New York Rangers: The snowball effect of losing is contagious
As any organization that has struggled through a rebuild in the NHL can attest to, losing is contagious. The New York Ranger’s organization is in the early stages of one and the ugliness of it has made things difficult.
Anytime a head coach of a professional sports team feels the need to call out the effort of his guys it’s safe to say that things are not going great. For all of the importance associated with a bad finish in relation to a quality draft pick, it’s imperative to emphasize the point that professional athletes are still real people with emotions and feelings.
The impact of losing and in a bad manner consistently can infect a team like an illness. The five consecutive losses leading up to the win against the New York Islanders in which the Rangers lost by a collective score of 26-8 was just a total lack of a will to compete. Early on in the season, New York was playing with heart and hanging tough against good teams.
Even with a lack of talent as serious as the Rangers have, that level of ineffectiveness is flat out unacceptable. The team was not expected to win a lot of games this season because of its orientation towards the future. However, there’s a difference between phoning it in and trying to make an effort.
That’s where the snowball effect of losing can start rolling downhill to a point of no return. When the player next to you is not operating within the system and undermining it as a whole, it becomes easy for everyone on the ice to start freelancing and that’s where lobsided defeats like the one at the hands of the Arizona Coyotes happen.
The fact that head coach David Quinn was so pointed in his remarks to the media about the team’s lack of effort is a recognition that the roster is not playing up to its ability. Furthermore, Quinn getting a response from his team in the form of a 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes is an example of the team’s underperformance.
Say what you will about the play of the Hurricanes in the game, the Rangers came out and effectively dictated every single facet of the game. Defensemen were keeping the puck in at the blue line and cycling down to maintain possession, forwards were being decisive and shooting instead of overpassing.
The final 36 games of the season are not about wins and losses, they are about making strides in the development of individual players to create a cohesive unit for the future. If the team continues to put out minimal effort games, there cannot be true development.
Next. Three players that need an extended look. dark
Anyone who’s ever played organized sports in their life has heard the expression “you play how you practice.” For all intents and purposes, these final 36 games are live action practice for the team’s up and coming prospects. Falling into the snowball effect of losing will only hamper the long term growth of the team.