The New York Rangers were selected as the Florida Panthers opponent in next season’s Winter Classic, from Miami, Florida.
Marking this as the sixth appearance in an outdoor game, the Rangers are tied with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and trail Chicago by one game. This is the first time the Panthers will be taking their franchise into the outdoors.
But, did they deserve to be the team named to oppose the home town Panthers? Let’s talk about it.
Missed opportunity for Battle of Florida
This is a big blunder by the NHL. The fans thrive off of rivalry games, and as of late, the hottest rivalry in the game is the “Battle of Florida”. Instead, they separated the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning to host the Winter Classic and the Stadium Series. The Lightning getting another original six team, the Boston Bruins.
Putting the Rangers in is a weird one, as they aren’t even a divisional opponent to the Panthers. Sure they had a great postseason series in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, but was it worthy of making it a rematch outside?
Rangers could be steamrolled
Let's face it, by the offseason, this team is going to be dissected and changed so much, it will be unrecognizable. By the mid-way point of next season, who knows if they will be any better, or worse, then they are currently. But, Florida will remain a permanent juggernaut in the Eastern Conference.
The Rangers might get steamrolled in one of the most-watched games of the year. That is a tough pill to swallow, but a realistic view of this whole thing.
Original six teams won’t fix ratings
Over the course of the better part of a decade, the Winter Classic is losing its aura. It is starting to become just another hockey game they throw out onto a baseball diamond or a football field, with nothing to show for it. The NHL is losing ratings, each and every time they roll this game around.
Adding not one but two of the original six teams is not going to fix the problem. The fans want bloodshed and fierce competition, not popular teams. That is how you get the ratings and allure you want. Adding the Rangers does not fix anything, and frankly, they don't deserve it.