Let's rewind to Game Four of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs - the New York Rangers were leading the series against the New Jersey Devils 2-1, with a chance to take a decisive 3-1 lead at Madison Square Garden. New York came out of the gate flying, throwing shots at goaltender Akira Schmid, including a flurry of four shots just over two minutes in. Schmid saved every one, and the Devils cleared the puck out of the zone.
Standing behind the Rangers' defense was Devils superstar Jack Hughes, who finished a breakaway on Igor Shesterkin to take a 1-0 lead in the game. New Jersey won Game Four 3-1, the series 4-3, and ever since, Hughes has owned the New York Rangers.
Now fast forward to last night, where the Rangers were embarrassed by their cross-river rival the New Jersey Devils; the Blueshirts were outplayed for the majority of the 60 minutes en route to a 5-1 defeat. These look like two teams going in different directions, as the Devils (17-9-2) are atop the Metropolitan Division and the Rangers have lost a recent six out of seven.
Guess who was at the center of this demolition? Jack Hughes, who is leading an ascending Devils team while the Rangers are reeling.
New Jersey - who defeated the Rangers in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs - made significant changes to their roster in the offseason. It brought in goaltender Jacob Markstrom, defensemen Brent Pesce and other players to accompany the speed that the Devils are known for. Under first-year head coach Sheldon Keefe, they look like a legitimate playoff contender.
But, the Devils are still led by the same star in Hughes, who terrorizes the Rangers every time he plays them. Hughes had two goals and one assist last night, and dating back to March 22, 2022, the 23-year-old has a 10-game point streak against the Blueshirts. Hughes has 33 points this season, and every time he plays the Rangers, he finds open ice and makes them pay.
Moreover, when the game was 2-0, Hughes had a breakaway on Igor Shesterkin; he tried a Filip Forsberg move, and Steve Valiquette took it personal, saying he was trying to embarrass the goaltender. While this is not true - Hughes was trying to score on the breakaway - what is is that the Devils embarassed the Rangers.
That's why major changes are coming for New York.
This offseason, teams in the Metropolitan Division made major changes. The Devils, Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals all made shakeups to their roster, and these are the three teams ahead of the Rangers. New York general manager stayed put with the same roster, and early on this season, he's paying for it: the Blueshirts are 0-3 against the previously mentioned three teams, and none were necessarily close.
These teams' stars all have terrorized the Rangers this season - Hughes had three points last night, Martin Necas had two assists in a 4-3 victory against the Rangers on November 27, and against the Capitals a month ago, Alex Ovechkin had two goals in the opening 10 minutes.
On the other side, the Rangers' stars have failed to perform in big games. Artemi Panarin had one point in arguably the three biggest games so far this season - he had the secondary assist on Chris Kreider's goal last night. Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafreniere and others have all failed to perform in major situations in marquee matchups.
It became apparent once again last night, as Hughes - along with Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, Dougie Hamilton and others in the Devils' core - skated around the Rangers, who just a few months ago were in the Eastern Conference Finals.
As the Rangers' competitors got better, New York stayed put and it's paying the price. That's why major changes are coming.
New York does not play until Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and don't be surprised if a change came before then. Right now, it's clear that this Blueshirts core will not get the job done. It might be a beloved team member, such as Kreider, getting moved. It might be a complete retool. Sooner rather than later, Chris Drury is going to make a shakeup to the roster.
The Devils have one of the best players in the NHL in Hughes, and the way that New Jersey skated around the Rangers for 60 minutes last night cements the fact that this New York team does not have it right now. It's a epitome of the past few months - the Rangers were quiet in the offseason and others got better, and each have given New York a beating.
Now, New York have lost six out of seven, and it might get worse if nothing changes.
For Chris Drury, the time is now to make a move. Or else the Rangers' cup window is next-to-closed.