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

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

- Peter W. Fegan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2025-26 Rangers and NHL Preview

Back in May, I wrote that there were some "interesting parallels" between Chris Drury hiring Mike Sullivan and Neil Smith hiring Mike Keenan.

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.

Of course for a franchise that has won exactly one Stanley Cup championship since World War II, Drury is going to need more than lightning striking twice. He might need a category five hurricane.

That being said, I thought Sullivan was the right choice at the right time for this team. While he hasn't made the playoffs since the 2021-22 season, he is well respected and appears to have the right demeanor for a veteran roster whose window is still open, if barely.

However, there's a difference between being the right choice and being a miracle worker. Two seasons ago, the Blueshirts overachieved under Peter Laviolette. The following season, they crashed and burned and Laviolette was fired. For Sullivan to succeed, three things will have to happen.

The power play has to improve. Under assistant coach David Quinn, the Penguins power play went from 15.3 percent (24th) in 2023-24 to 25.8 percent (4th) in 2024-25. Last season, the Rangers power play finished 17.6 percent (21st). The hope is that Quinn can replicate what he did in Pittsburgh for a team that missed the playoffs by six points. 

The bottom six has to produce. The prevailing sentiment is that the top six will pull their weight. Mika Zibanejad should benefit from playing a full season with J.T. Miller, and Artemi Panarin will once again lead the team in scoring. It's the bottom six that is the concern. If Noah Laba, who made the roster after a solid preseason, is the real deal, the Rangers may finally have a legit 3C.

Cut down on the goals against. In 2023-24, the Rangers allowed a 5th best 226 goals against; in 2024-25, they allowed an 11th worst 255. Among teams that made the playoffs last season, only the Montreal Canadiens gave up more goals (265). Signing Vladislav Gavrikov to play alongside Adam Fox should give New York its best defensive pairing since Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi a decade ago. Carson Soucy, though, remains a question mark.

Prognosis: Despite a so-so preseason, I remain optimistic about this team's ability to bounce back. No, I do not think they will win the Metro, much less the Presidents' Trophy, but I do think they will make the postseason; they have too much talent not to. Based on where they finished last season, if they manage to avoid another November swoon, they could win an additional five to seven games, which should be good enough for third place.

Prediction: 45-30-7, 97 points.

Below are my predictions for the rest of the league. As per usual, I will pick the top three teams in each division, both wild cards for each conference, and the close, but no cigar contingent. 

Eastern Conference:

Metropolitan Division:

Carolina Hurricanes: Year after year, the hockey "experts" underestimate this team; and year after year, they are proven wrong. 

New Jersey Devils: Losing Jack Hughes down the stretch killed them last season. If he stays healthy, they should challenge for the division lead.

New York Rangers: Mike Sullivan and his coaching staff will fix what went wrong last season. 

Atlantic Division:

Toronto Maple Leafs: As strange as it may seem, losing Mitch Marner will help them, especially in the postseason. 

Tampa Bay Lightning: They may have been eliminated by the Panthers in the first round, but this is still very much an elite team with a Hall of Fame coach behind the bench.

Florida Panthers: Losing Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov to injuries - the latter for the season - is a helluva gut punch. But thanks to Bill Zito, this is the deepest roster in the NHL.

Wild Cards:

Washington Capitals: They overachieved last season; I doubt that happens again this season.

Ottawa Senators: This is a good, young core that has a bright future, led by Brady Tkachuk, Matthew's younger brother. 

Close, but no cigar: 

Montreal Canadiens: Someone needs to explain to me how this organization gave up two first round picks for Noah Dobson. Me thinks Jeff Gorton strikes again. 

New York Islanders: Their future looks bright with Matthew Schaefer; it's their present that is the problem.

Western Conference: 

Central Division:

Dallas Stars: They have one of the deepest forward groups in the NHL. Had it not been for Pete DeBoer, they likely would've gone to the finals last season.

Colorado Avalanche: Their top four players are arguably the best in the league; it's their depth that could prove problematic come the playoffs.

St. Louis Blues: Everyone is sleeping on this team, which makes no sense given their roster and the fact that they have one of the best goalies in the league.

Pacific Division:

Vegas Golden Knights: Kelly McCrimmon went all out during the offseason to sign Mitch Marner. This could be the most talented roster he has ever assembled.

Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid has basically given his GM two years to assemble a team around him capable of winning the Cup. Good luck with that. 

Los Angeles Kings: A good mix of youth and experience will get this team across the threshold. 

Wild Cards:

Minnesota Wild: Bill Guerin was smart to lock up Kirill Kaprizov. Now he has the cap space to build around him.

Utah Mammoth: Something special is brewing in Salt Lake City. 

Close, but no cigar:

Winnipeg Jets: On the bright side, we won't have to watch them choke in the postseason. 

Anaheim Ducks: Chris Kreider will re-discover his scoring touch. It won't be enough for his new team.

Playoffs:

Eastern Conference Finals: Lightning over Hurricanes 4-2

Western Conference Finals: Stars over Golden Knights 4-3

Stanley Cup Finals: Stars over Lightning 4-3

Year End Awards:

Presidents' Trophy: Vegas Golden Knights

Art Ross Trophy: Connor McDavid, Oilers

Hart Trophy: Nikita Kucherov, Lightning

Norris Trophy: Quinn Hughes, Canucks

Vezina Trophy: Igor Shestrkin, Rangers

Jack Adams Award: Glen Gulutzan, Stars

Conn Smythe Trophy: Mikko Rantanen, Stars

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

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. 

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.

Rangers In A Free Fall

I have watched the New York Rangers since 1971. Trust me. I have gone through my fair share of downturns. 1976-78, 1987-89, 1998-04 & 2018-21. The 1998-04 period was particularly rough. No playoffs and some of the worst trades in franchise history. But in all that time I have never seen what happened Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. The team I have followed since I was 10 years old did the equivalent of a lay down in front of 18,000 loyal paying fans. It was a pathetic performance from a group of players that last season won the Presidents' Trophy. 

I have tried as hard as I can to wrap my head around what is going on here and quite frankly I'm stumped. Not only is this team not playing well, it doesn't appear to be even trying. Against the LA Kings, they looked listless and uninspiring; as if they didn't give a shit. Small wonder they were booed off the ice after the game.

The Rangers have lost 9 of their last 12 games. At 15-13-1, they are currently in 5th place in the Metropolitan Division. Not only would they fail to make the playoffs if the season ended today, with 31 points, they are actually closer to the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference than they are to the top. Thank God for the Montreal Canadiens and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

I've heard all kinds of explanations for the dumpster fire currently residing at Penn Plaza. It's Chris Drury's fault for mishandling the Barclay Goodrow waiver and the Jacob Trouba trade; it's Peter Laviolette's fault for not being tough enough with his players. I call bullshit on both. 

True, Drury could've done a better job with both situations, but what was he supposed to do? The Rangers needed cap space badly and, let's face it, Goodrow and Trouba were the logical choices to be moved over the summer. The same people who are now bemoaning the way Goodrow and Trouba were treated couldn't wait to send them packing a few months ago. It was nothing short of a miracle that Drury got every penny of their cap hit off the books without surrendering anything of value in exchange. But by all means let's make him the bad guy.

Did you see what happened down in Tampa Bay? Julien BriseBois did everything except drive Steven Stamkoss to the airport; then turned around and signed Jake Guentzel to replace him. Stamkoss had played his entire NHL career with the Lightning and BriseBois showed him all the love and respect of a worn out lightbulb. Last time I checked the Bolts were in 4th place in the Atlantic Division, currently holding onto the number one wild card spot.

Spoiler alert: players get waived and traded all the time in professional sports. It's part of the business. Yes, Trouba was the captain. Guess what? Captains get traded too. Ask Brian Leetch what being a captain means. He was traded to the Boston Bruins literally on his birthday, two weeks after he asked Glen Sather not to be. General managers aren't paid to be guidance counselors or therapists; they're paid to put a competitive team on the ice. And in a league that has a hard salary cap, sometimes they have to make tough decisions about who stays and who goes.

Regarding Laviolette, yes, I'd like him to be tougher on his players. But last season this head coach, who, it should be noted, guided three different teams to the Stanley Cup finals and one to a Cup championship, was principally responsible for this team not only winning the Presidents' Trophy but setting a franchise record for most wins and points in a single season. Had they not faced the Florida Panthers, they would've made it to the finals. All of a sudden he's fucking Jean-Guy Talbot? Please spare me. 

David Quinn was too tough; Gerard Gallant wasn't tough enough. What's the excuse with Laviolette? He parts his hair on the wrong side? I agree with Larry Brooks: this core doesn't get to fire another coach. Besides, the way this team is playing, Scotty Bowman wouldn't make a difference. If you're looking for someone to put the blame on, how about the players? Last time I checked, they're the ones wearing the uniforms. Is it Laviolette's fault that Mika Zibanaejad can't hit a wide open net? Or that Ryan Lindgren can't back check worth a damn? Or that Chris Kreider has become a statue on the ice? Or that the only goal Adam Fox has scored all season was an empty netter? How is it that on a team with this much talent, its best player is Will Cuylle?

Enough with the excuses; enough with the rationalizations. It's time this group of players took a long, hard look in the mirror and manned up. It is inconceivable that a team that went to the conference finals twice in the last three years could've fallen off the cliff this quickly. So the answer must lie elsewhere. 

What isn't the answer is firing the coach and/or GM. The truth is there's more than enough talent on this team to still make the postseason. Whether there's enough pride is another matter. 

The Knicks and Rangers Are Two Teams Going In Opposite Directions

After shitting the bed against the Utah Jazz Saturday, the New York Knicks responded Monday with one of their most inspiring efforts in years against the Denver Nuggets, a team that only two seasons ago won the NBA championship. 

After getting routed by the Edmonton Oilers on that very same day, the New York Rangers returned home to the friendly confines of the Madison Square Garden Monday, only to lose to a St. Louis Blues team that has missed the playoffs the last two seasons and will likely do so again this season.

As of this writing, the Knicks record is 10-7; they are in 4th place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Orlando Magic. The Rangers record is 12-7-1; they are in 4th place in the Metropolitan Division, four points behind the Washington Capitals and two points ahead of the Buffalo Sabres for the number one Wild Card spot.

If the season were to end today, both teams would qualify for the playoffs, but that's where the similarities end. The fact is these two teams are headed in opposite directions. 

After getting off to a 5-6 start, Tom Thibodeau's squad have won five of their last six games. The presence of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges on this roster means that the Knicks are no longer reliant on Jalen Brunson to carry them. And with the return of Precious Achiuwa imminent and Mitchell Robinson sometime in January, this will be a very formidable contender come April.

After reaching the Easter Conference finals two of the last three seasons, the Rangers have struggled most of this season. They've lost three games in a row, have given up 40 or more shots on goal in each of those games, and rank near the bottom of the NHL in 5v5 expected goals against. Their number one center Mika Zibanejad has been on the ice for 14 of the team's last 17 goals against. No one except an incurable optimist would think this team is a contender.

While Leon Rose is enjoying the fruits of his labor, Chris Drury has been quite the busy bee. According to Mollie Walker of The New York Post, following Saturday's 6-2 rout in Edmonton, he sent a memo to "all 31 of his NHL counterparts announcing that the Rangers are open for business." Both Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba were among the names mentioned as being available. If true, it is a staggering admission by the Rangers GM that he no longer believes this core, as presently constructed, is capable of making a deep run in the playoffs, much less winning the Stanley Cup.

It is uncertain whether Drury was simply trying to light a fire under his lethargic team's butt or whether he really is looking to do at least a partial rebuild. It is also uncertain how James Dolan would react to a second rebuild, partial or otherwise, in the last seven years. While the Knicks have always commanded the majority of his attention and adoration, it's worth noting that he fired John Davidson and Jeff Gorton when the wheels came off during the 2020-21 season. I find it hard to believe that Drury would take such drastic actions without at least running it by the owner.

Which leads me to believe it's probably more the former than the latter. That doesn't mean Drury won't listen to offers, and if the right one comes along, wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. Remember, he was this close to shipping Trouba to the Red Wings over the summer along with some salary retention for what I assume was a used puck bag before the Captain put the kibosh on that by putting Detroit on his No-Trade list.

What it does mean is that Drury isn't going to act impulsively. Dismantling a team is easy; reconstructing it is quite another. Just ask the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets. Both teams have been in rebuild mode since the Titanic sank. As bad as the Rangers have played recently, they are still a playoff team, albeit a weak one at the moment. It's not completely out of the realm of possibility that they find their way out of this. 

And it's not like this hasn't happened before. If memory serves, they went through something similar last season. They had a horrific January in which they couldn't get out of their own way. Igor Shresterkin struggled to make key saves, and the defense handled the puck like it was a hot potato. Then came the All-Star Break in February, and just like that, the Rangers flipped the switch. Suddenly, they couldn't lose. They went on to win the Presidents' Trophy for the first time in nine years. 

I'm not saying history will repeat itself. Maybe patience is what is called for right now, or perhaps this core has gone as far as it can and it's time to blow it up. Who knows? What I am saying is that these next few weeks will be the most consequential in Drury's tenure as President and GM. 

His predecessor took a long, hard look at his roster and chose the latter. Will Drury reach a similar conclusion, or will he choose to ride it out one more year? We'll know soon enough. 

As for Leon Rose, he has no such concerns. Life is good, the Knicks are on the ascent, and for the moment at least, his boss is a happy camper. 

Is Chris Drury Done?

That Chris Drury was looking to shed salary going into the offseason should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with this team's cap situation. After re-signing Kaapo Kakko to a one-year extension worth $2.4 million, the New York Rangers had $10 million in available cap space, per Puckpedia, with 18 players - 12 forwards, 4 defensemen and 2 goalies - signed for the 2024-25 season. Assuming he re-signs Ryan Lindgren and Braden Schneider, both of whom are RFAs, that will increase the number of signed players to 20, two below last season's roster total.

Let's say Lindgren agrees to a 3-year extension at $4.5 million per, and Schneider agrees to a two-year bridge deal at $2.5 million per. That reduces the available cap space Drury has to work with to $3 million. For a President and GM who said at his last press conference that "everything was on the table," $3 million doesn't go as far as it used to. Remember last year's offseason when the cap-strapped Rangers were forced to shop at the bargain basement? No? Do the names Nick Bonino, Blake Wheeler, Erik Gustafson, and Tyler Pitlick ring a bell?

Well, this time around, Drury wasn't going to let that happen. So on Tuesday, he waived Barclay Goodrow and his $3.64 million contract. And the following day, the San Jose Sharks claimed him off waivers. To say Goodrow was displeased would be putting it mildly. Seems the 31 year-old forward had a 15-team no trade clause and apparently the Sharks were on it. Oh, well.

To be honest, I'm impressed Drury went the waiver route instead of a buyout. The latter would've allowed Goodrow to sign with any team he chose while netting the Blueshirts $247,222 in cap space this coming season. But it also would've shackled the organization with cap hits ranging from $1 million to $3.5 million over the following five years. Clearly, Drury didn't want to repeat the same mistake his predecessor Jeff Gorton made when he bought out the contracts of Dan Girardi and Henrik Lundqvist.

Now for the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Is Drury done, or is Goodrow the first of several high-priced contracts headed for the exit? That depends on how he feels about this core. Does it need a tweaking or a partial teardown? If I had to guess, I'd lean more towards the former. Remember, this is a team that played most of the season with only two legit centers and no 1RW, yet still won the Presidents' Trophy. And as I pointed out in my last piece, had they not had the misfortune of going up against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Rangers would now be battling the Edmonton Oilers for the Stanley Cup. As disappointed as Drury was at how the season ended, I'm quite certain he knows that.

Having an extra $3.64 million in the kitty could mean the difference between signing a top-six forward or a bottom-six forward. Just imagine how good this team might be next season with a bonafide right wing on the first line and a healthy Filip Chytil centering the third. You can bet the ranch Drury's imagining it. That's why I don't think we're looking at wholesale changes here. Assuming Lindgren isn't unreasonable with his contract demands, I expect Drury will use the lion's share of his cap space to go shopping for an elite scorer to play on Mika Zibanejad's right side. While that won't be enough to land Jake Guentzel, it might be enough to get Jonathan Marchessault or Jake DeBrusk. And if those two prove too costly, there's always Patrick Kane as a fallback. The last time "Showtime" was on Broadway it bombed royally. But maybe playing a full season for a coach like Peter Laviolette who can incorporate his talents into this lineup will be just what the doctor ordered.

How does this roster look?

Forwards:

Kreider - Zibanaejad - Kane / Marchessault / DeBrusk

Panarin - Trocheck - Lafreniere 

Othmann - Chytil - Kakko

Cuylle - Brodzinski - Vesey

Rempe

Defensemen:

Lindgren - Fox

Miller - Schneider

Jones - Trouba

Mackey

Goalies:

Shesterkin - Quick

While some fans may be disappointed that Jacob Trouba will still be here next season, the fact is I don't think there's an appetite within the Rangers organization to move on from him. A buyout would mean a dead cap hit of $4 million for the next two years - a non-starter - and a trade, assuming Drury can find a willing partner that has the cap space and isn't on Trouba's no trade list, would be nothing more than a salary dump. Period. Besides, when fully healthy, number 8 brings certain things to the table that will be hard to replace. Drury already got rid of one leader in the locker room; I doubt he's willing to vanquish another.

Of course, I could be dead wrong. Maybe Drury has a couple more moves up his sleeve before free agency begins. I guess we'll know soon enough, won't we?

The More Things Change...

In the end, relentlessness won out over resiliency. The relentless Florida Panthers were simply too much for the resilient New York Rangers to handle. Goodbye 1994 parallels; hello futility.

Going into their series against the Panthers, the Rangers knew they needed to have three things go their way in order to have a shot at advancing to the finals: 1. They needed to play almost flawless hockey; 2. They needed to win the special teams battle; and 3. They needed to have Igor Shresterkin be the best player on the ice. As it turned out, one out of three wasn't nearly good enough.

While stats don't always tell you everything about a series, in this case they did. And the stats were not kind to the Rangers: Overall scoring chances: 191-140 Florida; High-danger scoring chances 55-38 Florida; Power play efficiency: Florida 5-19 (26.3%), New York 1-15 (6.7); Shots on goal: 202-151 Florida. About the only stat the Rangers managed to win was save percentage, where Shesterkin edged out his counterpart Sergei Bobrovsky .930 to .921. Indeed, it was only due to the sheer brilliance of the former Vezina-trophy winner that the games were as close as they were. He stole game three, but he couldn't steal the series.

Given the expectations this team had going into the postseason, this will be a very bitter pill to swallow. For the second time in three years, the Rangers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals only to fall short. There will be a lot of questions that need answers to, but before we get to that, let's first acknowledge the accomplishments, and there were several.

The Rangers won the Presidents' Trophy. They set a franchise record with 55 regular-season wins. They led the NHL with 34 come-from-behind victories. Apart from January, where they went 5-7-2, they were the lead dog pretty much the entire year. Their 154 regular-season wins over the last three seasons is fourth best in the league, while their 54 playoff wins since 2014 is tied with the Dallas Stars for third best. Alexis Lafreniere had a break out year under Peter Laviolette. And though they lost to the Panthers, they can boast that they are better than the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Boston Bruins, and, oh yes, the Carolina Hurricanes, whom they've now beaten two out of the last three years.

That's a list of accomplishments most teams would give their eye teeth to have. Whatever else you might think about how the season went, between the two of them, Jeff Gorton and Chris Drury assembled a team that is no worse than fourth best in the NHL. And if they hadn't had the misfortune of going up against the Panthers in the conference finals, they might very well be opening up this Saturday night at the Garden against the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals.

But here's the thing: they did have the misfortune of going up against the Panthers: a team that, pound for pound, was the most complete in the NHL. And let's be honest. For all their elite talent, the Rangers Kryptonite has always been physically imposing teams that take away the middle of the ice. Against the Blueshirts, the Panthers put on a clinic.

So now we get to the number one question: what does Drury do this offseason? Clearly changes will have to be made. The Rangers have three players who are RFAs this summer: Kaapo Kakko, Ryan Lindgren and Braden Schneider. Does Drury re-sign all three? Or does he trade one or more of them? If it's the latter, the likely one to go is Kakko. For all the intangibles the former number two pick in the 2019 NHL Draft brings to the table, the fact is he just hasn't worked out. Even under Laviolette, Kakko remains a bottom six forward. In hindsight, it was a mistake for Drury not to package him at the trade deadline for a proven scorer.

Lindgren and Schneider made $3 million and $925,000 respectively this past season and both are due for a pay raise. Drury can probably bridge Schneider the way he did with K'Andre Miller and Alexis Lafreniere. $2m x 2 should just about do it. But Lindgren will be a little trickier. He's looking at a multi-year deal in the neighborhood of $4.5 million per. Does Drury want to invest that much in a defenseman who might be the second coming of Dan Girardi? If he can keep the term down to three years, the answer might be yes.

When it comes to the UFAs, it's fair to say that Jack Roslovic, Alex Wennberg, Blake Wheeler, and Erik Gustafsson have all played their last game as a Ranger. The former two were rentals and Drury is not known for re-signing rentals; the latter two were signed last summer to one year deals and have outlived their usefulness. With Brennan Othmann in Hartford, Zac Jones, Matt Rempe and Jonny Brodzinski on the bench, and a - hopefully - healthy Filip Chytil, the Rangers should have plenty of options to fill out their bottom six without going outside the organization.

But the real question for Drury concerns the core of this team. This is now the third year in a row that is has failed to deliver in the clutch. Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider were held to two points a piece against the Panthers. Artemi Panarin had a goal and three assists, while Adam Fox had four assists. As for Jacob Trouba, he was on the ice for more than half the Panthers goals. The cap hit for all five of these players comes out to just over $44 million, or roughly 50 percent of next year's salary cap. Only the Maple Leafs (61.6%) have more salary tied up in their top five players.

We now know that Fox re-injured his knee on that collision with Nick Jensen in game four of the Capitals series. That would explain why he was, apart from a couple of games, a non-factor in the second and third rounds. We'll never know how the Rangers power play would've performed if Fox had been 100 percent. However, the fact that it went 2-25 over the team's last 10 playoff games cannot be a coincidence. 

But while Fox may get a mulligan, the other four have no excuse. Zibanejad, in particular, had a very disappointing season, especially at 5v5, where he was one of the worst centers in the league. Panarin had a career high 49 goals during the regular season, but only one over the Rangers last nine playoff games. After recording a hat trick in the series clincher against the Hurricanes, Kreider had just one goal - a shorthander - in six games against the Panthers. And Trouba's performance was so bad, Laviolette was forced to demote him to the third pairing with Gustafsson.

Does Drury really want to run it back next season with this core? A better question might be what choice does he have? Zibanejad and Panarin both have NMC (no-move clause) contracts, meaning they would have to approve any trade. Kreider and Trouba have 15 team NTC (no-trade clause) contracts. The problem with NTCs is that the teams that have the cap space to take on a large contract are typically the ones on the no-trade list, while the teams that aren't on the no-trade list rarely have the cap space to take on said contract.

In other words, barring a miracle, any speculation involving a trade for Brady Trachuk is just that: speculation. With the Rangers having just over $11 million in available cap space and only 18 players signed next season, Drury is going to have to do pretty much what he did last summer: shop at the bargain basement. store. And after the postseason he had, it's unlikely that Barclay Goodrow will be bought out. If anything, the Rangers need more players like him, not fewer. Jake DeBrusk could be just what the doctor ordered, if Drury if he can shed some salary.

Look, I realize things may seem bleak right now. But here's something that should cheer you up. Among the playoff teams in the Eastern Conference that were eliminated, the Rangers are actually best positioned to make a deep run next year. I'm not joking. The Bruins need, not one, but two centers; the Maple Leafs, despite all that top-tier talent, still can't get out of the first round; the Lightning are finally paying the price for manipulating the salary cap all those years; and the Hurricanes will likely lose several key pieces of their team to free agency, plus their goaltending is suspect. Even the Panthers will have to make some tough choices over the summer.

Bottom line: the glass is half full, Rangers fans. Enjoy the summer.