Analyzing how safe Peter Laviolette and Chris Drury are with the Rangers.
Where is Joel Quenneville now? Available, I hope. Ready, willing and able, I hope.
The evidence is all there – this club needs new leadership. Pronto! And that goes for GM Chris Drury.
This is the very same team that finished first overall, spanning an 82-game marathon. The scorers are there; the defense is there and the goalkeeping is there.
These are all good hockey players and, by the way, don't be impressed if they beat the Humpty Habs at The Garden today.
When it comes to playing even a half-decent team like the Flyers who've missed the playoffs for four straight years, the Rangers failed miserably on Friday in Philly. My insights come from me and those who are lifetime coaches.
One of them is Harvey (Hutch) Cohen, arguably the best high school coach in New Jersey history. He has studied his favorite team, the Blueshirts, for decades.
"The team is in complete disarray," Cohen explains. "There's zero cohesive line play, or team play. It seems as if it's every man for himself; except the young players." Then, a pause: "The GM and coach have lost all credibility with their players."
Want a winning manager? Bring back the last Cup-winner, Neil Smith. Need someone to run the whole show? Bring back John Davidson.
Drury's moves over the summer were negligible; and that's putting it kindly.
The ongoing "Trouba Follies" could be equated with "The Square Root of Chai Horrible" in terms of its effect on the team.
The captaincy should have been removed from Jake The Rake in training camp. (Something The Maven wrote, by the way, in September.)
Exhibit A – when it comes to weird managing – miss the man-handling of Fiery Fil Chytil's case. Here's a guy with a lousy concussion history who gets whacked again this season.
Instead of leaving him home to recuperate, the general staff decides to Fly Fil to Western Canada – never play him – and finally fly him home. P.S. Chytil still hasn't returned to the lineup.
Back again to the Drury Dilemma. He's the guy who, 'way back when, boasted to the press that he'd have new contracts wrapped up with Alexis Lafreniere and Igor Shesterkin.
Big Al's deal was done in no time at all. So, what's with Iggy? Or, to put it a more realistic way; will it ever happen? In these cases, the bottom line can be found at Jimmy Dolan's desk.
If MSG's emperor believes that a shakeup is necessary now, he'll do it, providing that he has the time and inclination.
Should Dolan have neither now; both coach and manager will have a reprieve that neither deserve.
Boss Jimmy knows that every game from today vs. Montreal to the finale on April 17 will be a guaranteed sellout.
What's not a guarantee at the moment is the darling Rangers making the playoffs.