Why did the Rangers collapse in November and December 2024, recover and expire again?
Hockey historians will be examining the reasons why for decades but The Maven can't wait.
To get the answer, I have in front of me, the most extensive mid-season examination anyone has delivered. It was produced by The Athletic last January 14th and co-authored by my former intern Arthur Staple.
No less than nine NHL insiders were polled by Staple, Inc. and were asked pointed questions. The answers were published at mid-season.
I'll list the questions, condense the answers and provide a Maven update. Ready, set go:
The Race For A Rangers Captain Continues
Is Adam Fox too soft, too taciturn, too indecisive to become the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers" target="_blank">Rangers</a> next captain?
WILL THE RANGERS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS? This was the first question. Five said NO, and four YES. (At the time the Blueshirts were on a 4-1-1 run and I thought for sure that they'd make it but The Athletic said the Rangers' odds were "under 35 percent. And we all know what happened.)
THE KEYS: Staple, Inc. noted: "There's plenty of evidence from this season that the Rangers are broken." An executive who was polled hit the bullseye: "The chemistry is not there." All of those projections turned out to be essential to the club's demise.
WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU WOULD FIX? The majority said "team defense" and that certainly proved prophetic. "Not just D-zone coverage," said one NHL coach, "it's play away from the puck all over the ice. Their turnovers are outrageous." But the toxicity went beyond the blue line.
THE KEYS: An agent put it succinctly. "It's culture. There's so much drama around this group. There was drama around Shesterkin's contract. Drama around the captain (Trouba). The culture of the work environment creates mood and mood creates momentum." Like it or not, the sickness lasted right thought clean-up day. After his retirement announcement, Joe Micheletti fingered that very "spirit" issue.
WHO WOULD YOU PRIORITIZE TRADING? Staple, Inc, zeroed in on the usual suspects, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. One NHL exec said he'd do Kreider first. "That wing spot is where they have some kids coming." The agent said Mika. "He has potentially the most talent...someone sees and feels that a change of scenery might be good for him."
THE KEYS: More likely Zibanejad for the above reasons is the guy. BUT, getting Z to drop his no-trade clause is the obstacle. Kreider's age and injuries means the return for Kreider would be more like a load of hockey sticks.
DO THE RANGERS NEED A FULL REBUILD? Staple, Inc. noted: "It was a resounding NO! The reasoning was based on the fact that the Rangers "have Shesterkin in net, Adam Fox on the top defense pair and still plenty of skill up front." That nucleus would negate a full rebuild. But there are other obstacles.
THE KEY: One executive stated: "How do you do a full rebuild with so many no-trade clauses and so much term on guys' deals? When you've got Shesterkin for eight more years, you're not doing a rebuild." Another executive was on target: "Anybody can tear down a team; that's not hard. What's hard is to build and building a roster is an art form. You've got to get the right pieces."
MAVEN'S CONCLUSION: The Athletic team did a commendable and exhaustive job. As we know, the Rangers missed the playoffs and Peter Laviolette was fired. So was defensive coach Phil Housley.
That was the mere beginning of addressing a missed playoffs and defenseless defense. Next up could be trades. In a recent column Staple fantasized a deal in which Kreider would go to Columbus and Zibanejad to Chicago. Sounds good, but the obstacles are there as well. Drury will play all angles trying to dismantle the core.
His problem – oddly enough – could be Shesterkin and not simply because of the contract and its length. Both were built on a fallacy that Igor is the savior who steals games and guarantees a playoff berth.
But he failed on both counts this past season. Plus, there's absolutely no guarantee that he'll ever regain the form that once won a Vezina Trophy.
Drury has substantial work to do. He now has his fourth coach while the ongoing ailment remains – THE PLAYERS!