The good news for Mike Sullivan is that he can't be fired. (Do you think Chris Drury's gonna touch the highest-paid NHL coach? The fourth one he's hired? Nah; not a chance. (Beside, Sully likely will be the next GM when Drury is shown the gate.)
That means that So-Far-Unsullied-Sully can do as he damn pleases on the bench and in the clubhouse. And let's face it, the poor guy – sorry, I mean rich guy – still has his hands full with this bunch of losers. Here are Mike's seven big challenges:
SPIRIT: Joe Micheletti says "lack of spirit" was the biggest problem – drawback, if you will – on last season's team. Sullivan can right that wrong in two ways: A. Name a captain; and stop dilly-dallying on this important point; and B. Impose his strong, spirited personality on the squad. (That is, providing the distressing Pittsburgh situation hasn't already drained him of spirit.) The New York change of scene should energize it and he, in turn, should do whatever rah-rah is needed to jump-start the engine of losers.
TOUGHNESS: We're talking about a collective attitude where every single player – including the lightweights – go in the corners, take on the enemy toughies and do the dirty work, cleanly. Go to the net, rub somebody out. Big guys who are getting big money – that's you, Brother Lafreniere – gotta play bigger.
GOALIE ROTATION: Sully has to get to the bottom of the Shesterkin enigma; otherwise known as figuring out why Iggy's game went punko in 2024-25. Bring back Benny Allaire as a once-a-month intense consultant. (Can't hurt.)
FREEDOM FROM SIDNEY: No matter how you shake it, the Crosby-Malkin duet had as much to say about the way Sullivan ran the Penguins as Mike did. And it got them out of the playoffs for the last three years. After a seeming lifetime of Sidney as his helper, Mike has his own team to forge without the captain and Russian looking over his shoulder. Inhale the fresh air of bench freedom, Sully, this could be the difference-maker!
TROCHECK, THE MAIN MAN: No matter who's chosen captain, the top guy on whom Sullivan must lean is Vin Trocheck. And guess who put it best: "Vin touched every part of our game." Peter Laviolette. Whatever Pistol Pete's flaws, he was right about the Pittsburgher. And if the coach needs another leaning post, he can try Trocheck's Pitt pal, J.T. Miller.
Much More On Rangers "Toughness Or Not?"
The question touched a Maven's Roundtable nerve and the reactions have been intense. So I repeat: HOW TOUGH ARE THE RANGERS?
EXPLOITING REMPE: The Skating Giraffe will be dealing with a newly-hired head coach. This will be a first-class opportunity to demonstrate that he is, in fact, a hockey player; not a goon, not a Sideshow Charlie and more than just "The People's Choice." With Sam Carrick and Adam Edstrom rounding out the Fourth Line, it has a chance to be more than foe-busters but an offensive unit as well.
MENTAL TOUGHNESS: The Rangers grade in that department was F, as in Failing. As reader George Wrage puts it: "Sullivan will have to find out if his skaters are tough enough to handle adversity. Last season they unravelled like a cheap suit when the going got tough." Or, this from Bernie Rohde: "No, the Blueshirts are not tough enough, or mentally tough. An example of 'mentally tough' is Florida's Sam Bennett. He'll do anything to get to the net to score. His mental toughness is what drives him to overcome the defenders and get to the net. Without mental toughness, it doesn't matter how big a player is." (Sounds like Lafreniere again!)
Good luck, Sully; you'll need it!