Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesIt was a strange feeling walking into the New York Rangers’ locker room after their 6-3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon.
Normally, after any ordinary win, the mood around the team is joyful and light, but that wasn’t the case on Saturday.
To paint the scene, it had been just over 24 hours since Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury issued a letter to fans emphasizing the team’s intentions to retool the roster and essentially punt on the remainder of the season with the Blueshirts sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference.
It felt odd addressing the players after the game, because while there are still over 30 games remaining this season, walking into the locker room almost had the feel of an exit interview, given Drury’s letter and the implications that are shortly to come from it.
It is the beginning of the end for this version of the Rangers’ core, who could see the writing on the wall.
First, it was Mika Zibanejad, who dove deep into his emotions regarding Drury’s message. Zibanejad was there eight years ago when former Rangers president Glen Sather and general manager Jeff Gorton released a letter, revealing the team’s plan to embark on a plan they described as a “reshaping” of the team.
The Letter 2.0 hit closer to home for Zibanejad since he was with the organization for its first retool/rebuild, whatever you want to call it, and now, he’ll potentially be forced to sit through another one at 32 years old.
He spoke with a disappointed tone, sentimental about the fact that this group will inevitably be broken up.
“I think, overwhelmed with a lot of emotions, like I said, and a lot of feelings and thoughts about it,” Zibanejad said, describing his emotions. “If changes are coming, just try to make the most of the time we have as a group.”
The focus then shifted to recently appointed captain J.T. Miller. Coming from a drama-filled situation with the Vancouver Canucks that was falling apart behind the scenes, the Rangers traded for J.T. Miller last season, to help change the team’s identity and salvage its competing window.
It hasn’t quite worked out for both the Rangers and Miller, who finds himself in yet another crumbling situation.
Shortly following the first letter, Miller was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but now as the captain of the Rangers, so it’s his responsibility to put on a strong face during difficult times and help guide the franchise through this retool.
“The emotions have been going on for longer than the last two days,” Miller said. “It's unfortunately part of the game. It's disappointing, for sure. I don't think four or five months ago this is where we thought we'd be, but we’ve got a job to do, and we need to start moving forward towards the next chapter.”
Upon entering the locker room, Artemi Panarin knew what was coming. It was reported on Friday that Drury had an individual meeting with Panarin and informed him that he will not be offered a contract extension, while the team is prepared to work with him and agent Paul Theofanous to trade him anywhere he wishes to go.
Panarin, with his voice as somber as I’ve ever seen in my year and a half on the Rangers beat, accepted the reality that his time with the Blueshirts will be coming to an end in the coming weeks, if not even days.
“It's hard to say how I feel, still confused, but yeah, (the) team decided to go in a different direction,” Panarin said. “I'm ok with that. I'm a Rangers player right now so I gotta play every game 100%.”
The Rangers’ intentions to retool the team’s core are now out in the open, which should make for an awkward and strange end to the season, the same feelings prevalent in the locker room on Saturday afternoon.