Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has raised some excellent points in his latest 32 Thoughts Blog. Friedman has been the premier insider in the NHL for a long time now and has given his verdict on the issues the Rangers are going through. While he had a lot to say about the Blueshirts, you can read that over there. I'm focusing on what part here, and it's the opening of a wound from the summer.
In the off-season, the New York Rangers were exploring trades for Barclay Goodrow. The only team willing to take him was the San Jose Sharks, but Barclay Goodrow had them blocked on his modified-no trade clause. That's a contractual right, and there's nothing wrong. But Drury got around this by waiving Goodrow, and since the Sharks finished bottom of the standings, they had the first claim of the teams in the league, so they snapped him up without trading for him.
This controversial way of getting around a player's no-trade list may have rattled the core, all of whom have trade protection of some kind. Friedman suggests that this gave the Rangers players a reason to be unhappy, which then brings the debate about the handling of the situation into discussion. When this was compounded with the rumors of Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba, you can see why the Rangers locker room may have quit on this GM.
How do the Rangers rectify this? Ultimately, this will come down to a change of general manager. It's one thing to ask a player to waive his trade protection; it's another to subvert a contractual right to get out of a contract the organization didn't like. We may never know whether that was the spark that started the Rangers' flame out, but the questions are being aimed at Chris Drury and the Rangers management.