The New York Rangers are too big to fail. That term is generally reserved for corporations whose demise would be enough to bring down the entire market.
Well, that’s sort of what the Rangers represent to the NHL. The complete and utter demise of the Rangers would represent a detrimental impact on the league as a whole.
What would the hockey market in New York look like if the Rangers went through a San Jose Sharks-style rebuild?
What would hockey become in New York if the Rangers spent a decade trying to rebuild like the Buffalo Sabres have?
Could the NHL stomach the Rangers falling entirely off the radar for the foreseeable future?
Those are questions certainly on the mind of the Blueshirts’ management group. The shellacking at the hands of the Boston Bruins last Saturday was the inflexion point of this season.
Sean McIndoe of The Athletic offered this insight, pretty much summing up the Rangers’ current situation:
“It’s over. That’s Vincent’s reaction to their recent spiral, and he’s right. They’ve lost six of seven, and on Saturday they got absolutely lit up by a Boston Bruins team that isn’t exactly a powerhouse. The question is how many of these veterans Chris Drury can actually move. Artemi Panarin could be a good starting point, but there shouldn’t be any untouchables at MSG these days.”
The comments underscore that a Rangers rebuild doesn’t have to be a “rebuild.” The club has enough veteran pieces to fetch a good enough return to build a contending team within the next couple of seasons or so.
Sure, going scorched Earth with the current Rangers’ roster would not yield an instant Stanley Cup contender. But then again, getting solid young players and draft picks could preclude the Rangers from languishing into a prolonged death spiral.
If anything, Artemi Panarin could be the piece that yields the best returns. The fans may have to suck up another tough year. But in this case, the remedy is not worse than the illness.
Rangers should take a page from Boston Bruins
The Bruins found themselves with a sagging core last season. So, the club didn’t think twice to move out whatever veteran pieces could fetch useful pieces in return. That included the controversial trade of their former captain Brad Marchand.
Sure, Marchand went on to win a Cup in Florida. But that’s the way things sometimes play out. The Bruins traded Marchand for a first-round pick. The fulfillment of the conditions involving the deal turned the conditional first-rounder into a first.
While the Bruins still don’t know how that pick will play out, it’s safe to say they got something potentially valuable out of the trade.
The Bruins got another first-rounder for Brandon Carlo, and stocked up on other picks for mid-tier players like Justin Brazeau.
If the Rangers followed the Bruins’ lead, they could ostensibly do much better than the Bruins. The Blueshirts could set themselves up for the sort of quick turnaround the Bruins have seen. While Boston is not necessarily the top team in the Eastern Conference right now, they’re in the thick of the playoff race.
Incidentally, Marat Khusnutdinov, the guy who scored four against the Rangers last Saturday, came over in the Brazeau trade.
The Bruins ended up keeping the players the team felt represented their core. Those players were David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman. That core was their top forward, top defenseman, and starting goalie.
That’s a template the Rangers could follow. Keeping J.T. Miller, Adam Fox, and Igor Shesterkin is not a bad core to build around.