Are the New York Rangers in crisis?

Are the New York Rangers in crisis?

It’s never straightforward. Not for the New York Rangers.

The least successful of the Original Six, the Rangers have managed to aim both barrels squarely at their own toes more times than fans care to remember. This season, though, was supposed to be the one where everything clicked. After a President’s Trophy-winning 2023/24 campaign, where it took an all-conquering Florida Panthers to defeat the Rangers in a six game conference finals series, this was New York’s best chance at winning cup number five.

The Panthers, after two deep runs and with some key depth pieces moving on, would surely take a step back. Carolina lost some major contributors and continues to be unable to keep their talented goalie battery healthy. The New Jersey Devils would certainly improve but were coming from quite a way back.

Already possessing an outstanding veteran core, Rangers general manager Chris Drury seemingly fixed the lingering right-wing issue on the Mika Zibanejad line with the shrewd addition of Reilly Smith whilst Sam Carrick gives the Rangers 90% of Barclay Goodrow’s production for 30% of the price, both astute external moves. Drury was also counting on the continued development of Alexis Lafrenière, Zac Jones and Will Cuylle, the return to health of Filip Chytil and a return to form from Kaapo Kakko. The emergence of Victor Mancini and Adam Edstrom has been a welcome bonus.

That’s not to say that the skies were all blue around the Rangers camp. The way in which the club got around Goodrow’s no-trade list was both clever and a little bit dastardly. It wasn’t the cleanest way to part with a revered locker room leader. Speaking of leaders, Drury seemingly spent half of his off-season unsuccessfully attempting to move his captain, Jacob Trouba. Again, those pesky no-trade lists – and an $8,000,000 cap hit – scuppered any proposed moves. Where would Trouba’s head be when he returned for camp and would that permeate through the rest of the squad.

The biggest cloud, though, is the pending free agency of all-world netminder Igor Shesterkin. In early October, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes broke the news that ‘Shesty’ had turned down an eight-year, $88 million dollar offer, one which would have made him the highest paid goalie in the history of the sport. Whilst these are professional athletes, they’re also human. These sorts of distractions are never ideal.

That said, the Rangers were in a splendid position on opening night. Let’s run ourselves a little checklist: quality veterans, emerging youth, depth, superstar goaltending, a pedigreed coach in Peter Laviolette. Check, check, checkity check, check.

After a strong opening month or so to the new campaign, the Rangers made their annual northwestern sojourn. Last season, it was on this road trip that the Rangers coalesced, beginning in earnest their chase for the Presidents Trophy.

This time around, it has signalled a dramatic and alarming downturn in form, culminating in a five-game losing streak that began with a 3-2 reverse to Calgary, where New York was outshot 49-29 and continued with yesterday’s listless showing against Philadelphia.

Flyers aside, each of those losses could be explained away in isolation. Against the Flames, the team arrived late into Calgary due to flight issues; the Oilers, whilst underperforming, were a win away from lifting the Cup last season; St. Louis received the new manager bounce in Jim Mongomery’s first game; the Rangers played well in a narrow loss at Carolina.

Yet it’s the manner of those losses that has been jarring. For the longest time, New York has been leaning to an unhealthy level on their league best goalie tandem of Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick. Whilst the pair have bailed the Rangers out on too many occasions, they do need at least a little bit of help from their skaters.

The lack of intensity with which many of the Rangers are playing with right now is disturbing. Trouba has been better than his horrid playoff showing but is still prone to some mind melting positional errors. Ryan Lindgren is perhaps still feeling the effects of his now healed broken jaw. He was clearly brought back into the lineup prematurely and never looked comfortable playing with a fishbowl on his head. K’Andre Miller, at one stage looking like the modern version of James Patrick, has plateaued. He can still skate like the wind and move the puck, but he seems to fade in and out of contests whilst almost never taking the body, despite his impressive dimensions.

Up front, Mika Zibanejad’s statistical output (15 points in 21 games) looks decent, if under par, for a man of his calibre, but they eye test shows you a player who isn’t playing defense anymore, barely forechecks and has completely lost his left circle slapper, his primary goal scoring weapon. Vincent Trochek is on pace for a 39-point season, some 38 less than his last. Chris Kreider is still perhaps the best player in the world at deflecting pucks in front of the net. At his best, however, he’s so much more: swift skater, devastating forechecker, defensively responsible. Right now, he’s nothing more than a screener/tipper, as demonstrated by his whopping zero assists. He’s reportedly on the trade block.

Are The Rangers Really Considering Trading Chris Kreider?

Laviolette has been forced to shuffle his lines on multiple occasions this season, after having one of the most settled groups in the NHL last time around. Whilst it has worked on occasion, the changes have usually resulted in an overall negative.  

There are positives. Smith has been good on the right wing, no matter who he has played with.  Lafrenière has built on last seasons breakout. Cuylle looks like a monster in his second season, with nine goals and nine assists in 21 games. Kakko once again looks like a fantastic defensive forward with 60-point potential (sure, not ideal from a second overall pick, but a very good player, nonetheless). Jones and Braden Schneider have been, on the whole, solid. Edstrom is developing nicely. It’s only two games, but Brett Berard looks ready. There is a lot to work with, here.

Yet it’s those positives that make this recent swoon so disappointing. The Rangers are in a sweet spot with quality veterans and exciting youngsters up and down the roster. Yet something just doesn’t seem right. It is of course conceivable that this is simply a blip; the type of run that every team has through the course of an arduous 82 game slog.

However, if that were the case surely Drury would look to ride out the storm knowing that he has a cup contending roster. Instead, he’s looking to move Trouba, Kreider and, possibly, Kakko. That says to me that there are issues behind the scenes, that things are not rosy in the locker room. Trouba remaining on the block is self-explanatory given the club wants him gone. Kakko, signed to a one year ‘prove it’ deal, might see his future away from the bright lights of Broadway and has perhaps let the club know as much. In that case, moving him before losing him for nothing makes sense.

Kreider is the surprising name to see in reports. The longest tenured Ranger, third all time in goals for the club, is an on-ice leader and a playoff performer. Could there be an off-ice issue that has driven this news? Could it be that the Rangers see the 33-year-old offering diminishing returns and prefer to allocate his cap hold ($6.5 million) towards other areas of the team. Shesterkin, for example?

With the early returns on Berard looking positive, fellow highly rated prospects Brennan Othmann and Adam Sykora both left wingers (Gabe Perrault can play on the left, too), and Lafrenière a natural left winger, maybe this is simply an asset allocation move hidden behind a ‘shake up’? Given the name being circulated around the media, should Kreider be traded, is Vancouver centre JT Miller, a former Ranger himself, could the team be concerned about the health of Chytil?

Would The Rangers Entertain A JT Miller Reunion?

And what of the coach? Peter Laviolette is notorious for getting a rise out of his troops when he walks through the door, though his hard driving ways tend to show diminishing returns, often beginning with season two. If the locker room has tuned out Laviolette, perhaps another coaching change is on the way. Much could depend on the future of Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh. He was widely considered Drury’s first choice in 2021, before pivoting to Gerard Gallant. If the struggling Penguins relieve Sullivan of his duties, could we see a quick rehire, similar to the Montgomery hire in St. Louis?

If so, it would be Drury’s third coaching hire in just over three years in the big chair. The growing perception of Drury blindly throwing darts at the coaching board can’t inspire too much confidence amongst ownership, the fan base or indeed the playing group. Again, that might be the reason behind a potential roster shakeup.

The margin for error at the top of the NHL is razor thin and moving a proven performer for the sake of a ‘jolt’ is dangerous. Yet, as things stand, there is something that is undeniably wrong with the Rangers. It could be a temporary dip in collective form; it could be a locker room fracture; it could be the coach. The Rangers have the talent to challenge for and potentially win the Stanley Cup, but like most eventual champs they will need practically everything to go their way. What Drury does next could make or break New York’s season, as well as his own tenure at the head of the front office.

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