Following another defeat, this time a 7-5 loss to the Seattle Kraken, the New York Rangers have won just twice in their last nine games. This barren spell has left the Rangers in an uncomfortable position. They've traded their captain and are exploring deals for other pieces of the roster, and they could find themselves in a situation where they require alterations to get back to where they want to be. Every team needs improving, and that's fine. That's not the concern.
The issue for the Rangers is that I can't even tell you concretely what needs to improve. New York has defensive issues, but the personnel on the backend should be good enough for the Rangers. Could an extra defenseman help? Maybe, but that doesn't change this group's deeper lying issues. Something needs to change with players underperforming across the forward core, the defense continuously isolated, and the disconnection between the skaters evident.
This organization is suffering from Murphy's Law right now. If it can go wrong, it's going wrong. When the Rangers have a five-goal outburst, they give up seven. When they get a decent defensive performance, they can't score. Igor Shesterkin was away from the team today as he was with his wife, who is expecting. We should all congratulate the Shesterkin family, but the Rangers need to be better without relying on their star netminder.
They'll get a chance to remedy this soon, but this organization seems to take five steps back for every step forward. With the mounting issues, is there a world where the Rangers start to tear it all down and rebuild? You'd have thought not at the start of the season, but the Rangers need to carry a .666 points percentage until the end of the season if they want to reach the traditional 97 points needed for a playoff spot. That's a lot to ask.
Is this a situation where the team has quit on the coach and needs a new voice? Do the Rangers need to revamp the blue line? Does Laviolette need to adjust the lines again? There's not a clear solution. There's no glaring hole on this roster, just several underperformers. If that is the case, do the Rangers need to start tearing it down again and rebuild, or just retool and see what can be salvaged? It's a difficult decision for the Rangers front office.