Reminiscing on the Rangers playoff run and looking into the future.
1. The hot new discussion is who should be on the right side of Mika and my immediate answer is: "Anyone but Kakko."
2. My choice was the guy Chris Drury should have gone for in the first place, Jake Guentzel. The GM's blunder on that one cost them the 2024 Cup.
3. Advice from my personal health advisor George Grimm to the Rangers: "The Blueshirts need more protein and less carbs!"
4. Okay, okay, if the club wants to gamble on an over-the-hill guy to ride sidecar with Mika; then go for Patrick Kane.
5. Then again, who says that Mika will be a Blueshirt in September?
6. Kidding aside, if not Guentzel, go for the kid Othmann and hope for the best. He might be the best, cheapest answer for the NHL's second richest team.
7. As for Kakko, The Maven's personal wish is that Drury deals him to Vancouver.
8. Of course Ryan Lindberg wants to stay a Ranger. Right now he's the most reliable Dman the team has until slumping-hurting Adam Fox shows us more.
9. Whether the Panthers win or lose tonight, Drury should use "The Zito Model" for reshaping the Rangers.
10. My man in Florida, Al Greenberg, adds: "When the Panthers won the Presidents' Trophy and then got wiped out of the playoffs, Zito traded his leading scorer, Jonathan Huberdeau, and top defender, MacKenzie Weegar, for Matthew Tkachuk. It was very controversial, but look what happened."
11. Reminder to the entire Rangers roster and general staff: "PLAYOFFS ARE A DIFFERENT GAME!"
12. Word is that our old pal Goodrow is unhappy with the way the Rangers high command handled his unloading from Seventh Avenue. Explanation: "That's show business. That's hockey business!"
13. Also for Goody. Your checks won't bounce in San Jose. Nice town and very good ice cream there. (I'm an ice cream Maven as well.)
14. I call this "Sean's Playoff No-Shows." Zibanejad, Kakko, Chytil and Trouba. (Thank you, bold Mr. McCaffrey.")
15. If, as Drury says – "Everything is on the table" – that tells me that K'Andre Miller could be moved as well.
16. You folks know the hockey business as well as anyone. Which means that – for Drury's sake – the club had better have a better playoff next June. For the GM's sake that is. Period!
17. Lifetime Rangers fan and hockey player, Andy Meier, writes: "Matt Rempe needs boxing lessons as well as skating lessons. And, by the way, I'm on the fence with him!" (Hint: Me too!)
18. If Florida pulls it off and wins The Stanley Cup tonight, it will be a feather in the Rangers cap; absolutely no doubt about it.
19. Then again, if the Panthers do win – either tonight or in Game 7 – the good citizens of Rangerville will spend the summer playing the "What If?" game.
20. If it's possible to forget the Blueshirts playoff loss, give the guys credit; they did provide a ton of excitement, big wins and, of course, the one, the only, MATT REMPE!