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New York Rangers Shouldn’t Fix What Isn’t Broken

By Andrew Chelney

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After the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup this past June, New York Rangers fans were disappointed and understandably angry after seeing the best team in the regular season fall short of the ultimate goal yet again in the playoffs.

Many called for important players such as Rick Nash to be traded after he “failed” expectations, which is not only a hasty decision, it’s one that is completely unnecessary.

While Nash did everything but appear on the scoresheet during the 2014 playoffs, he scored 14 points in 19 playoff games last season, after reaching a new career high in goals (42) during the regular season. The only Ranger who scored more in the postseason was Derick Brassard, who put up 16 points.

Nash did everything he could to ensure the Rangers would go as far as they could, but some fans thought his effort wasn’t enough. Many trade ideas surfaced, calling Nash a “playoff choker” (which is simply inaccurate following these playoffs) and “invisible” (another inaccuracy; he played a two-way style throughout the entire year, hustling to make good plays at both ends of the ice). Neither of those accusations hold much truth because of his recent play. Why fix what isn’t broken?

New York Rangers
New York Rangers /

New York Rangers

Many fans also wanted to trade Derek Stepan. He’s still a kid at 25 yet he’s emerged as the Rangers’ number one center who puts up a lot of points on the board. Why trade a ridiculously accurate playmaker? He’s clearly a fantastic fit in New York, and there is zero to very little logical reasoning that dictates trading him for someone that’ll fulfill the exact same role. The Rangers can’t trade Stepan for someone much better without trading valuable assets as well, which they’ve already done to acquire Martin St. Louis and Keith Yandle. Why fix what isn’t broken?

The worst ideas on the internet impose trading Henrik Lundqvist. Yes, actual Rangers fans want to trade arguably the best goaltender in the world because he “can’t lead this team to a Cup.”

Lundqvist is the biggest reason the Rangers are where they are. He is the only goaltender in NHL history to win 30+ games in each full season he’s appeared in. He is the backbone of the New York Rangers, and he bails out the Blueshirts most times than the defense would like to admit on a nightly basis. The Rangers were shut out in games 5 and 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. What more could Lundqvist possibly have done when the offense scored zero goals? He can’t play every position; he gets paid a lot of money to stop pucks, and he’s arguably the best current player to do it. Why fix what isn’t broken?

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It’s understandable that some fans want to blow up the roster and bring in new faces because the old ones didn’t win the cup, but this team won the Presidents’ Trophy and was 1 win away from playing for the Stanley Cup for the 2nd season in a row. Recklessly trading for the sake of trading never ends well for any team. These players aren’t toys that we can throw away because we want a new one. It might work in NHL 15, where there’s no chemistry or coaching system in play, and the user is just exchanging unique simulation numbers representing players instead.

It’s worth noting that many of the Rangers players were injured during the 2015 Cup run, and while it’s definitely not an excuse for their failure, it’s at least an explanation, if nothing else. If the Rangers can avoid breaking or tearing anything, the NHL better believe the New York Rangers will yet again be in the Stanley Cup discussion in 2016. Don’t fix what isn’t broken. Polish what’s needed and watch the finished product shine.

Next: Henrik Lundqvist Unveils New Mask for Upcoming Rangers Season

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