Looking at the current Blueshirts roster is guaranteed to give any Ranger fan a case of dyspepsia. (Sorry, two Tums tablets a day won't cure Mika Sickness.)
His Majesty Chris Drury must do something fast; like unloading the dead wood and assorted malingerers who have mistaken MSG for the Valley Rest Home bordering the Lazy River.
The question for Drury is this: who should be the first three Rangers to be sent packing?
Once Over The Rangers Lightly But Not Politely
<b>1.</b> The Maven is waiting for some shrink to explain how and why – when Alexis Lafrenière was on the stairway to stardom – he wound up on the escalator to oblivion.
As a public service to the Rangers high command I've herded members of The Maven's Roundtable to detail the specific skaters who should take a hike! Take a look:
BERNIE ROHDE: "Start with Artemi Panarin. He's not a playoff performer. They should trade him but for all I care, Breadman can go to work for Fink Bread. After that, it's gotta be Chris Kreider because he's obviously a disgruntled employee and therefore not good for the room. Round it out with Mika Zibanejad for the same reasons as Panarin. They both need to be held accountable and be dismissed to the press box if need be."
AL GREENBERG: "Kreider's career seems to be over and he's long past his prime. Plus, he's got a bad back. Trouble is that trading him will be tough without retaining salary. He could be a buyout candidate. Next, I'd get rid of K'Andre Miller who could use a change of scenery. After that, I'd pick any one of the marginal players such as Sam Carrick who didn't do all that much and can be used as part of a trade."
GEORGE GRIMM: "I'd like Drury to dump Kreider and Zibanejad. Their time has passed but, on the other hand Drury may not be able to dump them. The Rangers need grinders; both Z and Kreider are soft players who are making much more money than they are earning. As for K'Andre Miller, either teach him how to play defense, move him up to the wing – or trade him. Same with Big Al Lafreniere. If he can rebound, great; otherwise he's a dud and – if that's the case – dump him!"
PATRICK HOFFMAN: "For starters, K'Andre Miller needs to go. He simply does not play his primary position; and looks lost in his own zone. I hate saying this but Kreider's time in New York has come to an end. Yes, he played hurt last year but his impact on the team has diminished and the team needs to find a way to bring in younger players. Zibanejad might need to take a hike as well. There have been too many times when he's nowhere to be found when his team needs him most. He still can produce but takes too many games off."
Sean McCaffrey, the insightful publisher-columnist of Blue Collar Blue Shirt, simplifies things, "JUST GET RID OF ZIBANEJAD!"