Here's what went wrong for the Rangers in the playoffs and some aspects they need to improve upon.
The wounds inflicted by the Cup Champion Cats on the Blueshirts haven't healed and will not until next spring – at the earliest.
In the meantime The Maven has called upon my favorite insider, hockey-consultant, Chris Riley.
I asked the former defenseman for a harsh, candid, no-holds-barred scouting report on what went wrong and – more important – what needs to be fixed on the Blueshift machine.
Riley, from River Edge, New Jersey, has studied the Rangers from every angle short of Bear Mountain. Eager to get with it, Chris herewith presents his ferocious findings:
1. WHAT FAILED IN THE PLAYOFF CLUTCH: "The Rangers were not built for the Eastern Conference Final. They are too soft. When they reached the third playoff round the game got more physical for them. They had to keep their heads up. Ranger aces don't like to get hit. That's why Panarin and Zibanejad vanished. Worse still, there was no one to help protect them; not even the captain Jacob Trouba."
2. COACHING WEAKNESS: "The top Rangers lines couldn't figure out the Panthers forecheck. They just played a 1-3-1 defensive set and caused a ton of New York turnovers. The only way to break that is to skate and draw two guys to you and make a pass to someone who is open nearby. But the Panthers didn't fall for it and the Rangers were done."
3. DISAPPOINTMENTS: "I expected more out of K'Andre Miller on defense. Granted that he's a great skater and playmaker. He sees the ice very well. On the other hand he gets lost in a fog and makes a bad play. That causes problems. The answer is that Miller had to jump into the play more offensively. He can make it back on defense after a rush. What he really needs is the confidence to do it and that's still not all there."
4. MORE DISAPPOINTMENTS: "Adam Fox and Trouba need to lead more on defense. At times they played like world-beaters but – at other times – they'd take bad penalties and make mistakes. When a team like the Rangers keep taking penalties, the defensemen get tired having to keep killing them off."
5. THE FAILURE TO UNDERSTAND KAAPO KAKKO: "Despite an overload of Kakko-mocking, the playoff was a huge help to the young forward. He actually upped his game and showed that he can be a major asset – although a majority of critics doubt me on this."
6. A HARSH REMPE REPORT: "Matt is a horrible skater. At times he looks as if he's going to fall over because his core strength is poor and he does not know how to hold his body in a good skating position. Also, Rempe is not great at the important business of stopping and starting. As a result, he has to make rinkwide turns. When he does that he takes himself out of the play. He was supposed to be the 'Bolt Bag' for the Rangers but when it came to the Panthers, he couldn't find anyone to drop the gloves. They knew he was terrible and not worth getting involved with in a key playoff round. He needs to spend this summer working on his skating over and over and over again! Then he might quality for the big club"