New York Rangers: Time to throw in the towel?

Midway through a roller coaster season, the Rangers may have hit a new low. When will it be time for the team to throw in the towel?

The Rangers started the season 3-7-2 and everyone was ready to give up. I wrote earlier that not much should be read into that start. I believed that for a long time. The team stormed back and pushed their way to second in the Metropolitan Division at one point. The record had a lot of fans believing that the Rangers back and that they were ready to make a run.

Then the last 10 games happened, where the team went 3-5-2. It isn’t just the record that is troubling, it is the fact that the team’s play has been even worse during their last 10 than during the abysmal start to the season. The Rangers haven’t won in regulation since December 19th. The team has given up five or more goals in three of their last five. The worst stat? You have to go all the way back to December 9th to find the last time the team relinquished fewer than 30 shots.

Suddenly the season doesn’t seem hopeful. Worse, it doesn’t feel like a year where New York could even come close. In the upcoming weeks, the Rangers will be faced with the question of throwing in the towel. It isn’t a question of if, it is more of the question of when.

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Wave the White Flag

The answer to the above question is simple. The time is now. The Rangers should forget about this season and plan for the future. Plan for one last run with Henrik Lundqvist between the pipes. But don’t try and make this year something it isn’t. This team simply isn’t built for a Cup run. The talent is there. The coaching and system aren’t. If the team were to fire Alain Vigneault tomorrow, then maybe the tone would be different. But the chances of that are slim.

The Rangers are one of the worst possession teams in the league. They are one of the worst teams in shots on goal against. Recently they have just been one of the worst teams overall. A team that was once predicated on tight defense and never blowing the lead has become a team who always gives their opponents extra chances.

Waving the white flag doesn’t mean selling everything in Rangers blue, but it does mean listening to nearly every offer. In terms of untouchables, there shouldn’t be many on the roster. It should be an all-in push to revamp the team. Sell now, don’t wait. If the Rangers feel like they can wait, then it will already be too late.

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Sell it all

As I said earlier the Rangers shouldn’t be shy when they are selling. If anything they should almost be over aggressive. There are very few untouchables on the team right now. Even players like Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello should be available for the right price. This isn’t saying that New York should actively shop everyone, or that they should force a trade. However, the team would be much better off to get rid of pieces rather than add or stay put.

It will be tough for Jeff Gorton and company to commit to selling from a team that, on paper, is as talented as any team in the NHL. But the results haven’t matched the product on the roster and for that reason, the Rangers need to concede 2017-2018.  If the Rangers can get out ahead of the rush on the trade market now, they will avoid competition and be able to get more of the pieces that they desire.

The fire sale should begin with the ceremonial firing of Vigneault, though that should not be of paramount importance. The team won’t be winners with Vigneault, so if Gorton wants to leave him around until seasons end that is fine, he just shouldn’t act like this team has a chance at contention.

Bottom line, It’s simple.

Start the selling process now. At best this Rangers team is a borderline playoff team. With the roster and coaching staff as is, they won’t do much in the playoffs. If they go for it, they risk dismantling a bright future that they have built up through draft picks and prospects. If they sell they have a great chance the next few seasons.

Next: What the coaching staff does wrong

Think about it. Lias Andersson. Pavel Buchnevich. Mika Zibanejad. Filip Chytil. Brady Skjei. J.T. Miller. Those are the core players the Rangers should build around. Outside of that and a few others, the door is wide open for trading. Make the right moves this offseason and the Rangers will contend the next few years. The key is making the moves. That should start now.