Drury Silences the Critics, for Now

Let's face it: the last twelve months have not been particularly good for New York Rangers fans. Barclay Goodrow waived, the infamous memo, Jacob Trouba traded, the team imploding, Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil and Ryan Lindgren sent packing, Peter Laviolette fired, Mike Sullivan hired, Chris Kreider shipped out. Jesus, a circus has less excitement. One could certainly be forgiven for being jaded about this team's prospects going into free agency. To tell you the truth, my expectations were pretty low.

But you know the old saying, when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade out of them. Well, Chris Drury did better than that; he took those lemons and he made a lemon soufflé out of them.

At 12:49, the first domino fell. Vladislav Gavrikov: $7 million x 7. Those of us who were following the news on Twitter thought it was a misprint. No way Drury signed the number one UFA defenseman on the open market for that much. Only the previous day, the Columbus Blue Jackets re-signed Ivan Provorov to a 7 year, $8.5m AAV extension. Based on that, you had to figure Gavrikov would come in at $9m easy. But, sure enough, it wasn't a misprint. Drury got his man for below market value. So far, so good.

Over the next several hours, the majority of us kept refreshing our time lines, widely speculating on what Drury's next move would be. Re-sign Will Cuylle, dump K'Andre Miller, add a scorer.  At 5:24, Larry Brooks broke the news. Cuylle was re-signed to a two year bridge deal with a $3.9m AAV. A sigh of relief went up in Rangersland. With Matthew Knies getting $7.75m x 6 from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the prevailing sentiment was that Cuylle would certainly get an offer sheet somewhere around $5m. But as the hours wore on, it was looking more and more like the Rangers were going to dodge a bullet.

The next domino fell right before 6:00. Miller to Carolina in a sign and trade for a conditional first round pick, a second round pick and defenseman Scott Morrow. Murrow was considered the top prospect in the Hurricanes organization. Eric Tulsky actually agreed to an 8 year, $7.5m AAV contract for a player with more turnovers than a bakery on Christmas morning. Maybe Rod Brind'Amour can turn him around, but, frankly, I have my doubts. Good luck, Canniacs, you're gonna need it.

Wow! What can I say? In less than six hours, Drury signed his number one free agent target for less than what most thought he would have to pay, re-signed one of his best two-way forwards to a very team-friendly deal, and rid himself of a defenseman responsible for more gray hairs than Methuselah. 

But Drury wasn't done. Later that evening he signed forward Taylor Raddysh to a two year, $1.5m AAV contract. Raddysh had 7 goals and 27 points for the Washington Capitals last season, and in 2022-23, registered a career-high 20 goals for the Chicago Blackhawks. At 6-3, 198 lbs, he should make an ideal bottom six forward. Even the Drury haters were forced to admit he was on a roll.

Now by no means is this team a Cup contender. They still have Carson Soucy on their roster, and if you thought Miller was bad, Soucy makes him look like a cross between Scott Stevens and Brian Leetch. And Mika Zibanejad, who had his worst season since 2017-18, is still a huge question mark going into this season. Pending any additional moves, the Rangers are a Wild Card, borderline third-place team at best. Sullivan may wish he'd stayed in Pittsburgh.

However, that shouldn't detract from what Drury has done here. Think about it: in just over a year, he has turned over more than a third of the roster and made this team younger and tougher. Gavrokov is the best left-handed defenseman the organization has had since Ryan McDonagh; Will Cuylle has a chance to become one of the best two-way forwards in the NHL; and in just the last three months, the Rangers went from having practically no draft capital to having two first rounders in 2026, one in '27 and one in '28. They also have second round picks in '26 and '28, as well as a third, fifth and sixth-round pick in all three years. In other words, they're loaded.

Sam Pollock he ain't, but he sure as shit ain't Phil Esposito.

Exploring Drury's Options After Sending His 2025 Pick to Pittsburgh

Earlier today, the New York Rangers announced that they were sending their 2025 first round draft pick - 12th overall - to the Pittsburgh Penguins and retaining their 2026 first rounder. The move completes the trade in which the Rangers acquired J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks back in February for a top-13 protected number one. The Rangers had until 48 hours before the Draft to decided which pick they were keeping. The reason it's going to Pittsburgh and not Vancouver is because the Canucks traded it to the Pens in the Marcus Pettersson deal.

So what does this mean?

For starters, I don't think it means that Chris Drury believes next year's pick will be higher, e.g., better. For his sake, it better not be. Indeed, the prevailing sentiment around the NHL is that this team, even with all its flaws, is much better than what it showed last season. That doesn't mean the Rangers will win the Presidents' Trophy, but it does mean they should make the playoffs. Why else would Drury hire Mike Sullivan to coach the team if he didn't feel that way?

That's why this move was so vital. Holding onto next year's first round pick provides Drury with five possible options.

One: An Offer Sheet. For almost a month now the scuttlebutt around the league has had the Rangers signing J.J. Peterka of the Buffalo Sabres to an offer sheet. There was just one hitch. If they kept their '25 first rounder, the Rangers wouldn't have one to send to Buffalo in the event the Sabres couldn't match the offer. An offer sheet with an AAV of $7.02 million per would require a first and third round pick as compensation. Here's the thing, though: based on the CBA, even if Drury front loaded the offer sheet with signing bonuses in each year, the highest salary he can pay Peterka in year one is $8.775m: $8m signing bonus and $775k base. Difficult, but hardly insurmountable for Buffalo. But in the end, why would the Sabres bother matching an offer for a player who has made it clear he doesn't want to be there?

Two: Leverage. Drury doesn't actually have to sign Peterka to an offer sheet; he can just threaten to do so. Indeed, if he plays his cards right, he might be able to negotiate a deal with his counterpart Kevyn Adams in which he keeps his first rounder and gives up, say, Gabe Perrault, Brennan Othmann and a third round pick for Peterka or Alexis Lafreniere and Braden Schneider for Peterka and Bowen Byram. Drury would then have to sign both players to long-term deals.

Three: Trade deadline acquisition. If the Rangers have the kind of season Drury expects them to have, he can use that pick to land a player at the deadline that can hopefully put them over the top. And with the salary cap going up to $104 million in the 2026-27 season and $113.5 million the following season, he could acquire a player with term without worrying about going over the cap, something he couldn't do in past years.

Four: Keep it. There's no law that says you have to trade your pick. If the Rangers unexpectedly shit the bed again this coming season, that first round pick will come in handy along with all the other picks the Rangers will accumulate by being sellers at the deadline. But, I stress, this is unlikely. 

Five: Trade a player on the roster for another player or pick in this year's draft. K'Andre Miller's name has been mentioned as a possible trade chip to acquire a forward or perhaps a draft pick in the upcoming draft. As I mentioned in an earlier piece, the defenseman has regressed over the last couple of seasons and remains an enigma. Perhaps a change of scenery would be best for both parties. 

The drama continues. 

We'll know soon enough what Drury's intentions are.

Drury Continues To Clean House

In a move that was widely anticipated, the New York Rangers traded their longest-tenured forward, Chris Kreider, to the Anaheim Ducks. And just like he had done with Patrick Nemeth, Barclay Goodrow and Jacob Trouba, Chris Drury did not retain a cent of Kreider's salary. All $6.5 million came off the books. What made it even better was that Drury managed to convince him to waive his no-trade clause. Kreider will now be reunited with Ryan Strome, Frank Vatrano and Trouba.

The return, a third round draft pick and a prospect, was immaterial. This was a salary dump, pure and simple. With Kreider gone, the Rangers now have $14.9 million in available cap space going into next season. And if Drury can somehow get Mika Zibanejad, Kreider's BFF, to waive his NMC, that cap space would swell to  $23.4 million. But according to Vince Mercogliano, that isn't likely to happen.

I know there are a number of Rangers fans who are deeply saddened about Kreider's departure, with some calling for his jersey to be hung from the rafters. I wish I could share their sentiments. The facts is that for all his abilities, Kreider's forte over the last few seasons was scoring on the power play. He literally made a living in his office deflecting shots past goaltenders. In the 2021-22 season, for instance, 26 of his 52 goals were scored with the man advantage. But this season, he managed a paltry 6 out of 22 tallies on the power play.

As someone who's been a fan of this team since Richard Nixon was in the White House, I've seen my fair share of good players shown the door: Rick Middleton, Mike Ridley, Kelly Miller, Mark Messier, Brian Leetch (on his fucking birthday, no less), Ryan McDonagh, the list goes on. Forgive me if I don't shed any crocodile tears over a player who, let's face it, phoned it in for much of the season. If anything, I think I've earned the right to be a little jaded with respect to number 20.

But while getting rid of Kreider was a necessary step in this retool, there's still a lot left on Drury's plate. K'Andre Miller and Will Cuylle are pending RFAs and eligible to receive offer sheets. If Drury doesn't sign them to extensions by July 1, it's conceivable he could lose both. Cuylle, in particular, would be a devastating loss. There were times this season when he was the best player on the ice for the Blueshirts. In only his second full season on Broadway, Cuylle had 20 goals, 25 assists and 300 hits. The 6-3, 212 lb. winger plays the game the way it's opposed to be played. If every player on this team played like Cuylle did last season, the Rangers would've beaten the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference finals. Drury must do whatever it takes to lock him up before the end of the month.

As far as Miller is concerned, he remains an enigma. There are nights when he looks like a Norris trophy candidate; then there are nights when he looks like he could be the seventh defenseman at Hartford. He has the size and skillset to be an elite defenseman in the NHL, yet for some inexplicable reason, he coughs up the puck at the most inopportune time of the game, which leads to high-danger scoring chances that have a nasty habit of winding up in the back of his goalie's net. Since his arrival in New York in 2020, he's played for David Quinn, Gerard Gallant and Peter Laviolette, and he's managed to get worse with each passing season.

I suppose Mike Sullivan could turn him around, but if I had to guess, I'd say he winds up being dealt as part of a package to land a top six forward or a top four defenseman. Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars and Vladislav Gavrikov of the LA Kings are two names that have been mentioned as possible targets for the Rangers. Robertson is entering the final year of a contract that pays him $7.75 million per. Gavrikov made $5.875 million this season and will become a UFA on July 1. Both will command hefty raises in their next deal. Drury will have to be very creative if he wants both players.

All in all, it was a good day for the Rangers President and General Manger. He got rid of a bad contract and put himself in position to land a good one. In other words, he did his job. 

Will the Third Time Be the Charm for Drury?

Gerard Gallant was an accomplished head coach who guided the Vegas Golden Knights in their inaugural season to the Stanley Cup finals. Peter Laviolette was an accomplished head coach who took three different teams to the finals and actually won a Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes. Mike Sullivan is an accomplished head coach who was behind the bench when the Pittsburgh Penguins won back to back Cups. 

What do all three men have in common? They were all hired by Chris Drury to coach the New York Rangers. The first two lasted two seasons before being relieved of their duties. The third was just hired yesterday. Suffice to say, Drury is hoping - praying - that the third time will be the charm. 

As Yogi Berra would say, "It's déjà vu all over again."

It's easy to sit here and say that Sullivan is just another retread, like his predecessors. That Drury should've gone for someone younger; someone like David Carle, the current head coach of the Denver Pioneers - the 2024 NCAA Frozen Four champs. Now that would've been bold; that would've been newsworthy. 

That also would've been quite impossible. Let's forget for a moment that Carle has repeatedly said he isn't interested in leaving the University of Denver. Let's also forget for a moment that Carle's name has been mentioned as a possible future replacement for Jared Bednar should he decide to step down as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche. The last time the Rangers hired a coach from the college ranks it was David Quinn from Boston University in 2018. We all know how that turned out. If you think for a moment that James Dolan would ever sign off on hiring another college coach you've taken one too many pucks to the head.

But here's the thing. If Gallant, Laviolette and Sullivan are all retreads then so is Paul Maurice, the current head coach of the Florida Panthers. His 916 career wins are the most among active NHL coaches, and last year he guided the Puddy Tats to their first Stanley Cup championship. One man's retread is another man's savior. It's worth noting that when Mike Keenan was hired by Neil Smith in 1993, the prevailing sentiment among many was that he too was a retread who was brought in because of his celebrity status.

There are some interesting parallels between the Keenan and Sullivan hirings. In the 1991-92 season, the Rangers won the Presidents' trophy but did not win the Cup. They struggled mightily the following season, missing the playoffs. Under Keenan, the Blueshirts went on to win their first Cup in 54 years. 

In the 2023-24 season, the Rangers won the Presidents' trophy but failed to win the Cup. They struggled mightily the following season, missing the playoffs. No doubt Drury is banking on lightning striking twice.

There's another parallel between the two men. In 1987, Keenan coached Team Canada to a win against the Soviet Union in the Canada Cup. That team was put together in less than two weeks over the summer, and yet Keenan was credited with bringing them together. Earlier this year, Sullivan coached Team USA to a finals appearance in the Four Nations Face-off tournament. Like Keenan in '87, Sullivan had two weeks to assemble his roster and get everyone on the same page. Though Team USA lost to Team Canada in the final game, the prevailing sentiment was that Sullivan was the reason they go as far as they did.

Of course, there's one big difference between that '94 team and this one. The former had Mark Messier and Brian Leetch; the latter doesn't. As I wrote back in April, the real problem with this team isn't behind the bench - it never was - it's in the locker room. Drury can coax Scotty Bowman out of retirement and the result would probably be the same.

Mike Sullivan's biggest challenge with this team won't be drawing up the X's and O's, determining the line combinations and defense pairings, or how much ice time each player gets; it'll be dealing with a core that for most of last season behaved as if it needed a therapist more than it needed a head coach. 

Perhaps Drury should've hired Dr. Phil instead. 

Drury's Real Problem Isn't Behind the Bench, It's in the Locker Room

Before I go any further, I wanted to take this time to personally express my gratitude to Sam Rosen for all the joy and smiles he brought Rangers fans throughout his illustrious career.

Let's step back for a moment and appreciate the enormity of what we were all privileged to witness. The man was behind the mic for forty years. To put that in perspective, Johnny Carson was on the air for thirty and Gunsmoke twenty. Whatever your favorite among all his memorable calls may be - and there are literally dozens to choose from - know this: there will never be another like him. 

From the bottom of my heart, Sam, thanks for the memories. 

Enjoy your retirement. No one has earned it more.

Now onto the main topic.

Stop me if you notice a pattern.

After David Quinn was fired as Rangers coach, the players said "We need someone who will let us play."

So Chris Drury hired Gerard Gallant.

After Gallant was fired, they said, "We need someone who will provide more structure."

So Chris Drury hired Peter Laviolette. 

After Laviolette was fired, now they're saying, "We need someone who'll communicate more with us."

So I guess Chris Drury will soon hire Dr. Phil. 

You know, my parents never took me to Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey when I was a kid, but having watched the Rangers this season, I now know what a circus looks like. 

It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to shit the bed the way these players did and NOT be embarrassed. But based on their exit interviews with Chris Drury that appears to be the case.

Here are some quotes from some of the players on break up day.

Mika Zibanaejad: "I think there was frustration. I think it's just when you don't know everything, we don't know what's going on. I feel like mentally, what I went through the first few months, was probably the toughest I’ve ever been through in my career."

Alexis Lafreniere: "I thought I had a good start and then struggled to be consistent in my game. Didn’t really make a difference."

K'Andre Miller: "Kind of hard to talk about my future here, obviously. I have a great agent that is going to help me throughout this summer’s process."

Not everybody was that tone-deaf. 

Vincent Trocheck: "I think it’s on us, inside this room, in order to make sure that the outside noise doesn’t get to us. Whether that’s talking to somebody individually or if it’s just sticking together as a team and as a family and I think we can get better at that. Lifting guys up instead of bringing guys down, I think that goes a long way."

Igor Shesterkin: "In my mind, something broke during the season, and went the other way. We couldn’t handle it. It was our job to try to find a way to get back."

For those unfamiliar with how flow charts work, I'll explain: the players are answerable to the coach; the coach is answerable to the GM; and the GM is answerable to the owner. And in case you're wondering, the chart only flows in one direction. Nowhere does it say that management is required to communicate what is going on to the players. Even if you believe it wouldn't kill Drury to learn a thing or two about business etiquette, the fact is he's not a fucking guidance counselor, and Mika Zibanaejad is not a patient in a group therapy session.

Of all the seasons in which the Rangers failed to make the playoffs, this was by far the most frustrating. And that's because unlike all those other teams, this one had no excuses. They were not in rebuild mode; there were no major injuries; and they had won the Presidents' trophy the year before. By all accounts they should be in the postseason right now.

The fact is no matter who Drury hires to replace Laviolette, if he isn't able to hold his players accountable, that coach will suffer the same fate as his predecessors. He will have a good first season, followed by the inevitable sophomore jinx. And that's because the real problem with this team isn't behind the bench, it's in the locker room. That isn't to suggest that Quinn, Gallant and Laviolette were blameless. Far from it. Quinn never quite made the adjustment from college to the pros; Gallant took the term "player's coach" way too literally; and Laviolette was stubborn to a fault. But as I wrote in an earlier piece, Scotty Bowman would have a hard time coaching this group.

And that's why it wouldn't shock me one bit if Drury brings back John Tortorella. Of all the coaches this franchise has had in its illustrious history, only Mike Keenan did a better job lighting a fire under his players butts. One thing you can count on: that putrid power play would never be allowed to stay intact. Torts would dismantle it after a couple of games. The man has all the patience of a compulsive overeater at a Chinese buffet. 

Of course with James Dolan interjecting himself into the process - he attended all the exit interviews - anything is possible. If the Pittsburgh Penguins decide to part ways with Mike Sullivan, he would definitely top the list of available coaches. While Sullivan does have an impressive resume, and is certainly qualified, the question begs why would you replace one underperforming coach with another? True, the problem in Pittsburgh is a front office that is in denial over the sorry state of its roster. But how much of that denial is to appease Sydney Crosby? And how much of that appeasement is on Sullivan's shoulders? Frankly, I'd be leery of hiring him. 

But that's just me.

Meanwhile, even though I don't have a horse in the race, here are my playoff predictions:

First round: 

Eastern Conference:

Caps over Habs 4-1 

Canes over Devils 4-2 

Leafs over Sens 4-2 

Bolts over Panthers 4-3 

Western Conference:

Jets over Blues 4-3 

Avs over Stars 4-2 

Golden Knights over Wild 4-2 

Kings over Oilers 4-3

Second round: 

Eastern Conference:

Caps over Canes 4-2 

Bolts over Leafs 4-3 

Western Conference: 

Avs over Jets 4-1 

Knights over Kings 4-1 

Conference finals: 

East: Bolts over Caps 4-2 

West: Avs over Knights 4-3 

Finals: Bolts over Avs 4-3

Knicks Playoff Preview (Round One)

The 2025 NBA postseason is upon us, and for the second year in a row, the New York Knicks have won at least 50 games. But that's where the similarity ends.

There's no debating that the 2024-25 Knicks are more talented than the 2023-24 Knicks. The offseason trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns have vastly improved their offense. Last season, they were 19th in the league in scoring, averaging 112.8 points per game; this season, they're 9th, averaging 115.8 ppg.

However, their success on the scoresheet has come at the expense of their defense. Last season, they allowed the second fewest points per game with 108.2; this season, they've allowed the 9th fewest points with 111.7.

But it's not just the defensive slippage that is a concern. For most of this season, the Knicks have struggled to find their identity. Last season, their tenaciousness on both ends of the court made them one of the most exciting teams in the NBA to watch. They made their opponents sweat for every bucket they made. Too often this season, opponents have been left wide open to make their shots. New York's perimeter defense is among the worst in the league.

And then there's the bench, or lack thereof. To acquire Towns, Leon Rose was forced to give up Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Randle was a starter, so that was a wash, but DiVo was a valuable cog in Tom Thibodeau's rotation last season. Losing him hurt. When you factor in that Mitchell Robinson didn't return until March, that meant that the starters were forced to play more minutes than they should have. 

How significant was this? The Knicks had three players in the top five in minutes played this season: Josh Hart (37.6), Bridges (37.0) and OG Anunoby (36.6). To put that in perspective, the Denver Nuggets had two in the top 10 and the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves each had one a piece. The Oklahoma City Thunder, the best team in the NBA, didn't have a single player in the top 25 in minutes played, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (34.2) is the presumptive MVP of the league.

What that means is that Thibs' starters enter the playoffs with a lot of mileage on their sneakers. And they're going up against a first-round opponent in the Detroit Pistons that is younger, bigger and considerably deeper, with a chip on its shoulder the size of the Grand Canyon. On paper, the Knicks are the better team; but playoff series aren't won on paper, they're won on the court.

I won't mince words here. There's a lot riding on this series. The Knicks entered the season with high expectations and they have struggled mightily against teams with winning records. During the regular season, they went 1-3 against Detroit and a combined 0-10 against OKC, Cleveland and Boston. After failing to get past the second round the last two postseasons, a first-round exit will not be well received by James Dolan, who is already in a foul mood over the way the Rangers imploded this season. I'm not saying Thibodeau's job is in jeopardy, but let's just say that while losing to the Celtics in five would be disappointing - but not totally unexpected - losing to the Pistons under any conditions would be an unmitigated disaster.

So how do the Knicks prevent that from happening? I believe the best way to counter the Pistons size advantage is for Thibs to start both KAT and Robinson together in the front court. Doing so allows OG to switch back to small forward, where he is far more effective. It also means Hart comes off the bench along with Landry Shamet, who, let's face it, is a more reliable shooter than Deuce McBride. Thibs also has to play Precious Achiuwa more than just a few minutes. Achiuwa isn't much of a scorer, however his size and rebounding will be essential in this series.

But for the Knicks to advance, Mikal Bridges has to produce, and by produce I mean score more than 6-10 points per game. Rose gave up five first round draft picks to the Nets to acquire what he and everyone else thought would be the third option on this team. There have been times this season when he has been virtually invisible. That cannot happen in this series. The Pistons will almost certainly attempt to double team Jalen Brunson and Towns. The only way to make them pay is for Bridges to put the ball in the hoop. Taking six shots like he did against the Lakers earlier in the season is unacceptable.

The pressure is all on the Knicks and deservedly so. The Pistons are playing with house money. After being one of the worst teams in the NBA the last five seasons, nobody expects them to win. Even ESPN - the network that loves bashing the orange and blue as much as possible - has New York prevailing. But I expect a long and grueling series. Knicks in seven.

Here's how I expect the rest of the first round matchups to go.

Eastern Conference:

Cleveland over Miami or Atlanta in four: The Cavs should romp regardless of who they play. 

Boston over Orlando in five: The Magic boast the best defense in the league. It won't be enough against the Celtics.

Indiana over Milwaukee in six: The Pacers have superior depth and that should be enough.

Western Conference:

Oklahoma City over Dallas or Memphis in five: AD would make things interesting, but the Thunder will prove to be too much.

Houston over Golden State in seven: The Warriors will have the two best players in this series; the Rockets will have the size and bench strength to prevail. 

LA Lakers over Minnesota in six: LeBron and Luka against Ant-Man. Should make for an excellent series. 

LA Clippers over Denver in six: For the first time in four years Kawhi Leonard is fully healthy going into the playoffs. 

If the Knicks advance, I'll preview the second round. If not, my prediction is OKC to win it all.

For the Rangers, the Inevitable Becomes Reality

Come on now, you didn't really think the Rangers were going to win out, did you? A team that hasn't had a three-game win streak since mid-November was somehow going to miraculously run the table while the Montreal Canadiens simultaneously were going to lose out? 

That team? 

Seriously? 

Right, and your kid's gonna get a personal visit from the Easter Bunny next Sunday. 

THE Easter Bunny. 

You heard it here first.

Throughout this hellscape of a season, the Blueshirts have had numerous opportunities to take charge of their own destiny and they failed to do so every time. You can point all you want to the horrific December they had - and it was pretty horrific - but there was still plenty of time to climb out of the hole they dug. 

The talent was there. Please spare me the bullshit about how they suddenly got old. Teams don't go from winning the Presidents' Trophy one season to the retirement home the next. That's not how it works. True, several key players had off years, but even allowing for that, the talent on this roster was still better than the one that beat it out for the last wild card spot; in fact, it was better than both wild card rosters.

But then talent was never the problem, was it? To quote former head coach Gerard Gallant, "I love to have talent, but you love to have a work ethic." Tragically for this group, work ethic proved to be its kryptonite. In a league that values grit over glitter, the Rangers were simply unwilling to pay the price to win. The last two games epitomized how their season has gone. Against an Islanders team that was badly outclassed, they had their way with them; against a Hurricanes team that is a genuine playoff contender, they were exposed. Poker players can bluff all they want, but not hockey players. You either have a Royal Flush in your hand or you have a pair of deuces. There's no in-between.

So where do we go from here? For starters, don't expect Chris Drury to go anywhere. James Dolan may not like how this team unravelled this season, but from everything we've heard coming out of the Garden, his job appears to be safe - for now. That's more than can be said for Peter Laviolette. Frankly, I would be shocked if he wasn't relieved of his duties shortly after the season is over.

I've said it before, and it bears repeating, Laviolette doesn't deserve all the blame here. As I wrote back in March, "Coaches can scream till they're blue in the face, but the last time I checked, they're not the ones wearing the jerseys."

But they do make out the lineup cards. And as long as we're being totally honest here, it was Laviolette's refusal to hold his veteran players accountable that proved to be his undoing. The power play was a case in point. It was painfully obvious that the first unit was struggling most of the season, especially down the stretch. But rather than swap out units, he simply moved a few players around, which was the equivalent of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Why Laviolette was this stubborn, we may never know. At this point, it's academic. Barring a last-minute change of heart - doubtful - there will be a new coaching staff behind the bench next season. Whoever it is better be able to motivate this core or next time it'll be Drury who gets the pink slip. 

And speaking of Drury, picking a new coach isn't the only thing on his plate. It's clear this core has some major issues that cannot be resolved with a mere pep talk or shouting match. As I also wrote in that piece back in March, "Scotty Bowman would have a hard time coaching this group." You can fault Drury for the manner in which he moved out Barclay Goodrow and Jacob Trouba, but you can't fault him for realizing that both players had outlived their usefulness to the team. And in the cap era, the Rangers simply couldn't afford to keep either of them. If anything, Drury should've played hardball with Trouba in July rather than let things simmer the way they did over the course of the season.

But that's water over the dam now. Drury doesn't have the luxury of indulging in hindsight. He has more "dead weight" on this roster to contend with. Chris Kreider will almost certainly be the next player shown the door. But where? The thirteen-year veteran has played his entire career with the Rangers. But his 26 points in 66 games was a career low for him. Moving him will not be easy, especially since he has a 15-team No Trade Clause. If Drury can find a team willing to take on his entire $6.5 million contract, he can use the cap savings to go shopping for an impact player that can move the needle on this team; someone like Sam Bennett, who's an unrestricted free agent after this season. 

Then there's Brady Tkachuk. While the Ottawa Senators have publicly said they're not interested in trading him, perhaps a package of Alexis Lafreniere, Gabe Perrault, Brennan Othmann and a first rounder - which could conceivably become a lottery pick if the Rangers lose out - might be enough to change their minds. Imagine a line with both Sam Bennett and Brady Tkachuk on it. Hey, a fella can dream, can't he?

But before Drury does any of this, he has some unfinished business at home. Calvin de Haan, the defenseman he acquired from the Colorado Avalanche for Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey, apparently wasn't too thrilled with being benched the final 15 games of the season, in which the Rangers went 6-8-1, a fact he emphasized in front of the beat reporters yesterday, and later tweeted about. de Haan isn't the only player who has a beef about the way he was utilized, or underutilized. Zac Jones was benched in favor of Carson Soucy, even though it was painfully obvious Soucy was having problems in his own end since his arrival from the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline. And then there was Perrault, the highly-touted prospect Drury was forced to burn a year of his ELC in order to keep him from going back to Boston College. For some strange reason, he was a healthy scratch the last couple of games. Thankfully, the kid never said anything about it.

Yes, this will be a busy offseason for Chris Drury. His team shit the bed; it's on him to clean the sheets.

Rangers Have No One But Themselves to Blame If They Miss the Playoffs

It's come down to this: the New York Rangers currently sit two points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Each team has seven games left in the regular season. While the Rangers own the tie breaker by virtue of having more regulation wins, they have the tougher schedule. If the Habs go just 5-2, the Blueshirts would have to go 6-1 to make the playoffs. A herculean task to be sure, but one which they brought on themselves. 

There's no easy way to put this: if the Rangers fail to make the playoffs, they will have no but themselves to blame. Throughout the season, they have had more than enough opportunities to move up in the standings. Having gone through a hellish December in which they went 3-12-0, they began to turn things around in January. After an inspiring 2-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on January 11, New York had finally clawed its way back to the .500 mark.

But they were never able to build any momentum. They'd win two in a row, then lose a game; they'd win another two in a row, followed by another loss; they'd win two more in a row, only to lose three in a row. The last time the Rangers won three games in a row was back on November 19 against the Vancouver Canucks. Their longest win streak of the season was four games back in October. How bad is that? The Nashville Predators - who with 62 points have been an even bigger disappointment than the Rangers - have had two four-game win streaks and one three-game win streak this season.

But it's the manner in which this team loses games that is the most disconcerting. Since the beginning of the new year, the Rangers have lost seven times when they've held leads or been tied in the third period. 

January 7 vs the Dallas Stars at the Garden. The Rangers led 4-3 with three minutes to go in regulation when K'Andre Miller coughed up the puck in his zone. The Stars tied the game and won it in overtime. 

January 14 @ the Colorado Avalanche. The Rangers were clinging to a 2-1 lead late in the third period when Igor Shesterkin gave up a rebound that Arturi Lehkonen pounced on to tie the game. The Avs went on to win it in OT.

January 19 @ the Montreal Canadiens. Once again the Rangers had a third period lead; once again they gave up the tying goal and lost in overtime. 

January 26 vs the Avalanche at the Garden. The Rangers fought back from a two-goal deficit to tie the game with five minutes to go in the third period. Cale Makar then took a penalty with less than three minutes to go in regulation. The Rangers not only didn't score on the ensuing power play, but Will Borgen's ill-advised, cross-ice pass in the offensive zone was intercepted by Makar, who then sped down the ice to set up the game-winning goal with 15 seconds left.

March 5 vs the Washington Capitals at the Garden. In one of their most inspiring efforts of the season, the Rangers led the Caps 2-1 with just over 11 minutes to go in the third period, when Zac Jones took a hooking penalty. Alex Ovechkin scored on the power play to tie the game and Tom Wilson won it in OT.

March 8 @ the Ottawa Senators. This one hurt. The Rangers had a two-goal lead with 10 minutes to go in regulation. The Sens scored twice to force overtime and won it on a turnover by K'Andre Miller. 

March 28 @ the Anaheim Ducks. This one REALLY hurt. The Rangers led by two goals twice in the game, yet still couldn't hold on for the win. The Ducks scored the game-tying goal off a 4 on 2 with less than two minutes to go in regulation, and then went on to win it in OT.

Think about it: if the Rangers had just two of those squandered points back, they'd currently be above the cut line in the wild card race. If they had four of them back, they'd be in the driver's seat right now. 

This team has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory so many times throughout the 2024-25 season, it's a wonder they're still mathematically alive for a playoff spot at all. And when you look at their remaining games - @ the Devils, vs the Lightning, vs the Flyers, @ the Islanders, @ the Hurricanes, @ the Panthers, and vs the Lightning - it's hard to see how they get in, especially when you consider who the Canadiens have left to play: vs the Flyers, @ the Predators, vs the Red Wings, @ the Senators, @ the Maple Leafs, vs the Blackhawks & vs the Hurricanes.

But regardless of what happens over the next few days, the Rangers may have found themselves a budding, young star in Gabe Perrault. The 23rd pick in the 2023 Entry Draft looked good against the Minnesota Wild the other night. Twice he came close to picking up an assist. He may not be the fastest skater in the league, but his passing skills were on full display in that game. Peter Laviolette was wise to put him in the top six. With so many aging forwards on this roster, it is incumbent on the organization to develop what young talent they have, especially given how Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere were brought along early in their careers. Indeed, if, as expected, Chris Drury unloads Chris Kreider over the summer, and then somehow convinces Mika Zibanejad to waive his NMC, the Rangers might have one of the younger lineups in the NHL next season.

But that's next season. We still have seven games left in this one. Anything can happen.

Yogi Berra used to say, "It ain't over till it's over."

Then again, Bob Dylan once sang, "It's not dark yet, but it's getting there."

One of them is right.

Drury Needs To Find His Mike Keenan

If there were any doubts that this Rangers team isn't playoff material, Tuesday night's lay down at the Garden should put them to rest. Artemi Panarin opened the scoring at 1:13 of the first period with his 30th goal of the season. From the ensuing face off on, the Calgary Flames controlled every facet of the game. They out-skated, out-hustled and out-chanced the Blueshirts over the next 58 minutes. The only reason the final score was 2-1 instead of 6-1 was because Igor Shresterkin refused to let his teammates get the ass-whoopin' they so richly deserved. At least someone showed up to play.

Not since they were blanked 5-0 by the New Jersey Devils on December 23, have the Rangers been so thoroughly dominated by another team this season. Stephen Valiquette's firm CSA Hockey tracks scoring chances for all 32 teams in the NHL and then computes the expected goals total for each team per game. The .6 expected goals total against the Devils and the .72 expected goals total against the Flames are among the worst in the league this season. According to Stat Boy Steven, the last time the Rangers had two games in which they were limited to 13 shots on goal or less was the 1998-99 season when they had three such games. Their record that season was a dismal 33-38-11 for 77 points. 

There's no sugar coating this anymore. After a stretch of games in which the Rangers began to resemble a playoff team, they have dropped six of their last eight. And while two of those losses came in overtime, both were the result of blown leads in the third period. Yes, they have played better since the beginning of the year, but that's only because they were so brutal in December. The sad truth is that this a deeply flawed team. As Bill Parcels used to say, you are what your record says you are. And right now, the Rangers are barely above the .500 mark. Even if by some miracle they should make the postseason, the likelihood is that they would get swept by the Washington Capitals, which is ironic given that they swept the Caps last season. 

Throughout the season, I have been hesitant to pin the blame for this calamity on Peter Laviolette. After all, this team had its best regular season in franchise history. You don't fire head coaches coming off that kind of success. And to be fair, it's not entirely his fault. The special teams have been anything but, the top scorers are underperforming and the goaltending has been inconsistent to say the least. Coaches can scream till they're blue in the face, but the last time I checked, they're not the ones wearing the jerseys. That would be the players, and after last night's performance, every one of them should be ashamed of themselves.

But fair or not, you can't fire all 22 players, even if at least half of them deserve it. You can, however, fire the head coach. It's obvious Laviolette has lost this team. When you can't even get up for a game with playoff implications, that is a direct reflection on the man standing behind the bench. Mike Keenan would never have put up with what we saw on the ice last night. Indeed, the Peter Laviolette of a few years ago would've blown a gasket. Something has to give. Even if Chris Drury has resigned himself to this team not making the playoffs, he cannot let this coaching staff return next season. Whether he does it now or waits until the summer, he must clean house.

But who does he hire as a replacement? After all, this will be Drury's third head coach in four years. Gerard Gallant took the Rangers to the Eastern Conference finals in his first season, then underachieved in his second; Laviolette guided them to the Presidents' trophy in his first season before the bottom fell out in his second. Notice a pattern here? I'm starting to think Scotty Bowman would have a hard time coaching this group. If you're James Dolan, you gotta be taking a long, hard look at your front office. The man fired John Davidson AND Jeff Gorton on the same day because he grew impatient at the progress of the latter's rebuild. Don't think for a moment he wouldn't do the same thing to Drury.

That's why the next head coach of this team has to be someone that will hold the players accountable. If there is one legitimate criticism of Laviolette, it's that he's been way too loyal to his veterans. Last night was a case in point. After two very uninspiring periods by his top six, rather than start the third with the Carrick line, he went back to his top six. His explanation at the post-game presser was that he needed goals and those players were more likely to produce them. While technically correct, the message he's sending to his players, particularly the younger ones, is that some contributions are more valuable than others. It's this sense of entitlement that is mainly responsible for the way the Rangers have underachieved this season. When more than half your roster knows that no matter how badly they play, they will still get their ice time, it can't help but foster a sense of resentment within the locker room. Not to mention the fact that your worst offenders literally have no incentive to improve their level of play.

Say what you want about John Tortorella, there were no sacred cows in his locker room. You earned your ice time by how well you played. Period. Just ask Marion Gaborik. The star winger was benched by the former Rangers coach for the crime of failing to go down to block a shot. Can you imagine what Torts would do with and to these players? Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider would be in group therapy. I'll tell you one thing: the post-game pressers wouldn't be boring, that's for sure.

But in all seriousness, Drury has to hire a coach that will stop coddling this team. He has to find his Mike Keenan the same way Neil Smith did after he fired Roger Neilson. Some things are beyond your control as a head coach. Bad calls, hot goalies, but a lack of effort isn't. It is anathema to a well-run organization. Take a good look at the teams that are currently in the playoffs and they all have one thing in common: their best players are pulling their weight. It's not Laviolette's fault that Kreider is having his worst season as a Ranger; it is his fault that he keeps dressing him over someone else who might inject some life into the lineup.

The 2024-25 season is all but over. The time to start thinking about 2025-26 is now. 

How Does Chris Drury Stack Up Against His Predecessors?

Before I begin, I'd like to state for the record that I am, by no means, an apologist for Chris Drury. I make it a point never to hold anyone's water. It's just that with all the vitriol the man has been getting over the last few weeks, a sober and objective look at his tenure as Rangers GM seemed to be in order. 

One of the advantages of being 64 years old is that I've had the "pleasure" of living through a litany of Rangers general managers over the last six decades, and with a couple of notable exceptions, their track record makes Drury look like Sam Pollock. By the way, if you don't know who Sam Pollock is, that might be your problem. I couldn't help but notice that the vast majority of the Drury haters on Twitter were probably in diapers or grade school the last time this franchise won a Stanley Cup. Perspective for many people these days is a four-letter word.

Anyway, one of the best ways to evaluate a general manager is to compare him with his predecessors. So with that in mind, I thought I'd go all the way back to the mid-1970s and start there. Hopefully this will help some of you through your "grief."

John Ferguson (1976 - 78). Ferguson replaced Emile Francis as GM in January of '76 and tore down what was left of the core Francis had assembled. His most "memorable" moves were trading Rick Middleton for Ken Hodge and (I hope you're sitting down for this one) bypassing Mike Bossy in the '77 Amateur Draft for Lucien DeBlois. Yep, you heard right. Ferguson could've had one of the greatest pure goal scorers in NHL history and elected instead to take a player who couldn't carry Bossy's skates. Lucky for Fergie they didn't have Twitter in those days. Grade C

Fred Shero (1978 - 80). The Fog, as he was known, gets credit for signing the Swedes - Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg - and for coaching the Rangers to the Cup finals in '79. But he also lost Nick Fotiu and Pierre Plante in the expansion draft that summer, took Doug Sulliman over Brian Propp in the Amateur Draft and overpaid for Barry Beck. A painful reminder of why GM - head coaches rarely make it in the NHL. Grade B-

Craig Patrick (1980 - 86): After coaching the team to a surprising appearance in the '81 semifinals, Patrick hired his former boss Herb Brooks to run the bench. From '82 to '84, the Rangers had the satisfaction of knowing they were probably the second best team in the Patrick Division. Unfortunately for them, the Islanders just happened to play in the same division. The Blueshirts lost four straight years to their suburban rivals. Despite all that, Patrick did an outstanding job assembling an otherwise good team. He also drafted Mike Richter in '85 and Brian Leetch in '86. Grade A-

Phil Esposito (1986 - 89): Trader Phil's tenure in New York was marred by questionable trades and equally questionable hires. The worst of those trades was Mike Ridley and Kelly Miller for Bobby Carpenter. He then flipped Carpenter for Marcel Dionne. He gave up a first round pick to hire Michel Bergeron as coach, only to fire him on April Fool's Day. Espo might well have traded Brian Leetch had he not been fired in '89. Grade C-

Neil Smith (1989 - 2000): Without question, the franchise's best GM since Emile Francis, Smith's acquisitions of Jeff Beukaboom, Adam Graves, Mark Messier, Esa Tikkaknen and Kevin Lowe turned the Rangers into bonafide contenders. But it was his decision to hire Mike Keenan as coach in '93 and his deadline trades for Stephane Matteau, Brian Noonan and Craig MacTavish in '94 that helped end the Blueshirts 54 year Cup drought that spring. To be fair, though, he passed on the chance to land Brendan Shanahan in '96 and was principally responsible for driving Messier out of town in '97. Grade A

Glen Sather (2000 - 15): Perhaps the most polarizing GM to ever hold the position. During the first four years of Sather's reign, the Rangers failed to make the playoffs. His free-agent signings of Wade Redden and Bobby Holik are considered to be the two worst in franchise history. He also traded away Brian Leetch on his birthday after he pleaded with Sather not to trade him. It wasn't all doom and gloom during Sather's tenure. He hired Tom Renney, John Tortorella and Alain Vigneault as coaches, and under Vigneault, the Rangers advanced to the finals for the first time since '94. He also hired Jeff Gorton and Chris Drury as assistants. Grade B

Jeff Gorton (2015 - 21): Ironically, his claim to fame was that infamous 2018 memo informing the fanbase that the team was going into rebuild mode. He then ended the rebuild early by trading for Jacob Trouba and Adam Fox and then signing Artemi Panarin. But when it looked like the Rangers were going to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season, owner James Dolan grew impatient. After the Tom Wilson incident at the Garden, he finally had seen enough. He fired both Gorton and his boss, team president John Davidson. Ironically, most of the current roster consists of players Gorton acquired either through the draft, trades or signings. Grade B+

Chris Drury (2021 - Present): The book is still out on Drury. He beefed up the team his first summer, and has used the trade deadline effectively to improve his team's prospects in the playoffs. But he's also had a couple of questionable free agent signings. After a disappointing loss in the Eastern Conference finals last year, Drury decided the core needed an overhaul. He successfully managed to unload the contracts of both Barclay Goodrow and Jacob Trouba without any salary retention, he re-acquired J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks and he's revamped the defense corp. Regardless of whether the Rangers make the playoffs or not, he will need to make further changes to the roster over the summer. By far, this will be the most consequential offseason of his tenure. Grade B+

So there you have it: every GM the Rangers have had going back 49 years. The good, the bad, the ehh. Any reasonably objective assessment of Drury would conclude that he is far from the worst this organization has had. Indeed, one could argue that given what he's had to work with, he's done a fairly good job, hence the B+ grade.

But then what do I know? I'm just an old fart who's been watching this team since Richard Nixon was in the White House. And for your edification, that's a fucking long time!

Drury Retools on the Fly

To paraphrase that classic line from the Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles: "Memo? We don't need no stinkin' memo!"

Regardless of how you feel about Chris Drury, he's never been one to pussyfoot around when it comes to making changes to the roster. Coming off a season in which the New York Rangers won the Presidents' trophy for the first time in nine years, Drury took a long, hard look at his team and concluded it wasn't good enough to win the Stanley Cup. So he went to work.

Barclay Goodrow was waived in June; Jacob Trouba was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in December for Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick; Kaapo Kakko was traded to the Seattle Kraken - also in December - for Will Borgen and a '25 third and sixth-round pick; Arthur Kaliyev was picked up off waivers from the L.A. Kings in early January; Filip Chytil was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, along with Victor Mancini and a conditional first-round pick, at the end of January for J.T. Miller; Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey were traded to the Colorado Avalanche in March for Calvin de Haan, Juuso Parssinen and a '25 second and fourth-round pick; Reilly Smith, who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins over the summer, was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights the day before the trade deadline for Brendan Brisson and a '25 third-round pick from the San Jose Sharks; and, then Drury sent that third-rounder to Vancouver yesterday for Carson Soucy.

In just nine months, Drury has turned over almost a third of his roster. Think about it: Jeff Gorton needed two years to "rebuild" the Rangers; his successor appears to have "retooled" it in less than half that time. More importantly, by resisting the urge to give up draft capital going after high-priced rentals at the deadline, he has put himself in position to add the pieces he needs over the summer to get this team back into contention for the 2025-26 season. And unlike that 2017-18 team, this team still has a chance to make the playoffs, even with the last two disappointing OT losses. 

Really, if you think Drury sucks as a GM, all I can say is you either haven't been paying attention or you don't know much about hockey. The fact is this is a tougher, grittier team than the one that got eliminated by the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference finals last year. If anything, Drury should get credit for smelling the caffeine and cutting his losses. I guarantee you the same people who are calling for his head now will erect a statue to him if this team goes on to win a Cup in the near future.

The more I think about it, the more this Rangers team reminds me of the 1992-93 team. If you recall, that team also struggled after winning the Presidents' trophy the year before. Neil Smith acquired Kevin Lowe and Esa Tikkanen during the season, and even though the Blueshirts missed the playoffs, they went on to win the Cup in 1994.

Now I'm not predicting history will repeat itself here; after all, that Rangers team had Mark Messier. And as good as J.T. Miller is, no one who isn't high on crack would ever confuse him for The Captain. But there is a quality Miller possesses that this core has sadly lacked the last few seasons that is already beginning to rub off on his teammates. If Drury can add a few more players like him over the summer, who knows what could happen. If I had to grade his moves, I'd give him an A minus.

Which leads me to my first NHL post trade deadline rankings in two years. I'll just do the top five teams in each conference. 

Eastern Conference:

Florida Panthers: They were already the front runners going into the deadline. With the addition of Seth Jones and Brad Marchant, they are the prohibitive favorites to come out of the conference. 

Tampa Bay Lightning: Julien BriseBois reacquired Yanni Gourde and landed Oliver Bjorkstrand to beef up his bottom six. The goaltending speaks for itself.

Washington Capitals: What a turnaround for a team that barely squeaked into the playoffs last season. They're big and explosive, and they're well coached.

Toronto Maple Leafs: They added some beef on the blue line, but as always, it'll come down to what the fab four do.

Carolina Hurricanes: They traded a point per game player for a player who scored 6 points in 13 games. Then when that player said he wouldn't re-up with them, they traded him for a player who's scored 29 points in 59 games. BTW, they still don't have a 2C or an elite goalie, but then you already knew that.

Western Conference:

Vegas Golden Knights: They reacquired Reilly Smith, but that's about it. Truth is, they didn't need to do much to this roster. They're already loaded.

Dallas Stars: They stole Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes for two first rounders and a bottom six forward. I see a Dallas / Vegas conference final. 

Colorado Avalanche: The additions of Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle give them badly needed depth at center. Were it not for the Stars and Knights, they'd be the favorites in this conference. 

Winnipeg Jets: They might very well win the Presidents' trophy, and Connor Hellebuyck the Vezina. But I'll believe they're legit when I actually see them win in the playoffs.

Edmonton Oilers: Jake Walman will help them on the blue line, and Trent Frederic will give them some badly needed muscle up front. But Stan Bowman would've done better getting a goalie. 

And my pick for the Stanley Cup finals:

Panthers over Golden Knights 4-3

Four Worst Injuries in Rangers History

As we await the status of both Adam Fox and K'Andre Miller, I thought now would be a good time to write about what I believe are the four worst injuries in Rangers history.

1. Jean Ratelle - 1972: Throughout most of the 1950s and '60s, the New York Rangers were not a particularly good team. In fact, it wasn't until the 1967-68 season that the roster Emile Francis assembled began to coalesce into a playoff contender. Beginning in the 1970-71 season, the Blueshirts made it to the semifinals four consecutive years and the Cup finals once. That one finals appearance was in 1972.

That season, the Rangers ran a close second to the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference. Their GAG line consisted of Jean Ratelle, Rod Gilbert and Vic Hadfield. Hadfield set the franchise record with 50 goals that season; a record that stood until Adam Graves scored 52 in 1994.

But it was Ratelle who was the team's star. He was on pace to finish the season with 125 points when he took a slap shot to the ankle by Dale Rolfe. X-rays revealed a fracture. Ratelle would miss the final 15 games of the regular season and the first two rounds of the postseason. 

Against Boston, Ratelle gave it his best, but was nowhere near a hundred percent. He registered one assist in the six-game series, while Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr and Ken Hodge had their way with New York. The sight of Espo hoisting the Cup at Madison Square Garden was one that would haunt Rangers fans for years.

2. Ulf Nilsson - 1979: After a three-year rebuild by John Ferguson failed to bring results, Sonny Werblin fired Ferguson and hired Fred Shero from the Philadelphia Flyers to be the team's GM and head coach. One of the first things Shero did was sign Ulf Nilsson and Anders Herberg to two-year deals. Both players were stars with the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA, and they quickly became hits on Broadway.

The 1978-79 Rangers were the surprise team of the NHL that season, with Nilsson, Hedberg and a rejuvenated Phil Esposito leading the way. But in a game at the Garden against the hated Islanders, Nilsson got his skate caught in a rut on the ice when he was checked into the boards by Dennis Potvin. The result was a fractured ankle for Nilsson that sidelined the Swede the rest of the regular season and most of what would become the deepest playoff run in seven years.

After a stunning upset of their suburban rivals in the semifinals, the Rangers faced the Montreal Canadiens for the Cup. The Habs were looking to capture their fourth consecutive championship; the Blueshirts, their first since 1940. Nilsson gave it a go in the first two games at the Forum, but like Ratelle in '72, wasn't up to it. Shero benched him the rest of the way and Montreal, after dropping game one, would go on to take the next four. It was another bitter pill for a fanbase used to disappointments. 

3. Alex Kovalev - 1997: As I wrote in an earlier piece, the years following the Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup championship were difficult ones for Neil Smith. At times he didn't know which direction he wanted to go: retool or fortify the core. His signing of Wayne Gretzky in the summer of '96 signaled that Smith was going to run it back at least one more year.

The Rangers had a mostly up and down season in 1996-97. Gretzky and Mark Messier gave the Blueshirts a one-two punch down the middle. But it was a winger by the name of Alex Kovalev, who was having the best season of his career, that would go on to have the most consequential impact on the team's fortunes. On January 27, he tore his ACL and was lost for the remainder of the regular and postseason. 

After dispensing with the Florida Panthers in four and upsetting the New Jersey Devils in five, the Rangers went up against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference finals. After splitting the first two games at the Spectrum, the Rangers lost the final three. Messier would bolt for the Vancouver Canucks that summer. The core Smith had assembled had finally run its course. 

There's no way of knowing what difference a healthy Kovalev might've made against Philly. Maybe the Rangers still would've lost; or perhaps they've would've won. What is noteworthy is that two months after signing Gretzky, Smith was approached by Hartford Wailers GM Jim Rutherford who offered to trade Brendan Shanahan straight up for Kovalev. Smith turned him down. Imagine what Shanahan could've done playing alongside Gretzky. Who knows? Smith might've been the first Rangers GM since Lester Patrick to boast having two Stanley Cups on his resume. 

4. Mats Zuccarello - 2015: After going all the way to the finals in 2014, the Rangers won the Presidents' Trophy in the 2014-15 season. It was, by far, their best season, statistically, since the Cup year of '94. Rick Nash led the team in goals scored with 42, but the key to their success was their depth.

Mats Zuccarello may only have scored 15 goals, but his tenacity and grit made him a fan favorite. And his teammates could always rely on that tenacity and grit. 

In game five of the Rangers first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Zuccarello was struck in the head by a slap shot from Ryan McDonagh. The winger made it back to the bench but did not return. It was later learned that he suffered a fractured skull that affected his ability to talk. 

Obviously his season was over. While the Rangers didn't need him to prevail over the Pens, not having him against the Washington Capitals almost cost them the series, as the Blueshirts had to come from 3-1 down to advance. But against the Tampa Bay Lightning, they fell short, getting shut out in game seven at the Garden. 

Like the other injuries, this one is hard to quantify. Even if the Rangers had beaten the Bolts, the Chicago Blackhawks might have been a bridge too far, with or without Zuccarello. Still, there's no denying his loss was felt.

Rangers At the Break

Heading into the break, the New York Rangers record stands at 27-24-4. Their 58 points puts them just three behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final Wild Card spot. After a horrific December in which they went 3-10-0, the Rangers have gone 11-5-3 in 2025. The power play was 26.8 percent (7th best), while the penalty kill was 75.6 percent (tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Anaheim Dicks for 16th best). The team's save percentage was .897 (5th best).

Now before I get into what the Rangers need to do going forward, I wanted to take a moment or two to give a shout out to the NHL and the NHLPA. Regardless of what happens tonight in Boston, the Four Nations Face-Off Tournament has been an unqualified success. Not since 1996 have fans been treated to this kind of competitiveness within the sport in what basically amounts to an exhibition series. Kudos all around.

The only blemish has been Charlie McAvoy. The Boston Bruin and Team USA defenseman sustained an injury on a cross check in the game against Finland, which was apparently misdiagnosed by Team USA physicians. He subsequently developed an infection and was hospitalized in Boston. His presence will be sorely missed tonight against Team Canada.

Apart from that, though, if I were Gary Bettman and Marty Walsh, I would do everything in my power to make sure something like this becomes an annual event. You don't necessarily need a round robin like we saw in this tournament; but perhaps a best 2 out of 3 featuring a team from North America vs. a team from Europe would suffice.

Imagine what the lineups would look like:

Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Sam Reinhart, Branden Pointe, Mitch Marner, Cale Makar, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, both Tkachuk brothers, Jake Guentzel, Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy and Connor Hellebuyck going up against Sebastian Aho, Aleksander Barkov, Mikko Rantanen, William Nylander, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panarin, Filip Forsberg, Jesper Bratt, Mikael Granlund, Kirill Kaprizov, Andrei Svechnikov, Rasmus Dahlin and Andrei Vasilevskiy. I'll gladly take that any day over what the NHL laughingly calls an All-Star game.

Now back to the Rangers.

If this team is going to make the playoffs, they need to get serious. No more blown leads like they had against the Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens, all of which became OT losses. No more sleepwalking against a Pittsburgh Penguins team that was missing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. And no more reckless cross-ice passes in the offensive zone with 30 seconds left in the third period of a tie game that directly led to a regulation loss to the Avs. All told, the Blueshirts have given up six points over the last six weeks; six points they can ill afford to give up. If they had just three of those points back, they'd be tied with the Red Wings right now.

Starting Saturday, the Rangers need to go on a win streak. They play the Sabres in Buffalo, the Penguins in Pittsburgh and the Islanders at UBS Arena. Anything less than 3-0 against those teams is inexcusable. Indeed, between now and the end of the regular season, they probably need to go 20-7. If that seems like a tall order, it is. But that's what happens when you dig a hole as deep as the Blueshirts have.

In order to accomplish this herculean feat, the big boys are going to have to come through. Assuming Chris Drury doesn't clean house at the trade deadline - unlikely - it's time for Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider to pull their respective heads out their asses and wake the fuck up. Since the arrival of J.T. Miller, Zibanejad has 2 goals and 6 assists over his last 5 games. He needs to keep that pace up if this team has any chance of making the postseason. Likewise for Kreider, whose shorthanded goal against the Bruins proved to be the game winner.

Adam Fox also needs to step it up. It is unacceptable for a player as gifted as he is to have only four goals on the season, and keep in mind two of those goals were empty netters. Though he was never a particularly fast skater, this season he's looked more like Carol Vadnais than the former Norris trophy winner we all know and love. Vincent Trocheck has filled the leadership void created after Jacob Trouba was sent packing admirably, but even he needs to step it up offensively.

But while the players must ultimately bear the lion's share of responsibility for this nightmare of a season, their head coach isn't without blame. The fact is Peter Laviolette has been way too patient with this group. Case in point: Alexis Lafreniere. Over the last few weeks, the young winger has looked lost; his failure to back check has led to several glaring goals against. It is high time Laviolette employed some tough love and sat him for a game or two, if not for his sake than to send a message loud and clear that lack of effort will not be tolerated. You don't have to be John Tortorella to get your team's attention. 

Bottom line: The Rangers have the horses to make the playoffs. Whether or not they do depends on how badly they want it.

Five Worst Trades in Rangers History

Because the topic often comes up, I thought I'd give my two cents worth. As always, feel free to disagree with the order, or perhaps even add your own nominations.

1. Rick Middleton to the Boston Bruins for Ken Hodge: This trade has often been compared to the Mets sending Amos Otis to the Kansas City Royals for Joe Foy. But it's actually much worse. The Mets had won the World Series and had Tommie Agee in centerfield. Ed Charles had just retired and the Mets weren't sure if Wayne Garret could handle playing 3rd base full time, so you could almost forgive them for wanting to shore up what they perceived was a weakness on the infield. 

There is no such absolution for the Rangers. They were clearly in rebuild mode entering the 1976-77 season. John Ferguson was now in his second year as GM. Middleton was a young winger with enormous potential, while Hodge was a seasoned veteran whose best years were well behind him. Aside from the fact that Hodge had played with Phil Esposito during his Bruins days, there was simply no justification for making this trade. None.

2. J.T. Miller and Ryan McDonagh to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Libor Hajek, Brett Howden, Vlad Namestnikov, 2018 1st-Round Pick and 2019 2nd-Round Pick: The decision by Jeff Gorton to rebuild in the winter of 2018 was, in retrospect, the correct one. The window for this core was clearly closing, so it was time to break up the band. Where he fouled up was the return he got. Steve Yzerman clearly fleeced him on this deal. Of the three players who came over from the Lightning, only Howden - now a member of the Vegas Golden Knights - has had anything remotely resembling a successful NHL career. And the draft picks the Rangers received didn't amount to much either.

McDonagh, meanwhile, played an integral role in helping Tampa win two consecutive Stanley Cups, while Miller has become one of the NHL's premier centers, albeit playing for the Vancouver Canucks. By re-acquiring Miller last week, you could say Chris Drury has at least partially atoned for Gorton's mistake, though seven years after the fact.

3. Mike Ridley and Kelly Miller to the Washington Capitals for Bobby Carpenter: On paper, this trade made perfect sense. Phil Esposito had replaced Craig Patrick as Rangers GM and was looking to make his bones. Carpenter checked all the boxes: size, speed, you name it. It should've been a slam dunk. Except Carpenter was a flop on Broadway, registering a measly 10 points in 28 games before Espo dealt him to the LA Kings for Marcel Dionne. 

Ridley and Miller, on the other hand, would go on to have successful careers playing for the Caps, while Carpenter eventually finished his career with the New Jersey Devils, a shell of the player the Rangers thought they were getting when they traded for him. The moral of the story is quite simple: the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the street.

4. Sergei Zubov and Petr Nedved to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Ulf Samuelsson and Luc Robitaille: The post Stanley Cup years were very difficult ones for Neil Smith. At times, he didn't know which direction he wanted to take: retool or stay with the core. After the Rangers got swept by the Philadelphia Flyers in '95, he panicked and traded two of his more talented players for an admittedly physical defenseman and a veteran forward whose best years were behind him.

Zubov would go on to win another Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1999, while Nedved enjoyed his best season playing on a line with Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. Oh, and by the way, the Pens beat the Rangers 4-1 in the second round of the '96 playoffs. Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don't make.

5. Jean Ratelle and Brad Park to the Boston Bruins for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais: After the Islanders upset the Rangers in the 1975 preliminary round, it was clear this core was done. Emile Francis knew in his heart what he needed to do and that was rebuild. Instead, he swapped stars with the hated Bruins.

While Espo and Vadnais played an integral role in the Rangers getting to the finals in '79, there's no denying the fact that Boston got the better of this trade. Ratelle, Park and Middleton (see above) gave fans in Beantown years of excitement, while Rangers fans had to endure three seasons of misery until some of their younger players developed under a new front office regime.