Here are some Rangers thoughts as we get closer to the NHL offseason.
1. The fallout from the Blueshirts loss to Florida has some of the good citizens of Rangerville up in arms over the manner in which the club's loss has been characterized by harsh critics.
2. My upstart pal David Perlmutter went bananas when he saw a headline on the irreverent site, Blue Collar Blueshirts: CHOKE!
3. After ripping publisher-author Sean McCaffrey for an over-the-top rip on the Rangers, Perlmutter says he'll never read McCaffrey's stuff again.
4. Which only goes to show you how passionate – also nutty – some hockey people can get over something as earth-shaking as a five-letter word that begins with CHO.
5. Much more important is the debate now raging: "Which Ranger Will Follow Barclay (Not That Good) Goodrow to the Left Coast?
6. If he gets full medical clearance, Filip Chytil is The Maven's choice for next in line whether Perlmutter likes it or not. (If he doesn't like it, let him read Blue Collar Blueshirts.)
7. I agree with those who believe that Chytil was being "showcased" for a trade before his next concussion. (Some cynics might legitimately believe that Peter Laviolette didn't want to play Fil, but was pressured from above.)
8. Wouldn't it be a rib-tickler if Blake (Bad Gamble) Wheeler wound up in San Jose alongside Goodrow. (Dare we call it "Dead Wood City?")
9. Put it this way. If Wheeler is a Ranger on opening night at MSG, then look up to the sky and watch the cow jumping over the moon!
10. I wonder if Florida's witty coach Paul Maurice had Peter Laviolette in mind when he delivered this insightful squelch: "The only thing constant in hockey is the losing coach saying, 'We had our chances!'"
11. Guaranteed, the Rangers lineup shakeup will be BIG because of the following: A seasoned NHL scout's report on the Blueshirts: "When it comes to the playoffs, the New Yorkers were not built for the Eastern Conference Final. They were too soft!"
12. Another guarantee: If they didn't know it already, the Rangers learned why the quest for the Stanley Cup is the toughest thing in all pro sports.
13. According to The Maven's very thoughtful guesstimate, 19 out of the 32 NHL teams would love to have Matt Rempe in their lineup.
14. Funny, but had the Rangers survived the third round, you can bet we'd be talking Igor Shesterkin for the Conn Smythe Trophy and not Connor McDavid. (A big IF!)
15. One more IF, if you don't mind. My choice for "Unsung Rangers Hero" is Jimmy Vesey. If JV hadn't been hurt, New York would have beaten Florida!
16. I'm trying to imagine Drury's explanation if someone upstairs at MSG asks him, "How come Roslovic was your "Grand Prize" at the trade deadline?" (Hypersensitive Perlmutter would get miffed at it even being brought up. McCaffrey would wear a Chesire grin. Egad! I just lost Perlmutter as a reader. For now!)
17. In case you didn't know, The Maven is a "Hockey Name Collector." That's why I'd love to see Max Pacioretty and Tyler Toffoli on the "Rebuilt Rangers."
18. This Is No Joke Department stuff: We all know that Adam Fox was injured and that hampered his playoff play – and even before that. But my serious issue has to do with how his game will be affected by the wound next season?
19. Pardon my exuberance but I just got the exhibition game schedule and I'm all excited already. (Calm down, Maven; calm down, already!)