New York Rangers: One year later, it’s clear the right decision was made
While the New York Rangers organization is going to miss the postseason for the second consecutive year, it is for good reasons. For all of the issues, things are trending in the right direction.
Not getting to a chance to play for the Stanley Cup come late spring is one of the NHL’s cruelest forms of torture. The team played 82 games in the world’s best league, all it would have taken is just a couple of bounces one way or another and 13 overtime or shootout losses are another 13 or 14 points in the standings.
No, the New York Rangers goal this season was not to make the playoffs. In fact, contrary to the team’s early-season position that it had an outside chance of sneaking in the back door, sliding into the top five of the entry draft was the unspoken goal. The team needs roster shifting talent to build around which is pretty hard to come by.
Stripping the core of a successful team for parts was not an easy decision nor was moving on from a proven head coach at the NHL level in Alain Vigneault. Despite the perception that it’s impossible to rebuild in New York, the Rangers front office is well into its 13th month of one.
If you cannot tell via the eyeball test that this years team under David Quinn plays harder than last years did under Vigneault, there are a handful of indicators to point to. First, although this year’s team is scoring significantly fewer goals and has a much worse goal differential of minus 43, it’s within reason to have a better record than last year.
The difference between the two teams post-trade deadline is night and day. Last year’s team realized that the playoff run was over and it wilted in the form of several slaughters on home ice. At the Garden, the Rangers lost to the Islanders, Penguins and Lightning by a combined 17-7 margin post-February.
In addition, this year’s team has done a significantly better job of playing up to its competition. With minimal roster talent, Quinn has pushed his players to believe that they can play with any team in the league on a given night. Take the team’s two bouts with the Washington Capitals over consecutive weekends earlier this month.
The Capitals are the reigning Stanley Cup Champions and one of the deeper teams in the NHL. It didn’t look like it against the bones of a Rangers team that dragged Washington to overtime and the shootout in front of national T.V. audiences.
It’s clear that Quinn’s management of players within the dressing room resonates or reaches differently than Vigneault. Last year, the team knew the season was over in early February and its play demonstrated a lack of interest.
dark. Next. A looming problem in goal
This year, Quinn has a group of young and hungry players excited for the future. For players like Brendan Lemieux, Filip Chytil, Pavel Buchnevich, Lias Andersson and Neal Pionk that want to figure into the Rangers long-term plan, this is proving ground. Most importantly, this team is at least worth watching, unlike last years.