully he will develop into the player everyone thought he'd be when he was drafted five years ago.

As for Drury, he met with the players this afternoon in Dallas to clear the air over the way the Goodrow and Trouba moves were handled. It couldn't have come at a better time, because according to Vince Mercogliano, the core is not exactly thrilled with their GM. But here's the thing: the longer this team continues its slide - 11 losses in the last 14 games - the more likely it is that the trades will continue. It's a vicious cycle that only they can stop. As long as Drury has the backing of Dolan, he isn't going anywhere. And there doesn't appear to be any appetite within the organization to make a change behind the bench. 

So for the time being, both the players and management are stuck with one another. And as is usual with situations like this, the onus is on the former to change the narrative.

Drury Can't Afford To Wait For Chytil

Normally, I'm not one to overreact to a bad loss - and let's just call what happened Tuesday night at the Garden a bad loss - but the New York Rangers have a problem; one that President and General Manager Chris Drury would do well to address before this incredible season begins to unravel.

Just to be clear, the Blueshirts are still in first place in the Metropolitan Division. Their 25 wins lead the NHL. Nor are they the only team to have gone through a slump. For instance, since getting off to an 11-0-1 start, the Vegas Golden Knights, last season's Stanley Cup winners, have gone 11-11-4. The Atlantic Division leading Boston Bruins have had losing streaks of three in a row and four in a row this season. Both teams, so far as anyone knows, are still considered contenders, as are the Rangers.

But unlike those two teams, the Rangers problem is primarily one of personnel, or a lack thereof. At the risk of beating a dead horse, the loss of Filip Chytil to a concussion and Kaapo Kakko to a leg injury has put a strain on a lineup that wasn't exactly bursting with depth to begin with.

When the season started, the Rangers forward lines were:

Chris Kreider - Mika Zibanejad - Kaapo Kakko

Artemi Panarin - Filip Chytil - Alexis Lafreniere

Will Cuylle - Vincent Trocheck - Blake Wheeler

Barclay Goodrow - Nick Bonino - Jimmy Vesey

Not quite the 1985 Edmonton Oilers but more than respectable. Since Chytil and Kakko went down, the Rangers forward lines have looked like this:

Kreider - Zibanejad - Wheeler

Panarin - Trocheck - Lafreniere

Cuylle - Bonino - Jonnny Brodzinski

Vesey - Goodrow - Tyler Pitlick

Pitlick was supposed to be the 13th forward on this team; Brodziński is a 30 year old career AHLer who on an average team would have a hard time cracking the lineup. Neither has any business getting the amount of minutes they're getting. As for Bonino, Drury signed him to be a checking center. He belongs on a third line the way Nick Fotiu would belong on a line with Jacques Lemaire and Steve Shutt. 

Drury is undoubtedly aware of this. He knows he's pushing the envelope having Pitlick and Brodzinski on this roster. And he isn't blind. Every shift Bonino takes at 3C is as excruciating to watch as it is a lesson in futility. That the Rangers are currently in first place is a testament to Peter Laviolette's coaching ability and Panarin having a career year. Absent that, this team would likely be struggling to stay in the playoff hunt.

So now that we know what the problem is, how will Drury address it? With Kakko not expected back until February and Chytil returning to his native Czechia in what the team is calling a "reset," they need help now. Some of that help is on its way, via Hartford. The Rangers have recalled Brennan Othmann to replace Pitlick, who is listed as week-to-week with a lower body injury. Where he plays will be up to Laviolette. I'm sure Drury would've preferred to have Othmann spend an entire season in the AHL, however circumstances forced his hand.

But the real need is at center. If Chytil is indeed lost for the season, Drury will have to look outside the organization for a replacement. But who, that's the question.

Going into the season, the Rangers had $675k in cap space. With Chytil and Kakko both on LTIR, they have around $7.1 million available to go shopping and still be cap compliant. I doubt Drury will use the whole wad, because if he does, Kakko can't return until the playoffs. So let's say for the sake of argument the number is $5 million. That should be more than enough.

Below is a list of possible candidates along with their cap hits and stat lines.

Elias Lindholm (Calgary) $4.85m / 37GP / 8G / 16A / 55.1% FO. Lindholm is a legit star who scored 42 goals in the 2021-22 season. With the Flames looking to sell, he won't come cheap. Figure multiple draft picks and a couple of prospects.

Boone Jenner (Columbus) $3.75m / 29GP / 13G / 5A / 55.9% FO. Jenner is out with broken jaw for the next six weeks, so Drury might be reluctant to pursue him. However, if the long-term prognosis on Chytil is as bleak as some have hinted, Jenner would be an ideal replacement. He's signed thru the 2025-26 season with a very manageable cap hit. Like Lindholm, he'll cost a pretty penny.

Kevin Hayes (St. Louis) $7.142m (50% retained by Philadelphia) 36GP / 9G / 10A / 56.4% FO. Would Drury bring Hayes back to Broadway? At $3.571m, he fits nicely. Plus, if Chytil does return by the playoffs, Hayes can switch to RW where Alain Vigneault often used him when he coached here.

Sean Monahan (Montreal) $1.985m / 9G / 13A / 57.5% FO. The thing that makes Monahan so attractive is his cap hit. In the event Chytil is cleared to return before the playoffs, Drury could move out Pitlick's contract and still fit him in under the cap, provided he can get the Canadiens to retain some salary. Don't be surprised if this is the move that gets made.

With Monahan, the Rangers forward lines would look like this, assuming Chytil is gone for the season:

Kreider - Zibanejad - Wheeler

Panarin - Trocheck - Lafreniere

Cuylle - Monahan - Othmann / Kakko

Goodrow - Bonino - Vesey

You can live with Wheeler on the first line. Going into the Carolina game, he had 9 points in his last 9 games; the second line speaks for itself; Monahan gives the Rangers a legitimate third line; and, best of all, Bonino returns to the fourth line where he belongs.

As far as a Patrick Kane reunion is concerned, it's highly unlikely that Drury would go down that road again. One look at how well the Detroit Red Wings have played since his arrival should be all you need to know. Despite his hall of fame credentials, he's not worth the disruption he brings to a locker room. Plus, he's a winger, not a center.

Seriously, Rangers fans, it's time to bring down the curtain on Showtime.

Will the Real New York Rangers Please Stand Up

It is an axiom that no team, regardless of how good they are, ever goes through an entire regular season without experiencing a slump. After their best start in 30 years - a start that saw them jump out to the top of the NHL standings - it was only a matter of time before the New York Rangers experienced one.

To be clear, the issue is not that the Blueshirts have lost three of their last four games - and four of their last eight - the issue is how they've lost those games. Every single one has been by a margin of four goals: 5-1 to the Buffalo Sabres; 6-2 to the Ottawa Senators; 4-0 to the Washington Capitals; and 7-3 to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The common denominator in all four was how poorly they played in every facet of the game. The Washington loss was a virtual no show, and in the Toronto loss, both Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner were untouched as they skated into the Rangers zone. Not even Patrick Roy could've stopped those goals. Not since last year's playoff loss against the New Jersey Devils have the Rangers been this uninspiring.

The drop-off in play is disconcerting, to say the least. After they beat the Boston Bruins at the Garden on November 25, the Rangers were first in the league in goals against, second in save percentage and third in goal differential. Over their last eight games, they have dropped to 11th in goals against, 11th in save percentage and 9th in goal differential. 

Ironically, while the Rangers have been in the midst of this slump, they've also played two of their better games of the season: a 3-2 win over the up and coming Detroit Red Wings and a 4-1 thumping of the L.A. Kings; the latter considered by many to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

So how is this possible? How can a team play so well one game, then fall apart the next? Until the Leafs game, a pattern was emerging. Against teams with winning records, the Rangers were 11-2-0, with a goals against average of 2.38 and a save percentage of .922. Against teams with non-winning records, the Rangers were 8-4-1, with a goals against average of 3.08 and a save percentage of .896. The obvious conclusion was that the Rangers were playing down to the level of their opponent.

The loss against Toronto seems to have thrown that conclusion out the window. The Leafs may not be the Bruins or the Kings, but they are hardly the San Jose Sharks. In fact, as of this writing, they are only four points out of first place in the Atlantic division. If you can't get up for a team like that, especially after a convincing win against the Kings, then you have a problem.

Some have laid the blame at Igor Shesterkin's skates. While it's true that the former Vezina trophy winner has let in several questionable goals this season, the fact is that prior to his last start against the Leafs, his save percentage against winning teams was .917. By comparison, Jonathan Quick's save percentage against those same teams was .932. But here's the rub: if you subtract his shutout against the Pittsburgh Penguins, that save percentage drops down to .906. So, clearly, the problem isn't Igor.

Then just what is the problem? I think it boils down to attrition. Since the injury to Filip Chytil and the subsequent one to Kaapo Kakko, the Rangers have been primarily a two-line team. Nick Bonino, who was brought in for his checking abilities, is simply not a third-line center; not at this stage of his career. When Chytil went down with what is believed to have been the fourth or fifth concussion of his young career, he had six points - all assists - in 10 games. So far, Bonino has one goal and three assists for four points in 27 games. You don't need to be a statistician to know that four points in 27 games isn't going to cut it, not when other teams are getting production from their third lines. And while Kakko wasn't exactly lighting it up on the score sheet, his defense away from the puck made him an asset to his team.

The fact is not having these two forwards in the lineup has put a strain on the ability of the Rangers to generate a sustained forecheck. Peter Laviolette has been forced to rotate Blake Wheeler and Johnny Brodzinski on the first line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Neither are top six forwards. Sooner or later, this was going to catch up with them. That it took this long is a credit to the resiliency of the players and the coaching bonafides of Laviolette's staff. Make no mistake about it: this team wins not because of its talent, but because of its adherence to a system that brings structure and discipline; two words typically not associated with the Blueshirts. Were it not for Artemi Panarin and a power play that is currently ranked second in the league, the Rangers would likely be up a creek without a paddle. Clearly, something needs to be done. But what?

It's important to remember that even with the issues they've had of late, the Rangers are still in first place in the Metropolitan division and second overall in the Eastern conference. They are number one in face off percentage and are one of the top teams in the league in blocked shots. The fast start they got off to has given GM Chris Drury the leeway he needs to not make a panic move.

But everything hinges on how long Chytil remains out? If he is able to return by January, Drury may elect to ride out the storm. But if the long-term prognosis for Chytil is bleak, he will have to trade for a center. Because the Rangers were forced to place Chytil and Kakko on LTIR, they are not accruing cap space during this time. That means that any salary Drury adds will have to be offset once Chytil and Kakko are activated, unless they shut down one or both for the duration of the regular season.

If Drury wants to hedge his bet, a good option would be Sean Monahan of the Montreal Canadiens. The pending UFA has 9 goals, 17 points and a 56.9 win percentage on face offs. And he only makes $1.985 million, meaning even if Chytil and Kakko both return, the Rangers can accommodate his cap hit. Best of all, it would allow Laviolette to move Chytil to right wing where he might prosper more; Kakko would then return to the first line and Bonino to the forth line where both belong. 

So, the Rangers have their first slump of the season. The sky isn't falling; not yet, anyway. But there are storm clouds on the horizon.

Rangers Have the Last Laf

The Rangers were trailing the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 late in the third period last night when they pulled goalie Jonathan Quick for an extra skater. The extra skater Head Coach Peter Laviolette sent out was none other than Alexis Lafreniere. And Lafreniere rewarded his coach's faith in him by scoring the game-tying goal with 11 seconds left in regulation. He then followed that up by scoring the eventual game-winner in the shoot out.

Last season, the words "extra skater" and "Lafreniere" appearing in the same sentence would've elicited a chorus of WTFs and double takes. Apart from the 2022 playoffs when he was part of that prolific "Kid Line" which turned so many heads, the overall number one pick in the 2020 NHL Draft has been an enigma. At times, showing flashes of brilliance; at other times confirming the worst of what his critics were saying about him.

But this is a different season and a different Lafreniere. Buoyed by the confidence his coach has shown in him, the 22 year old is finally delivering on his promise and silencing his critics. Not only has he successfully made the transition to right wing, he has become one of the team's best forwards. His 7 goals is third most on the team; only line-mate Artemi Panarin (8) and Chris Kreider (10) have scored more goals. Last night's game was his second multi-point game in a row; he converted a Vincent Trocheck pass in the second period to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead.

Lafreniere's development is a reminder that you can't judge all players equally. For the last three seasons all we kept hearing was how much better Tim Stützle was, despite the fact that the third overall pick in the 2020 draft was getting top six minutes and power play time, while Lafreniere mostly played on the third line and hardly ever saw power play time.

Below is a breakdown of both players stats over their careers.

You'll notice both players had the same number of goals in their first season. However, beginning in year two, Stützle's average ice time started going up, as did his goal production. Conversely, Lafreniere's ice time - and goal production - remained static. Through three seasons, Stützle had 73 goals, 10 of which were on the power play; Lafreniere had only 47 goals, 3 on the power play.

Now I'm not suggesting that if both players had switched places, their numbers would correspondingly flip. It's quite possible Stützle is better than Lafreniere. But what is apparent from this breakdown is that how a team utilizes a player can impact his development. The Rangers, unlike the Senators, did not do a complete teardown of their team. Jeff Gorton left intact the core we see now. Thus, Lafreniere was never thrown into the deep end of the pool the way Stützle was.

But the "patience" the Rangers showed ended up stunting Lafreniere's growth. It also didn't help matters any that Gerard Gallant preferred players like Dryden Hunt and Julien Gauthier over both him and Kaapo Kakko, another high draft pick that was under utilized by Gallant. With Laviolette behind the bench, Lafreniere's training wheels have been removed, so to speak. And not surprisingly, he's starting to realize his potential. He's actually on pace to score 41 goals. 

Not bad for a bust, wouldn't you say?

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.

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.

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.

Boyz II Men

If the key to winning a championship is depth up and down the lineup, then the New York Rangers are blessed to have what many consider to be the deepest roster in the NHL. Because on a night when Mika Zibanaejad, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Adam Fox were held without a point, the Kid Line of Filip Chytil, Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko took charge. Each scored a goal and added an assist Saturday to propel the Blueshirts to a 4-3 win over the Putty Tats in South Florida.

It's time to state the obvious: these are no longer "kids." They're much more than that. Throughout much of the season, whenever head coach Gerard Gallant has put them together, this threesome has been, by far, the most consistent and cohesive unit on the team. That doesn't mean they've been the most dominant on the score sheet - that distinction belongs to the above mentioned fab four. But on numerous nights, when the core didn't have quite enough in the tank, the "kids" picked up the slack.

There was the game against the Maple Leafs at Toronto where Chytil scored both goals for the Rangers in a 3-2 OT loss; the game against the Calgary Flames at the Garden where Lafreniere scored the OT winner; another thriller at the Garden against the New Jersey Devils where Chytil helped set up the game-tying goal by Kakko and then scored the winner in OT. And in what has to be considered the best come from behind win of the season, Kakko and Lafreniere each scored in the shootout against the Oilers at Edmonton.

It is now abundantly clear that last year's playoffs were no anomaly. The talent is there; as is the work ethic. Almost without exception, every time they take the ice, something good happens. Even when they don't score, they keep the opposing team hemmed in their own zone. Yes, it's taken a while for the rose to finally bloom - Chytil is in his fifth full season, Kakko his fourth and Lafreniere his third - but success, regardless of what the Twitterverse may think, isn't measured on an assembly line basis. 

Face it, not everyone is Sydney Crosby or Connor McDavid. Since their arrival in New York, Kakko and Lafreniere have been under a constant microscope. Kakko is often compared to Jack Hughes, the number one pick in the 2019 draft; while Lafreniere, the number one pick in the 2020 draft, gets compared to Tim Stutzle, the player taken two picks later. Neither is a fair comparison, in my opinion.

For starters, in 2019 no one doubted that Hughes was the better player; the only concern was whether, at 175 pounds, he was durable enough to play in the NHL. And while a low-grade MCL injury ended his season last year, for the most part Hughes has been a regular in the Devils lineup. Regarding the 2020 draft, Lafreniere was the consensus number one pick. It wasn't even close. To say otherwise is the rankest form of revisionist history.

But secondly, and perhaps most importantly, both Hughes and Stutzle have from day one played in the top six for their respective teams, with both spending considerable time on the power play. By comparison, Kakko and Lafreniere have been mostly relegated to the third line, and until recently, gotten virtually no time on the power play. Did you know that going into this season, Lafreniere had more even-strength goals (31) than Stutzle (22)? Just imagine how many more goals Lafreniere could've scored if he were on the power play. Then factor in the built-in advantage top six players traditionally have on most teams and it's reasonable to assume both Kakko and Lafreniere would have better stats than they currently do.

As for Chytil, he had the curse of being the third center on a team that already had two pretty good ones. Contrary to popular opinion, Jeff Gorton didn't really tear down the Rangers. What he did more closely resembled a retool than a formal rebuild. He kept some of his key players like Zibanaejad, Kreider, Ryan Strome and Henrik Lundqvist, and then he signed Panarin. This meant that Chytil, along with Kakko and Lafreniere, had little chance of getting substantial ice time. Consequently, the growth of all three players was stunted almost from the very first shift they took as Rangers.

All that is water over the dam. Chytil, Kakko and Lafreniere have become key cogs on this team. As deep as the Rangers are, any hope they have of capturing their first Stanley Cup since 1994 will depend in no small part upon the contributions these three former kids, now men, make.

Drury Knocks It Out of the Park

Going into Wednesday afternoon, Chris Drury knew two things: 1. Andrew Copp was likely going to sign a multi-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings; and 2. Evgeni Malkin had agreed to a four year extension to remain with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The latter was significant because it meant that Drury's number one target in this year's free agent draft, Vincent Trocheck, was his for the taking, provided he could come to the table with an acceptable offer.

With only about $10 million in available cap space and knowing he still had to re-sign Kaapo Kakko and find a backup goaltender and a fourth-line center, the Rangers President and GM rolled up his sleeves and went to work. In the end, the two sides reached an agreement: $5.625 million x 7 years. While the term was longer than Drury would've preferred to go, it was necessary to keep the dollar amount manageable. Anything above $6 million and Drury would likely have walked away and gone with Filip Chytil as his 2C next season.

Does Trocheck make the Rangers a better team? In a word, yes. Unlike Ryan Strome and Copp, Trocheck is one of the better two-way centers in the league. He's good in all three zones, is quick on the puck, isn't afraid to park himself in front of the net and - this is crucial - wins face-offs; 52.1 percent over his career. The one knock on him is that he's not a particularly gifted scorer, but then he's never played with someone as talented as Artemi Panarin before.

It cannot be overstated the impact Panarin can have on a player's stats. For instance, before his arrival in New York, Ryan Strome averaged 35 points per season. Since he was paired with Panarin three years ago, his season average has gone up to 54 points, and one of those seasons (2020-21) was shortened by the pandemic. During his brief stint with the Blueshirts, Andrew Copp scored 18 points in 16 regular season games. Before that, he was a half a point per game player at best. Having a world-class playmaker on your line has its advantages. Now those advantages will be Trocheck's to enjoy.

But while the Trocheck signing was significant, Drury wasn't done, not by a long shot. He found someone to take Patrik Nemeth's contract off his hands. When the Rangers failed to exercise their option to buy out the defenseman the day before, the feeling was that maybe he could be sent to Hartford, thus giving the team a modicum of cap relief. Instead, Drury pawned Nemeth off on the Arizona Coyotes. The price? A 2025 second-rounder and a future conditional pick. He even managed to swindle the Yotes out of a prospect to complete the deal: Ty Emberson, K'Andre Miller's defense partner from his Wisconsin days.

Just like that, $2.5 million in cap space was freed up; cap space that Drury then used to sign backup goalie Jaroslav Halak ($1.5m x 1) and center Ryan Carpenter ($750k x 1). For shits and giggles he even signed Pens third-string goalie Louie Domingue - yeah, that Louis Domingue - to fill out the Hartford roster. Assuming Kakko re-ups for $2.3 million, and assuming the Rangers elect to go with only 21 players on their roster, they would have about $1.5 million in cap space when all is said and done. And that will be important should Drury wish to add a player at the trade deadline.

I will be compiling a list of winners and losers in this year's free agency class. Suffice to say, the Rangers, thanks to Chris Drury, will be among the winners.

The Sixty-four Thousand Dollar Question Drury Must Answer

With the news that Chris Drury has re-signed Vitali Kravtsov ($875k) and Sammy Blais ($1.525m) to one-year contracts, the Rangers now have 17 players on the active roster with $10 million in cap space leftover to field a team next season. Assuming they elect to go with the full compliment of 23 players, that comes out to an average of $1.66 million per remaining player. And, yes, I'm being facetious.

I don't for a minute believe that it is an accident that Drury locked up both Kravtsov and Blais first. The former gives him some flexibility at right wing in the event that another team swoops in with an offer sheet on Kaapo Kakko that the Rangers will not be able to meet; the latter addresses a need this team still has: a physical north-south winger who's good along the boards and between the dots.

But the biggest question mark hanging out there is who will get the coveted number two center slot? Both Ryan Strome and Andrew Copp are UFAs and will no doubt be looking for huge increases off of their last contracts: Strome at $4.5 million and Copp at $3.6 million. Both had career years and both complimented Artemi Panarin very well. Of the two, Copp is the better option, registering 18 points in 16 regular-season games and 14 points in 20 postseason games. He also had a better face-off percentage than Strome - 49 to 43 - and there was a definite chemistry between him and Panarin.

But if reports are accurate that Strome's agent turned down an offer of $5.25 million at the start of the season and Copp's camp is looking to test the free agent waters in July, Drury may have no choice but to look elsewhere to fill the 2C. But where?

Don't look now but it's entirely conceivable that come training camp Filip Chytil is the team's number two center. From a purely financial position, it makes perfect sense. Assuming he can entice Kakko to accept a two-year bridge deal at $2.3 million, Drury would have himself one helluva cheap second line. And if what we saw in the playoffs wasn't a mirage but the real deal, the Rangers would have one of the youngest and most dynamic trio of forwards in the NHL. Their emergence as a cohesive threat would allow Gerard Gallant to assemble a super line of Mika Zibanejad at center, Panarin at left wing and Chris Kreider at right.

Think of what Drury could do with the extra $5 million in cap money he would otherwise have to spend on either Copp or Strome. He could shore up that all-important third line that often makes or breaks teams. As I wrote in my last piece, both Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos had their way with the Rangers in these playoffs. And if Sebastian Aho had been a better finisher, the Tampa Bay Lightning would've been playing the Carolina Hurricanes instead of the Rangers in the Eastern Conference finals. I'm sure that deficiency hasn't gone unnoticed by Drury, who since he ascended to the dual position of President and GM has been methodical with every move he's made with the notable exception of the Patrik Nemeth signing. That one defies all logic.

Let's be honest here: apart from his friendship with Panarin, does Strome really get this team any closer to a Stanley Cup? He's an above-average skater with an average shot and not much net-front presence. Were it not for the value he brings to the power play, he'd be no better than a third-line center. Drury should consider himself fortunate that he rejected his offer of $5.25 million. As for Copp, he's never recorded more than 39 points in a single season. Like Strome, his owes most of the success he had here to playing alongside Panarin. Rangers fans maybe disappointed with the all-star winger's output, particularly against the Lightning, but Panarin is an elite player who brings out the most in his line mates. If Gallant elects not to create a super line and instead keeps Panarin on the second line, I wouldn't be shocked at all if Chytil ends up having a career year. That's how valuable number 10 is.

Now I know what you're thinking and you can bet the ranch Drury is thinking the same thing. Is Chytil durable enough to play an entire season? That's the sixty-four thousand dollar question Drury must answer. Let's face it: the guy's as brittle as a candy bar. It doesn't much matter how well the kid plays if he can't stay on the ice. The hit he took in game four of the conference finals didn't look all that serious at the time, yet it was enough to sideline him the rest of the game. In his four seasons in the NHL, the most games he's ever played is 75, and that was in his rookie year. This year he missed 15 games; the year before he missed 14. Missing five or six games is acceptable; missing 15 is a problem.

Kakko hasn't exactly been a model of durability either, but that's where Kravtsov comes in. In a pinch, he could easily slot over and take his place. Drury's ability to build a roster deep enough to overcome the odd injury or two will determine whether this team takes the next step in 2023 or is simply a flash in the pan.

As for the third line, as I wrote in my last piece, Drury was definitely interested in signing shutdown center Phillip Danault last summer, but the L.A. Kings outbid him. He's still looking for that center and Nick Paul could be just what the doctor ordered. The burly 219 pounder is having quite an impressive postseason with the Lightning and would make an ideal fit between Barclay Goodrow and Kravtsov. Drury might be able to ink him for $2.5 million x 3 years.

That would leave enough money to get a backup goalie like Braden Holtby ($1.5m), a left-handed defenseman to replace Nemeth ($900k), who I assume will be dealt soon, and a fourth-line center, I'm thinking a Brian Boyle reunion ($800k). They still have Dryden Hunt in reserve if someone gets hurt. And ya never know, Will Cuylle might even get a shot. Bottom line, hopefully we've seen the last of Greg McKegg and Julien Gauthier. 

All this is speculation, of course. For all we know, Drury is cooking up a major trade for a number two center as we speak. But until something concrete happens, it's always fun to speculate.

Drury is Carefully Building a Championship Team Right Before Our Eyes.

Now that the trade deadline has come and gone and the new players the Rangers acquired have had a chance to acclimate themselves to their new team, it's time to state the obvious: apart from Justin Braun, the Flyer defenseman with 100 games of playoff experience that Chris Drury was able to pry away from Cliff Fletcher for a 4th round pick, all three forwards - Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano and Tyler Motte - could be here to stay.

As the old saying goes, why rent when you can own? While other GMs in the league for the most part ponied up first and second round draft picks for the privilege of renting the services of players that will be gone next season, Drury set his sights a bit higher. He opted for players that can not only help his team now but, with a little creative math and the shuffling of one or two current players on the roster, can be retained after the playoffs are over.

I've been saying this for months now. The negotiations with Ryan Strome's agent over a contract extension are at the epicenter of all Drury's decision making with respect to the number two center position. In a nutshell, it is untenable for him not to have a Plan B in place in the event Strome decides to walk, which with the signing of Tomas Hertl to an eight-year extension by the San Jose Sharks, is all but a given. There's no way in hell Strome is going to get anywhere close to the $8.1 million salary Hertl will be making next season. Even if the Rangers had the cap space - which they don't - Drury would be a fool to even entertain such a contract.

It's also obvious that the longer these negotiations dragged on, the less likely it was going to be that the two sides would reach an agreement. And given that Drury locked up Igor Shesterkin and Mika Zibanejad before the start of the season, and Adam Fox shortly after, you can draw your own conclusions as to what happened and why. Suffice to say Strome's agent may have overplayed his hand by rejecting a deal that was believed to be around four years at $5.75 million AAV.

But that's water over the dam now. If Strome isn't staying, a replacement must be found. J.T. Miller was never a practical candidate. Yes, at $5.25 million through next season his contract was the most team friendly out there. Assuming the Vancouver Canucks even make him available during the off season, Drury would have to pay a king's ransom to land him. And as I wrote in an earlier piece, Drury would only be kicking the can down the road an additional season. A year from now, he'd be in the same predicament, but without the draft capital or assets needed to get out of it.

As for Mark Scheifele, the Winnipeg Jet comes in at $6.15 thru '24, which gives the Rangers an extra year to play with. But in the end, like Miller, the result would be the same: a parting of significant draft picks and assets with a limited return on investment. For the Rangers to tell their fan base that they endured a four-year playoff hiatus in order to enjoy a two to three year playoff window is a non starter. What Drury needed was a long-term solution that allowed him to protect his assets while still fielding a team that could contend for the Cup now and in the future. And it looks like he may have found it.

Andrew Copp and Frank Vatrano are not Claude Giroux and Rickard Rakell, that should be obvious. But they ain't Bobby Sheehan and Pierre Plante either. And considering what Drury paid to acquire them, it's fair to say he hit it out of the ball park, so to speak. Both players have made significant contributions since their arrival. Copp has a goal and four assists in his first four games as a Ranger, while Vatrano has five goals in his first seven. The new additions also seem to have impacted the team's overall performance, as well. According to Stat Boy Steven, since the trade deadline, the Rangers 5v5 scoring has almost doubled, from 1.87 goals per game to a league-leading 3.6. That cannot be a coincidence.

And here's the best news: While both players are UFAs after the season, both can be re-signed without breaking the bank. Now that the NHL has made it official that the salary cap is going up to $82.5 million next season - an increase of $1 million over this season - that leaves the Rangers with $11.7 million in cap space with 16 players under contract. While not as bad as the Florida Panthers, who have only $4.5 million available with 15 players under contract, it does mean that Drury will have to thread the needle carefully over the summer.

If he can find someone to take Patrik Nemeth's contract off his hands, that would increase the amount Drury has to play with by $2.5 million. And if he can move Filip Chytil, that would free up an additional $2.3 million. Say Copp signs for $5 million and Vatrano for $3 million. That leaves $8.5 million left for Kaapo Kakko ($2.4m?), Motte ($1.5m), Sammy Blais ($1.5m), Zac Jones ($925k) and a backup goalie ($1m). My point is Drury has everything he needs within his own organization to build a contender next season and beyond. How many GMs can say that?

Since taking over as president and general manager of the Rangers, I've been very impressed with Drury. He's been methodical and deliberate in the moves he's made. There's always a rhyme and a reason for everything he does. Indeed, he seems to be taking a page out of Julien BriseBois' playbook. If the Tampa Bay Lightning go on to win their third Stanley Cup in a row this spring, it'll be due in no small part to the job BriseBois has done as GM.

Bottom line, the cupboard is full, the future bright. Trust the process, people. Chris Drury knows what he's doing.

Coyote Ugly

File this under "we'll take the two points, thank you." The New York Rangers, losers of two in a row and three of their last four, limped out of the Arizona desert with a come from behind victory over the hapless Coyotes, thanks to two late power play goals by Mika Zibanejad and Kaapo Kakko. To say they were fortunate would be an understatement.

Consider this: the Arizona Coyotes are last in the NHL in points, last in goals scored and second to last in goals against. Yet, last night the Rangers made them look like world beaters. It's one thing to get outplayed by the Colorado Avalanche; they are, after all, one of the four best teams in the Western conference. To get outplayed by a team that many picked to be a draft lottery finalist at the start of the season is embarrassing.

This wasn't a resilient team that persevered and found a way to win; this was a sloppy and lackluster team that needed to be rescued by an undisciplined team that gifted them two power play opportunities late in the third period. Sans that, we'd be talking about a three-game losing streak today and a lot of soul searching.

You can blame the scheduling all you want. Playing six games in nine nights is brutal, I get it. But good teams rise above those sorts of handicaps and take care of business. We did not see a good team last night; we saw an incredibly lucky one that should seriously consider sending every Coyote player a dozen roses.

Yes, they are in first place and, yes, they are an incredible 11-0-1 against teams with losing records. But dig a little deeper and what you'll find is a bit unsettling. Of those eleven wins, six have been by one goal, including two against the Sabres and last night's yawner against the Coyotes. The one lone "laugher" - a 6-2 rout against the Blackhawks in Chicago - was a tie game heading into the third period. And the 4-1 win they had at UBS Arena against the Islanders - a team that at the time was decimated by a Covid outbreak - was only 2-0 after two periods.

While they are 8-7-2 against teams with winning records, two of those wins were the direct result of Igor Shesterkin standing on his head; while three of the losses were blowouts: 5-1 and 6-0 against Calgary, and the recent 7-3 shellacking against Colorado at the Garden last week. Their plus-10 goal differential is the lowest among the four division leaders. And they have yet to play the Carolina Hurricanes, the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Pittsburgh Penguins, winners of five in a row.

Look, I don't think it's time to push the panic button; not yet, at least. But there is reason to be concerned. These trends are not good. Teams that habitually live on the edge almost invariably die on it. Of their 84 goals, 43 have come from Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Ryan Strome and Adam Fox. The "kids" - Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere and Filip Chytil - at times have been in the witness protection program. Kakko finally got off the schneid last night, scoring twice, including the game winner; Chytil was a healthy scratch - draw your own conclusions; Dryden Hunt is a top-six forward the way I'm an NBA center; Barclay Goodrow has played every position except defense and goal; and Julien Gauthier still can't finish. Gerard Gallant is doing everything humanly possible to squeeze every ounce of talent out of this group and, so far, he's been very successful.

Despite their impressive record, the Rangers are NOT, I repeat NOT, a Stanley Cup contender. Yes, they will make the playoffs, but unless Chris Drury decides to pull the trigger and utilize the cap space he has to address this team's needs - a right winger who can bury the puck or a play-making center - their chances of advancing deep in the postseason are next to nil.

Their power play bailed them out last night; it won't save them come May.

The Kids Are Alright

Two games do not a season make, I realize. But they do represent a rather significant improvement and, hopefully, a turning point for a team that was relying way too much on the heroics of its goaltender Igor Shesterkin to bail them out.

The statistics don't lie. A 5-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, followed by a 4-3 shootout win over the New Jersey Devils, in which the New York Rangers not only won more face-offs, they out shot, out hit and out scored their opponents, is about as one eighty a turnaround as you can expect. 

More significant, the play at even strength, the one metric by which successful teams are measured, has improved considerably. Of the 12 goals they scored over the last three games, all but 3 came at either 5x5 or 4x4. That comes out to an average 3 even-strength goals per game. Extrapolated over the course of an entire season, that would tie them with the Florida Panthers for the league lead.

But last night's thrilling win over the Devils was more than just the second consecutive strong showing by a group of players looking to deliver on the promise of a four-year rebuild that was seriously in doubt; it was the coming out party for one Kaapo Kakko, the second overall pick of the 2019 Draft, who had gone ten games without scoring a single point. The Finnish winger set up fellow milk carton contestant Alexis Lafreniere's fourth goal of the season in the second period to put the Rangers ahead 2-1. And in the third period, his first goal of the season, off a beautiful give and go with Ryan Strome, allowed his team to regain the lead before the Devils tied it late. He would later score on a backhander in the shootout.

The goals were sorely needed. Let's face it, as brilliant as Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin and, to a lesser extent, Mika Zibanejad have been throughout the season, they cannot continue to carry the load all by themselves. Sooner or later, Kakko and Lafrenirere have to step up and start pulling their weight. They don't have to be stars, but they can't continue to be missing in action game in and game out. Not if this team is going to succeed.

Fortunately, that won't be the case here. Seriously, did anybody really believe for a moment that Kakko was going to go the entire season without scoring a single goal? Or that Lafreniere was going to score only 15 goals? The Twitter mob notwithstanding, these two players simply have too much talent. My advice for the restless and the weary is to chill and stop comparing them with other first rounders. It'll only give you a headache and it won't accomplish a damn thing.

It's easy to forget that Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere are only 20 years old; K'Andre Miller and Nils Lundkvist are barely 21. Even with all the changes Chris Drury made during the off season, this is still a very young team. Despite their early-season struggles, they are in third place in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals, and two points behind the league-leading Panthers. Imagine where this team will be when they start clicking on all cylinders.

Gerard Gallant finally appears to be getting through to his troops, and assuming Sammy Blais isn't too badly injured after his collision with P.K. - slew foot - Subban, Rangers fans might be in store for a very exciting and rewarding season.

I, for one, am pumped.

Rangers Glass Half Empty

This time there was no miracle comeback. This time there were no acrobatic saves. The lucky and resilient Rangers were neither last night against a Calgary Flames team that out checked, out hustled and, in the end, outscored them. The final score was 5-1, and like the season opener in Washington, it was a fair representation of a team that is still finding it difficult acclimating to the system their coach wants them to play.

After a four-game road winning streak that saw them play maybe four periods of spirited hockey, last night's performance was a dud, to say the least. Time after time, the Rangers tried to carry the puck out of their zone; time after time, the Flames prevented them from doing so. When they did manage to gain the offensive zone, their passes were often intercepted and led to scoring chances the other way. 

Chris Tanev had one of those chances when the Rangers got caught up ice on a 3 on 2. The Calgary defenseman scored with 70 seconds left in the first period. Another came courtesy of a giveaway by Patrik Nemeth behind his own net early in the second and was converted by Andrew Mangiapane. And just like that it was 2-0 Flames. In all, they committed twenty giveaways, nine in the opening period.

We've seen this movie before. The Caps, the Stars, the Senators and now the Flames. The common theme in all four games has been a lackluster performance leading to deficits that make it difficult to overcome. Seriously, if you had the Rangers scoring three goals in a span of 3:20 in Ottawa you're either a liar or clairvoyant. Regardless, this is no way for a team to play if it has any postseason aspirations.

Consider this: not one of the seven teams the Rangers have played this season is considered a legit Cup contender. I know there are fans in Washington and Toronto who might beg to differ. Let them. If either the Caps or Maple Leafs makes it to the finals, I'll start buying lotto tickets. Like I wrote in my last piece, if this is how they're going to play against teams that are beatable, imagine what's going to happen to them when they play against the Bruins, the Hurricanes, or, gulp, the Islanders.

They haven't scored more than three goals in a game all season. Their power play is an anemic 3 for 26. Apart from the goaltending, the lone bright spot has been their penalty kill, which had successfully killed off 14 straight power plays until Mangiapane scored on a five on four at 19:55 of the third period.

Gerard Gallant hinted they might have been tired after a long road trip. Excuses won't cut it. They weren't tired out there, they were sloppy; sloppy and stubborn. They still think they can carry the puck into the zone and set up shop like it's the '80s or something. This reluctance to dump the puck in the corner and forecheck is mind numbing. Even more frustrating is the unwillingness to put bodies in front of the opponents net. Indeed, their only goal came as a result of Kevin Rooney and Dryden Hunt screening the Calgary goaltender with Hunt pouncing on the rebound. See how simple that was?

They got Ryan Strome back last night. He was one of the few bright spots on the ice, winning 11 of 12 face-offs and setting up Artemi Panarin for a breakaway that was stopped. Kaapo Kakko makes his return from an upper-body injury Friday when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets, another beatable team. After that, they embark on a road trip out west.

They're 4-2-1. They could easily be 2-4-1. Barring a trade or serious injury, this is the team that will determine whether the rebuild started by Jeff Gorton four years ago, and tweaked by Chris Drury this summer, was successful or not. Are the Rangers a contender or a pretender? This is the question that remains to be answered. I'm still bullish on the former, but then I've been known to be wrong.

Just take a look at my blog posts.

Did the Rangers Wait Too Long to Re-Sign Adam Fox?

By now you've heard that the Boston Bruins have re-signed their all-star defenseman Charlie McAvoy to an eight-year, $76 million dollar contract extension beginning in 2022-23. For those who didn't bring their calculators with them, that's $9.5 million per year. Or, as we say in New York, "a fuckin' lotta dough."

Just where the Bruins, who are $1.2 million under the cap this season, intend to get that "dough" remains a mystery, especially since Patrice Bergeron, their all-star center, is currently making $6.875 and will be a UFA next summer. But that's their problem.

They say timing is everything. Lost in all the hoopla of the Rangers signing Mika Zibanejad to an eight year, $8.5 million AAV contract is the fact that they have a plethora of pending contracts that will have to be either re-upped or moved over the next couple of seasons. And the biggest of those is Adam Fox, who is in the last year of an entry level contract worth $925,000 per.

With Cale Makar re-signing in Colorado for $9 million per over the summer, the market for defensemen who can score is pretty much set. By waiting as long as they did, the Rangers may have boxed themselves into a corner with their Norris-trophy winner. After the Zibanejad signing, there was some optimism that Chris Drury might be able to persuade Fox to agree to a similar, team-friendly contract. The McAvoy signing pretty much tosses that scenario out the window. At this point, Drury will be lucky if he can get Fox to accept $9 million per. Shit, if Seth Jones is worth $9.5 million, how much is Fox worth?

Welcome to life in the flat salary cap era, or as it's better known in the NHL, the Hunger Games. The Rangers, who for the last three seasons have "enjoyed" the benefits of being among the youngest teams in the league, are about to find out what happens when that youth grows up. In addition to Fox, Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere and K'Andre Miller will all see their ELCs expire over the next two years, and barring something unforeseen, all will be due substantial pay raises. Maybe Vitali Kravtsov did them a solid by going AWOL after all. If they can move him for a 2nd rounder or a serviceable forward with a reasonable cap hit, that'll be one less headache for Drury to deal with next summer.

But getting back to Fox, did you see the way he played Thursday night? It was as if the puck was glued to his stick. If Wayne Gretzky had been a defenseman instead of a center, he would've looked just like Fox. Drury is going to have to bite the bullet here. There are some contracts you don't fuck around with. If he's this good at 23, imagine what he's going to look like two or three years from now. 

Get him signed. Get him signed now! If it takes $9.5 mill per to get it done, then that's what it takes. Fuck it, if it takes $10 mill, do it. In five years, it'll be a bargain. Think about it: right now, Artemi Panarin is the best player on this team. Who knows, in a couple of seasons, Fox might supplant him. He's that good.

I know there are risks involved in assembling a top heavy roster. Just ask the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers. Both teams have a substantial portion of their salary cap tied up in just a few players. And as a result, both have had a hard time acquiring the depth needed to make a serious run at the Cup. I won't lie to you, that fate could await the Rangers.

But the greater risk, in my opinion, would be letting a generational player like Fox walk because you want the "freedom" to pursue lesser players that, and let's be honest, can be had in any given off season. Yes, the Tampa Bay Lightning would not have won either of their two Stanley Cups if they didn't have foot soldiers like Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman in the trenches; but they would never have gotten close if they didn't have world-class talent like Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. You need both types of players to win a championship these days.

Adam Fox is the best defenseman the Rangers have had since the days of Brian Leetch. Hell, he might even be better. Chris Drury must make every effort to ensure he never plays for another organization.

The Lightning Just Gave the Rangers a Blueprint for Success

For any and all Rangers' fans who still cling to the silly belief that acquiring Jack Eichel is the ticket to a future Stanley Cup championship, I hope they had a chance to watch game five of the finals last night between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens. The Bolts, behind Conn-Smythe Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy, shutout the Habs 1-0 to capture their second consecutive Cup.

The significance of this achievement cannot be overstated. Consider the following: In the final round, Brayden Point, the NHL leader in postseason goals with 14, didn't score once. Nikita Kucherov, the leading scorer in the postseason, had a grand total of three points, all in game one. Steven Stamkos scored his one and only goal of the series on the power play, also in game one. Alex Killorn, third on the team in playoff scoring, went down with an injury in game one and missed the rest of the series.

And yet this team still managed to hoist the Cup last night. How was that possible? Simple, because for all their world-class talent, the Lightning have some of the best and grittiest foot soldiers in the NHL. 

Players like Ross Colton, Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow, Pat Maroon, Yanni Gourde, David Savard and Anthony Cirelli are the reasons this team won back-to-back championships. Shit, they're the reason they got past the Islanders in the semifinals. Cirelli was the best player on the ice in games six and seven of that series. He set up Gourde's short-handed tally in game seven, the only goal of the game. It was Coleman's goal in game two of the finals that proved to be the difference. It was Maroon's goal that sent game four into overtime. And it was Goodrow's shot-blocking prowess that allowed Colton's tip in in the second period of game five to stand as the lone goal; that and the clutch goaltending of Vasilevskiy.

For less than what it would cost the Rangers to acquire Eichel, they could easily sign three players like Coleman, Goodrow and Colton. The first two are UFAs; the last is an RFA with matching rights. But since the Lightning are already over the Cap and will have to shed salary during the offseason, it is unlikely they will be able to retain him. A total of $9 million per year for all three should do it.

They could then trade Filip Chytil, Vitali Kravtsov and their number one draft pick to Tampa for Cirelli who is a future star in the making. On defense, they could re-sign Brendon Smith to a one-year deal for $1.5 million and trade Zac Jones and a second-round pick to the St Louis Blues for Vince Dunn, who they would then sign to a three-year deal for $3.5 million per.

Think of the possibilities. Ryan Strome centering Artemi Panarin on the left and Colman on the right; Mika Zibanejad centering Chris Kreider on the left and Colin Blackwell on the right; Cirelli centering Alexis Lafreniere on the left and Kaapo Kakko on the right; and Colton centering Goodrow on the left and Gauthier on right. The defensive pairings would be Jacob Trouba / K'Andre Miller, Adam Fox / Ryan Lindgren, and Smith / Dunn.

Over night, the Rangers would be a deeper, tougher team to play against. Apart from Panarin, not a single player would be at or over the $10 million mark. And best of all, the Rangers would still have the cap space needed to sign their young, budding stars to the contracts they will undoubtedly deserve in 2022 and 2023.

I will keep saying it until the doubters are convinced. To win in the NHL these days you need players that are willing to deliver and take a check. Anybody can score against teams that don't play defense. The real challenge comes when you try to score against teams that defend well, and against those teams, the Rangers struggled mightily last season.

Chris Drury, I'm sure, realizes this. At the press conference to introduce Gerard Gallant, he said, "It’s hard not to watch these playoffs and notice the physicality, the energy, the effort and the intensity it takes to win and to succeed and we’re certainly going to need to play that way to have success in the regular season and in the playoffs."

That's why it's imperative that he resist the urge to go for the glitter and instead grab the grit. It won't be the sexy move, but it will help this franchise, which has now gone 27 years without a Cup, get closer to the Holy Grail.

Rangers Do the Right Thing and Stand Pat

The trade deadline came and went and Jeff Gorton didn't flinch. The man who three years ago let millions of Rangers fans know via a letter that the team which had twice gone to the conference finals and once to the Stanley Cup finals was going to be torn down and rebuilt, resisted the urge to take a short cut and stood pat.

Not that it was all that difficult a choice for Gorton. The players who were available were, for the most part, rentals at best and came with a high premium. To give up a first round pick for a player who not only would've been gone in a couple of months but would've taken a valuable spot away from an up and comer, might well have set the whole rebuild back a year, maybe more.

And while the team has taken something of a step backwards in its development this year, the immediate future looks quite promising. The Kid line of Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere is finally starting to click; newcomer Vitali Kravtsov picked up his first point against the Islanders on Sunday; sophomore Adam Fox is tied with Victor Hedman for the most points among defensemen; and, as we speak, the Rangers are in the process of signing UMass phenom defenseman Zac Jones to an entry level contract. I expect him to make his professional debut soon.

Not counting Tony DeAngelo - whom they will surely buy out - the Rangers will have an extra $13 million in available cap space to play with going into next season. More than enough to work out a trade for Jack Eichel, assuming the Sabres aren't unreasonable in their demands. Gorton would've been nuts to panic now.

Indeed, the Rangers, despite the prospect of missing the post season three out of the last four years, are sitting pretty when it comes to the salary cap. Virtually every team from the Islanders to the Tampa Bay Lightning is going to have to make some tough decisions about which players they can retain and still stay under the cap, which for the foreseeable future is going to be flat at $81.5 million. Apart from extending Pavel Buchnevich to what will likely be a hefty raise, I don't anticipate Gorton having any issues with his contracts.

And then there's the Seattle expansion draft, where each team is allowed to protect seven forwards, three defenseman and one goaltender. Here again, the Rangers are in the cat-bird's seat. Thanks to a plethora of entry-level contracts that exempts almost a third of the roster from exposure, it's entirely possible the Blueshirts will emerge as the only team in the league to remain intact going into next season. Gorton couldn't have designed this any better if he'd tried.

That's not to say that everything is hunky dory over at the Garden. Far from it. There are still a lot of unanswered questions concerning the makeup of this team. They have way too many east-west type players that can bury the puck if you give them the room, but when you take away their passing lanes and force them out of their comfort zone, they tend to disappear. The three-game sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes last year, as we now know, wasn't an anomaly; it was a red flag. They're way too soft, and management must find a way of injecting some muscle into this bunch if they are ever going to take the next step forward.

But even with all that, things are looking up for this organization. The glass is more than half filled, and by this time next year, this young and, at times, exciting group of players, should be a playoff team.

What the Panarin Signing Means For the Rangers

Now this is what I call an off season. Since hiring John Davidson to be their President of Hockey Operations, the Rangers have been on quite a roll.

First they acquired defenseman Adam Fox from the Carolina Hurricanes for a second round pick. Next they fleeced the Winnipeg Jets out of defenseman Jacob Trouba for what amounted to Neal Pionk and the same first round pick they received for Kevin Hayes at last year's trading deadline. Then with their own number one pick they drafted Kaapo Kakko, the player everyone agrees is going to be a star in this league.

For most organizations, that would be a pretty good haul. But Davidson and company weren't done. On the first day of free agency, they signed Artemi Panarin - arguably the best player on the board - to a 7 year $81.5 million dollar contract. The cap hit comes out to $11.6 million per year, meaning the Rangers will have to do some pruning in order to sign their other players and still remain under the salary cap. As of this moment they have just over $8 million in cap space and they still need to sign their RFAs: Trouba, Brendan Lemieux, Pavel Buchnevich and Tony Deangelo. Assuming Trouba gets $7 million - he was making $5.5 last season - Buchnevich gets $3 million and Lemieux and Deangelo each get a million, that puts the Rangers $4 million over the cap. With the deadline for buyouts expiring this past Sunday, trades are the only option available to G.M. Jeff Gorton.

So who goes? The smart money's on Chris Kreider who, at $4.6 million against the cap, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after this season and, apart from Panarin and Mika Zibanejad, is the team's most marketable player. He could easily fetch a first round pick. But ask yourself this question: Does this team really need another first round pick or bodies that can help them win? I submit the latter. With that in mind, I think Gorton should do everything possible to keep Kreider. Players who can score between 25 and 30 goals a season don't grow on trees. In fact, the Rangers just ponied up $81 million to get their hands on one.

Yes, I know Kreider can be an enigma. He had 20 goals halfway through last season and just 8 the rest of the way, but part of that slump was due to the fact that Mats Zuccarello, his line mate, had been dealt at the trade deadline. I'd hate to give up on him only to see him become a star elsewhere. Will he demand a huge pay raise? Of course, but keep in mind, the Rangers are currently carrying $3.6 million in dead cap space courtesy of the Dan Girardi buyout two years ago. Next year, that number goes down to $1.1 million. That's a net gain of $2.5 million, all of which can go to Kreider.

If I were management, I'd try to get what I can for Vladislav Namestnikov, who at $4 million against the cap, has been a bust since he came here as part of the Ryan McDonagh deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Even if all they get is a second or third round pick, it's worth it. I'd much rather move an underperforming player than one who could play an integral part in a resurgent team looking to make its first post season appearance in three years.

But apart from the cap concerns, Panarin is the most significant acquisition this team has made in quite some time. He isn't just a scorer, he's a complete player who makes others around him better. He was clearly the best player for the Columbus Blue Jackets last season and he led the team in playoff scoring with 11 points in 10 games. He's Rick Nash, if Nash had been a clutch player. Don't be surprised if head coach David Quinn doesn't have Zibanejad centering a line with Panarin on the left and Kakko on the right.

And now for the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Does Panarin get the Rangers into the playoffs? That depends on whether the "kids" develop the way everybody hopes they do. Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson - both centers - will be entering their second NHL season and one of them has to blossom in order for this team to have a legitimate second line. Brett Howden and Ryan Strome will likely center the third and fourth lines. If Kreider stays, his presence will greatly enhance the team's chances of a post-season spot.

One thing's for certain: this year's Rangers will be a lot more entertaining to watch than last year's, and the following year will be even better. As this core grows up and begins to establish itself, we could be looking at a truly solid team for years to come. Once Henrik Lundqvist and Marc Staal are gone in two years, this will be one of the youngest teams in the league.

The group of players that Glen Sather assembled over a decade ago came close a couple of times to drinking from Lord Stanley's Cup. Maybe with Davidson at the helm this time around, lady luck might shine her light on this organization and bless it with a championship or two.

1994 is getting to be a long time ago.