Are the Calgary Flames Buyers Or Sellers When It Comes To The Trade Market? You couldn't make this up. The Rangers are blowing themselves up, hellbent for hockey oblivion. What has happened – is happening – and apparently will happen to the bumbling Blueshirts defies credulity, In a matter of a month this team has – out of control – tail-spinned from outer space to the NHL's subterranean depths. It's a hockey remake of "Dumb And Dumber" and, at the moment, this sorrowful saga seems to be heading for a missing-the-playoffs ending. The culprits are all over the place. Start with GM Chris Drury, coach Peter Laviolette, pick virtually any player who is not a rookie and end with the world's richest goalie. Igor Shesterkin "won" his biggest of the big contracts because he's supposed to win games; but all he's been doing is losing; even to down-and-out, injury-riddled teams like Nashville. You have to wonder whether Garden boss Jim Dolan knows what's being said in the hockey world because it's not very nice Ex-Ranger Mike Rupp, now a respected tv analyst, was so upset that he did a three-minute video diatribe that smeared just about everybody but the Rangers' stickboy. Rupp's main thrust was at the managing of Drury. There's a "distrust" snapped Rupp. "Players have been manipulated in different ways." Chris Kreider's name being mentioned by management as possible trade bait was ripped by Rupp. "I don't believe there was any intention of trading Kreider," Rupp explained. "His name was intentionally leaked out in order to get a response from the team." Kappo Kakko's recent benching was another sore point. Coach Laviolette's explanation of it being easier to bench a younger player such as Kakko got this Rupp reply. "That's a garbage response. That's a terrible response. Kakko shouldn't have been the guy benched." The popular "Spittin' Chicklets host Paul Bissonette contacted Sean Avery about his former team's mess. It was hard to tell whether Sean was serious or not but Avery claimed he was heading to New York. Sean made it seem as if Garden owner Jim Dolan wanted to consult with him about future moves to halt the club's runaway skid. Maybe Avery was kidding but he seemed dead serious. Who knows? Losing 2-0 to the lowly Predators last night in Nashville is about as low as this club can get. Once miles over the .500 mark in the glory days of October, the Blueshirts now are a dismal 15-15-1. What's fascinating is that no one is without blame. The indictments spread from the front office to the coaches and the players. And when the losers deliver their post-game comments it's pure stomach-turner. Exhibit A, last night. "We gotta find ways to score goals," said Kreider. (Well, no kidding Chris. YOU are getting paid big money for that very job; and playing so poorly that you'd be hard-pressed to find a team that would even want you in a deal.) The post-game alibis have worn thinner than my new razor blade. Others share my view including pal Sean McCaffrey, publisher-columnist of Blue Collar Blueshirts. "Such hollow talk was just that," wrote McCaffrey. "It's as empty as their goose egg in the box score." Mika Zibanejad has turned into a skating joke and Alexis Lafrenière seems to have forgotten why he was awarded a new contract. Right now only the young stickhandlers have impressed. Specifically Will Cuylle and Bret Berard offer hope and if he ever recovers from his injury, Brennan Othmann. The club's faults are so widespread, it would take a bevy of shrinks to straighten out this once mighty franchise. Longtime fan Mark Linde pointed out that the obvious problems – poor positioning, poor execution and poor coaching – are clouded by an even more egregious sin. "I felt that there had to be something else," Linde explained. "NO LEADER. There's no veteran player on this team who can step on the ice, or step in front of the locker room and command attention." The Maven once thought that Adam Fox was the guy but his game has reached the mediocre level and ditto for his leadership potential. As for last night's loss, my pal McCaffrey summed it up in four little words: "They wanted it more!"
