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The NHL is on an Olympic break for 3 weeks so the drama in New York City is on pause. My thoughts from my last post were right, the Rangers season is over. It’s been brutal since then. Two or three wins in that time, with the highlight being dropping Florida in an outside game on national television. Florida is having their own problems. Almost as bad.

The Rangers are 1-9 in their last 10 games. I think we’re up to 9 shutout losses with less than 30 games left to play. Not exactly the record you want on your franchise. It’s been a bit of a downer. I think owner Chris Drury would be more upset if the Knicks were also terrible (34-19, tied for 2nd in the Eastern Conference).

Carter Sousey was the first to be traded (Islanders). Just before the break, Artemi Panarin was traded to the LA Kings. The best free agent pick up in…franchise history? was let go for a cross your fingers this works out deal. Panarin will be greatly missed. I’ll never forget his Game 7 OT win against the Penguins. Those were the good days when everything wasn’t…broken. There will be more trades coming.

JT Miller and Vincent Trocheck are on the US Olympic team and Mika Zibanejad is playing for Finland. At least I’ll have something to cheer for on the ice this month (the US women’s team is destroying everyone so far).

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.

Thirteen years. Many thought Chris Kreider would spend his entire career in New York but it stopped at thirteen years. He’s well loved, tops many Ranger records and was on his way to becoming a team legend. In ways he already is but the highlight reels from his MSG home are now over. Above you can see Mike Zibanejad’s ode to his best friend.

With last season’s disappointing run from the majority of the team, it had become blatantly obvious that major changes were needed. It hasn’t been a coaching problem.

As the trade deadline approached last season, the effort to patch any holes the team had got more urgent. Ryan Lindgren & Jimmy Vesey traded to the Colorado Avalanche, for Calvin de Haan, Juuso Parssinen, and conditional draft picks. Reilly Smith traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, in exchange for Brendan Brisson and a 2025 third-round pick (Rangers retained ~50% of Smith’s salary). Carson Soucy picked up from the Vancouver Canucks, acquired for a 2025 third-round pick. And the Trouba trade before this to the Ducks where they took his remaining contract and traded Urho Vaakanainen.

The Rangers didn’t make the playoffs so it didn’t work.

Now, to the present, where some major moves have been made. Hurricanes sign K’Andre Miller to an 8 year, $60M deal. Rangers acquired Scott Morrow, a top 10 protected 2026 first-rounder, and a 2026 second-round pick. Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov signed to a seven-year, $49M deal via UFA from the LA Kings.

Here we see a similar move with Krieder done with Miller: he’ll probably do better on another team and in his place, a hight caliber player. Gavrikov is arguably the best UFA defenseman. They signed him for a little less than expected, which is a bonus for signing more players. The Rangers’ defense should be noticeably better now, but more needs to be done.

Will Cuylle re-signed to a two-year, $3.9M AAV bridge deal, thank goodness. He was one of the best last season. Adam Edstrom, Matthew Robertson, Matt Rempe all got two-year deals, which is also good news.

Finally, free agents: Taylor Raddysh (2 yrs, $3M), Derrick Pouliot (2 yrs, two-way). Time will tell where they will fit in and how they will do.

Some of my favorite players are gone and no one would be surprised if Zibanejad is moved in the next month or so. It’s the end of an era, the block of loved players that got close to the Stanley Cup finals had their chance and the door is now shut. A part of sports that happens all the time to many fans’ chagrin.

2-2

Florida jumped into the lead 3-0 in the first period. The Oilers changed goalies and tied the game 3-3 in the second period. With about 7 minutes left in the game, the Oilers scored only for the Panthers to tie the game with 20 seconds left!

The Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl scored the stunning one-handed game-winning goal 11 minutes into overtime, flooring the Florida home team audience. In 20 playoff games, Draisaitl has 11 goals and 21 assists.

Never count out these Edmonton Oilers.

2-1 FL

The first two games were very close, with EDM pushing both games to OT. There goes my first prediction, only one OT in the series. EDM won the first, FL the second in double OT. FL ran over them in game 3, 6-1.

It was weird. After FL scored one minute into the game, EDM lost their mind. FL had all the confidence, EDM none. A conga line of stupid penalties, EDM couldn’t get any traction.

So, what happened? FL played like FL, and EDM didn’t play like EDM. It’s up to the Oilers to match the Panthers’ skill, or they will not win. They had to fight tooth and nail to push the first two games to OT, not FL. The odds of FL faltering are slim. That puts all of the pressure on EDM.

I was right about Florida, they overwhelmed Carolina. They made it look easy.

Edmonton turned it around after botching the first game and never looked back. It was impressive as Dallas never managed to regain their footing. What’s really crazy, in game 6 the Dallas coach pulled Otter after letting in 2 goals early in the first period but they weren’t his fault. DeSmith isn’t as good as Otter and I don’t see anyone thinking that it was anything but a rash and demoralizing decision.

So now we have our first Cup rematch since 2009. Last year FL took charge and Edmonton rallied back to force game 7, only to lose. But it was a run for the ages, their season was one massive rebound after having a horrible start.

So what’s the difference this season? I think FL is just as good as last year. Maybe a bit better from getting Brad Marchand from Boston. And they are very seasoned in the playoff broth, going all the way 3 years in a row.

Edmonton is absolutely better. And they’re not exhausted coming into the finals this year. Revenge is a powerful motivator, as is defending the championship. I think it’s so close it’ll come down to a goalie battle, which FL has the advantage in.

I can see this going 6-7 tough games. Any blowouts are unlikely. I’m rooting for Edmonton, but I think FL has the best betting odds. Now will the scores be close….one or two goal difference. I’d expect one game to go to OT. I think every game will be exciting.

Let’s see how my predictions did.

I wanted Winni to win, but thought it could go either way. I got the number of games right. Dallas was the better team as a whole and Hellebuyck’s numbers took a horrific dive in this series. He stops nearly everything in the regular season, but the playoffs are a different story.

I thought it would take the Oilers 7 games to win, but they dashed their way through Vegas in 5. Really strong showing and rather embarrassing for Vegas, they had a great season.

Toronto is cursed. They manage to force game 7 after getting embarrassed in game 5 and it’s a repeat for game 7. It was like they didn’t know their season was on the line. That said, FL is terrific, so you have to show up every 60 minutes or they’ll take it. I predicted FL in 5.

I favored Carolina in 7, but they ran over Washington. Key injuries to Washington exposed their lack of depth and they simply couldn’t keep up. They need faster players.

Now the Conference finals!

Florida looks unstoppable. Initially, I thought this was going to be a close match, but Carolina looks lost. FL is an intimidating well well-oiled machine with some of the best team depth and goaltending.

I think Edmonton has better footing than Carolina, despite falling apart in game 1. If they can pull it together, they could knock out Dallas for the second time in a row. Dallas looks hungry as hell, though. I’m leaning Dallas in 6.

Big news for the NY Rangers: Mike Sullivan is the new head coach. Less than a week after he left Pittsburgh, GM Chris Drury jumped on him.

There were some wild games in round 1. Winnipeg and Dallas barely won, both having history making comebacks.

Vegas was the favorite to win, and they wore Minnesota out (who have the same historic problem as Toronto: can’t make it through round 1).

I was sure LA would slay their demon this year and Edmonton put a boot on that idea…LA had a suss coaching decision for calling goalie interference that likely cost them a game, killing the momentum they had.

Toronto had some hair raising issues but ended up taking care of business. They were the better team, so if Ottawa beat them, odds are they would have been dismantled.

I thought the Florida series would be competitive, but the Panthers put their flag in the ground, showing why they are expected to repeat.

The Washington series was fun to watch, and the result was expected. Montreal has a bright future.

Too many injuries killed NJ. Pretty easy for Carolina. Expected.

Winnipeg v Dallas: I’d like WPG, but who knows? It should be intense and go at least 6.

Vegas v Edmonton: VGS is the better team, but EDM has a killer spirit. I think VGS will be as physical as possible to win, try to run them into the ground. EDM in 7, if no major injuries.

Toronto v Florida: FL in 5. Half of the games will probably be close in goals.

Washington vs Carolina: Toss up. CAR is faster. WSH can be meaner. Likely a goalie and coaching fight. CAR in 7.

39-36-7

For 40 years, Sam Rosen was the voice of the NY Rangers’ color commentary. He had a basketful of curated catchphrases and a never-ending palpable love of the team and the sport of hockey. Unfortunately, the Rangers didn’t send him off with a winning season, but at least the final 2 games against the Florida teams ended it on a high note.

Since the end of the season, Coach Peter Laviolette has been fired (expected) along with an associate coach, and GM Chris Drury got a contract extension. That has not gone over well with the fanbase. It is safe to say that if he doesn’t manage to turn the team around next season, he’s done. He’s got a lot to do. First thing he needs to do is give Will Cuyle a new contract and then find a coach that can get this team moving again. Finding new defensive players is key. I expect the core to largely stay the same. The tide turned against Kreider, but we now know that, along with the back spasms, he was playing with vertigo and an injured hand. That explains his dramatic drop in play and raises another flag against Laviolette; why on earth was he still being played so much, even on the 4th line? A healthy Kreider is still a major asset.

Now we’re in the thick of the playoffs. I think there is a good chance a Canadian team could win it (Toronto). And with how Florida is stuffing Tampa Bay, they are no longer going to be underestimated. There are many terrific series going on, with the Devils being the outlier. With the injuries they had in the regular season, they only held on to have 3 more wins than the Rangers. With even more injuries, they are completely outmatched by Carolina. I don’t see them winning a game. Montreal is competing against Washington, but they just can’t close a game. I also predicted a Kings win over the Oilers, but not a sweep, which looks like it is going to happen.

With two games remaining, the Rangers are the only team with no multi-goal comeback wins.

We’ll take any good news these days. The Rangers played the Panthers last night. Went down 1-0 in the first period, then went down 3-1, and rallied back again to win 5-3. It took 81 wins for a multi-game win, but it’s better than zero! The final game of the season is Thursday vs Tampa Bay.

I wrote this title on March 28th after the Rangers blew a lead to the Ducks and lost in OT. That’s how long I’ve meant to write and haven’t mustered up the will for 2 weeks or so. The reason is that even when the Rangers have won, which has been few and far between, there still isn’t much to praise. They haven’t won more than three games in a row since November, never mounting more than two and almost always going on losing streaks after winning.

It’s been a terrible season from the start, the worst since 2017 when it was so bad the rebuild was announced. I’m not sure if a full rebuild will happen; there aren’t enough resources to do so, but a lot needs to change. I’m not sure if it feels so bad because the season was so bad or if it’s amplified because of the whiplash from finishing first in the league last season.

The problems were never fixed. Terrible defense amplified by out of control turnovers. Slow starts so that the game was frequently turned into a game of catch up. With two games remaining, the Rangers are the only team with no multi-goal comeback wins. The only team highlight is that they have the most short-handed goals.

The collapse of both special teams outweighs that nice stat. The powerplay has disappeared, something like 27th in the league. While the penalty kill remained strong for a while, it has also fallen apart in the last 6 weeks. The amount of penalties they get is a problem that’s been around for years, but the great PK has kept it from being detrimental. Last season, they won many games (many come from behind victories) because of the top 5 special teams. That’s gone, so here is the losing record of a season.

Last season was a special one. Seven players had career seasons. All of them are down about 20 points. Panarin has been the best and Kreider is the worst, down close to 50 points. That’s a massive reduction in team points. Kakko was one of those players. He was traded in December with something like 17 total points. In his first month with Seattle, he scored 16 points. That’s an eyebrow raising stat.

The New York Rangers have had a problem developing young players for decades now. That’s a management issue that should have been addressed ages ago. We have some promising rookies, and it’s vital that they get the game time and guidance to play at the NHL level. Kakko was squandered, and Lafreniere hasn’t improved. Cuyle has had a fantastic sophomore season. Rempe is improving. Edstrom was also making strides, but a serious injury ended his season at 51 games. Berard, Perreault, and Othmann are the future and must be treated as such. Schneider is our most promising defenseman, and I think Jones has potential, but the disrespect for his abilities all season has me thinking he’ll be moved. Miller deserved to be pulled frequently, not him. In fact, K’Andre’s drop in play has been so bad that I don’t think he will be a Ranger next year.

Quite a few players were moved, including Trouba, Lindgren, and Chytil, but not much improved. The biggest asset is the return of JT Miller, who has played well and raised Zibanejad’s game. That was a boon as he was having a terrible season, and he has managed to gain some ground. The players picked up in the trades are all middle-of-the-road in skill. Ditching a few is in the cards.

It’s been so sad to watch for so long that watching games hasn’t been fun. The team’s chemistry is so off that when they score a goal, their celebration is muted. It’s like they expect to lose. The attitude is just bizarre. Is it a player issue or a coaching issue? Both? I guess we’ll find out over the off season. How dramatic the changes will be is entirely up in the air. I wouldn’t be surprised to see GM Chris Drury get the boot along with Coach Laviolette..