19-18-5

With the condensed NHL season due to the 2 weeks for the Olympics, we have already reached the halfway point in the season. And I haven’t written about it until now because there’s nothing to write about.

There have been many injuries that have held the team back but even at full strength, the New York Rangers are essentially a .500 team. Any momentum they get (I think 4 wins in a row is their best) is quickly stopped dead and they struggle to get going again. They’ve been embarrassed with 8 shut out losses so far. That’s unacceptable. Yesterday, Washington got revenge from their blown game in the previous matchup where the Rangers had 5 goals in the final period. Let’s just say Tom Wilson made his presence known.

It’s not fun to watch, so I can’t be bothered to talk about the season. The team just doesn’t work as a team. The stars are boom or bust and it’s frequently long stretches of bust. They aren’t fast enough and don’t fight hard enough. Igor does everything he can and the teams just can’t score. Quick hasn’t had a win in a month. Very little from last season has improved.

The biggest question is what happens with Panarin. This is the last year of his contract and they can’t let him go for nothing at the end of the season. Do they woo him to re-sign for a handful of years…at a price cut? They can’t afford his 11M/per again (and he’s on the other side of 30 years old). Would he even do that? A bunch of teams would love to grab him in trade come February as a “rental” or maybe more. I don’t see a way around losing the man who has led the team in points for 6 years, but he would bring back valuable assets in the near future.

We need a new GM. The front office hasn’t been making the right decisions for years. The organization as a whole isn’t healthy.