The Rangers 2015-16 season ended with a whimper and not a bang in five games against the Penguins. Pittsburgh was the better team by far in this series. Too deep, too fast with too much skill for the Rangers, who struggled to generate anything consistently offensively while also displaying an inability to keep up with the Penguins defensively.
New York's six-year playoff run petered out meekly Saturday. In time, we will look back fondly and wistfully at that era, which included a pair of President's Trophies and was capped with a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2014. Starting with the shootout loss against the Flyers to the Game 5 defeat by Pittsburgh, it's been one of the better runs in organization history. But right now, most of us have a bitter taste in our mouths after this defeat.
As Larry Brooks wrote, the Rangers did finish with 101 points. But the club won only 30 of its final 61 games (30-24-7) after the 16-3-2 start, spurred by Henrik Lundqvist's stellar play. In addition, New York only won 10-of-20 (10-7-3) after acquiring Eric Staal the day before the trade deadline. So while the overall record was nice, it masked material issues and uneven play.
Because we are fans, the pain is magnified exponentially. We live and die with each shift, each period and each game. So when it's really over, all that's left is the memories along with views on what needs to be done this offseason. Plus, the thought that this era is over and how unclear it is if New York can climb the mountain again. What we do know is that for the first time in six years, there are way more questions than answers in regards to the organization and the team.
From the post-game to the breakup day comments, it's pretty clear that changes are in the air. What's totally opaque - save for a few - is the extent and breadth of those changes. It could be just a couple or wide reaching. The alterations could be centered just on some players or on a wide swath of the organization, including the coaching staff. The latter, if your read through the lines of what AV said, and if you listened to the criticism this year, appears to be fairly likely.
The only piece we do know is that Dan Boyle, who decided to go out with a blast while firing several salvos at the beat writers, won't be back. Boyle was playing through a major family condition, which the beat writers knew and which was reported without the extent of it released and referenced infrequently. That quite likely and rightly was on his mind constantly and could have contributed to his poor play. But that might be making excuses for what was a lost season. You could argue that I and the other bloggers and beat writers could and maybe should have noted the personal situation when criticizing the player. In addition, maybe there was an agenda - even subconsciously - by some when taking Boyle to task for his poor play or even when responding to his comments and reaction today. But that's hindsight and also fosters the notion that the criticism was unwarranted. What I will say is that at times we do forget these athletes are human and separately real life from the game isn't as easy as we would make it out or want it to be. (the remainder of the defense to be in a separate blog)
The season ended ignominiously for Henrik Lundqvist, as he was pulled in Games 4 and 5 after allowing just 10 goals on 41 shots in 66:04 of action. In fact, he was pulled in 10 of his 70 games, by far a career-high. Because of his struggles this year, which was mixed with highs, largely the 16-3-2 start when he carried the team, questions as to his ability to consistently raise his game have to be asked and if this is the beginning of the downward slide and end have to be asked. New York places an inordinate, likely too much, reliance on Hank and when he isn't all-worldly, the team struggles.
From his post game and breakup comments, Lundqvist, like many others, didn't sugar coat or make excuses for his poor play. He admitted and knows he had to be better but wasn't. In the past, you would expect Lundqvist to rediscover and likely raise his game. Now, off these struggles, there is no guarantee that it wIll happen again. Lundqvist turned 34 in March and carries an $8.5 million hit, a full no-trade clause, in a deal that extends through 2020-21. What was an area that constantly was viewed as top-shelf and elite now enters the offseason with some questions and doubts based on how the year concluded. (Antti Raanta to be discussed in defense blog)
Those struggles also stretched to the coaching staff. The special teams were their own level of stink this year while the defense regressed dramatically, as the team never seemed to adjust to moving to a new system (I believe a man-to-man) from the defense employed previously under Torts (which I believe was zone, which better suited the personnel). In addition, the forwards appeared to not realize that picking up forwards coming down the slot was part of their jobs. Add in the constant chasing by two d-men to behind the net, leaving the forward in front wide open and it's no surprise how many more goals New York allowed and why Lundqvist might have been mildly worn out late in the season. New York was unable to adjust to what the opponents threw at them. Last, the blind loyalty to veterans at the expense of rookies and inability to maximize the talent of the players by finding the right combinations are major black marks against the coach. Alain Vigneault seemed to realize this in his post game comments as well as what he said on breakup day.
Post-game. “I can tell you that without a doubt, like any organization, we’re going to go through all the steps — from coaches to management, what we’re thinking, the player evaluation and what we think this team needs to do to take the next step.”
Breakup day: “I think we’re at the stage now that we need to look at some changes,” Vigneault said days after the crash-and-burn, five-game first-round defeat to the Penguins. “For any NHL team, status quo is not possible and it is not what’s needed.
“We want to bring in different players to add to the dynamic. The core guys have been together for a while. Certainly it’s time to look at what we can do to improve.”
While AV might be in trouble, it's clear that if he does remain, which I expect to happen , changes must be made. That could include system as well as adjustments to the coaching staff. Goaltending coach Benoit Allaire should be same and immune from whatever happens to the rest of the staff. Scott Arniel, who coaches the aforementioned special teams, and Ulf Samuelsson, who oversees the defense, might pay for the team's issues with their jobs. Jeff Beukeboom, the former Ranger who has gotten rave reviews for his work with the d-men at Hartford, could replace Ulfie is a chance is made.
Defense and forwards to be discussed in separate blogs to be posted.
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