The Rangers Have No Choice But To Sell At The Trade Deadline

Coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the New York Rangers have looked abysmal and there’s no other way around it.

First, the Rangers suffered a brutal 8-2 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres, the worst team in the Eastern Conference at this point in time.

The Blueshirts followed that up with a lackluster performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but Igor Shesterkin helped carry the team to an ugly 5-3 victory. 

Nonetheless, the Rangers have reverted to their old trends that got them into this hole in the first place and it’s very concerning. 

These past two performances show that the Rangers still have remnants of that same team we saw in December despite the strides they made in January.

The NHL Trade Deadline is less than two weeks away now as Chris Drury’s decision on which direction to go in seems very easy. 

A Stanley Cup parade in the streets of New York City this summer is highly unlikely given how broken this Rangers team has looked all season. 

If Drury’s job is secure, selling at the trade deadline is the best course of action for this team. The Rangers have had ample time to show Drury that they are capable of making a championship run, but time and time again, they’ve shown the opposite. 

With the likes of Reilly Smith, Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey all set to become unrestricted free agents this summer, Drury could look to flip them at the trade deadline in return for future assets. 

Time is running out for the Rangers to prove themselves to management. While they remain just two points out of a wild card spot, the sentiment with people around the Rangers is that they just aren’t good enough to go on a deep playoff run regardless if they make it to the postseason or not. 

That leaves Drury with one simple answer: Sell.