New York Rangers: Do the Rangers know if they’re a win-now team or not?
Sometimes, it looks like the New York Rangers are intending to win the Stanley Cup. Other times, it seems as if the team is starting over completely. As fans, we’re not sure what they’re doing. Does the team know what’s happening either?
With the way the New York Rangers have been playing thus far, it almost feels like the 2014 Stanley Cup run was way more than three years ago. Fans are starting to think that the team doesn’t care about what’s happening on the ice, and in post-game interviews, the players sound about as frustrated as the fanbase is.
It’s hard to believe that just a few years back, this was the team that was on top of the league. They were dominating almost every game and made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2014. But, they fell short.
Since failing to achieve their big goal that year, no one has been sure of what the Rangers are trying to do each season. The big question is, does the team even know what they’re trying to do?
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The 2014-2015 Season
After losing in the Stanley Cup Final to the Los Angeles Kings in five games, the New York Rangers were feeling a range of emotions. After initial heartbreak and frustration, the team was ready to get stronger and complete their unfinished business from the year before. At this point, there was a ton of things for Rangers’ fans to look forward to.
Anthony Duclair and Kevin Hayes were virtually unknown quantities, and both were expected to make their NHL debuts in the following season. The dynamic duo of Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard had been established in the second half of the prior season, and the team was looking to build on that. It finally seemed like there would be a light at the end of the tunnel.
But, unfortunately, the Rangers came up short once again. However, there were bright spots. Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard gelled amazingly, improving the play of each other as well as that of Rick Nash. Kevin Hayes ended up having a fantastic rookie season, putting up 45 points (17 goals and 28 assists) in 79 games. The team ended up winning the Presidents’ Trophy as well.
But, even though some individual players had great seasons, the Rangers lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games in the Eastern Conference Final. The Rangers were faced with the same emotions once again; heartbreak and frustration.
The 2015-2016 Season
By the time the 2015 offseason rolled around, the New York Rangers were looking to do basically what they did the season before; continue to improve, and make another run at the Stanley Cup. At first, it looked like they were doing the opposite.
They lost Carl Hagelin, Cam Talbot, and Marty St. Louis. Aside from that, they extended Derek Stepan and added Viktor Stalberg, Emerson Etem, and Antti Raanta. Once again, the Rangers did a little tinkering and expected to contend for the Stanley Cup. This time, it backfired.
The eventual Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated the Rangers in five games in the first round of the playoffs. The Penguins won the first game, gave up the second game, and then won the last three consecutively to capture the series.
This was a huge wake-up call for the team. Gone were the days of twisting a few gears and hoping that the machine would work perfectly. The Rangers had to work even harder, and go all-in.
The 2016-2017 Season and Beyond
For the first time in a while, the New York Rangers went into a season with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder. This seemed to be the drive that they needed to make some big acquisitions.
Most notably, the team added Michael Grabner, Mika Zibanejad, Brandon Pirri, and Jimmy Vesey. These new players cost them Keith Yandle, Derick Brassard, and Eric Staal, but they didn’t seem to be worried.
The offense exploded in the first bunch of games of the season, and, for another season, it looked like the Rangers could contend for the Stanley Cup. When it came time for the playoffs, the team was ready to dominate. They had just downed the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins for their last home game of the season and were ready to do the same to whoever they faced in the first round.
In the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals, the Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens in six games. They had already done better than last year by making it past the first round. However, the Ottawa Senators extinguished their flame in just six games. When it looked like their strategy was finally going to work, they just took another big step back.
Over the summer of 2017, the Rangers made some questionable moves. They lost Antti Raanta, Derek Stepan, and Dan Girardi. While eliminating Girardi was beneficial to the team, the loss of the former two players was bound to impact the team negatively.
But, to counter those moves, they added Kevin Shattenkirk, Anthony DeAngelo, and Ondrej Pavelec. For practically the third straight season, the team attempted to “rebuild on-the-fly” in hopes of a deep playoff run. It still remains to be seen whether it will finally pay off or not.
What Now?
There’s no way to sugar-coat it; the Rangers don’t look great at all so far this season. The lines and defensive pairs have changed countless times, giving players no time to adjust. Henrik Lundqvist gave up nine goals in his first five periods of the season and is giving up goals he should be saving, further showing his career’s decline.
The team is once again facing one of last season’s problems; giving up early goals. To top it all off, they are playing in a Metropolitan Division jam-packed with talent. That certainly doesn’t make it any easier for them.
So, what is the goal for the Rangers this year? This early, it’s hard to tell. From the offseason that they had, it still looks like they are trying to make small changes and contend for the Stanley Cup.
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Will it work? History says no. But there’s still room for change. At this point, fans can only sit back and wait to see what unfolds.