The Rangers fell 3-2 on Tuesday to the Sabres. After the game, words and expressions like pressing, disappointed, need to be better were all tossed around. All those sounds great, but the time for words have ended, as now, let's see what actions come to fore.
Larry Brooks covered a lot of this in his column. My view on some of his points and my own are below. We have said it's getting late, early. Six games out of 56 is like nine in a regular year, so it's not an insurmountable burden to make a run. But based on what we have seen - and not seen to date - how confident are you that a run is forthcoming at any time? The horses for the most part are there and the lack of an exhibition season has hurt, especially those who dealt with COVID, but no one is getting sympathy points in the NHL
Column. Regarding the Rangers and their emergency condition. https://t.co/nr551eRdjM via @nypostsports
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) January 27, 2021
Mistakes are one thing. Errors, both of omission and commission, are to be expected before they can be corrected. But other than the second game of the season, the Rangers are playing uninspired hockey. That is worrisome.
The bold part is the key. Uninspired hockey, damning words, Gets into the lack of motivation and effort. The Rangers looked flat Tuesday. The other three games they lost in a row, despite struggling there were positive signs. Yesterday, after going up 2-1 on K'Andre Miller's first NHL goal, the Blueshirts came out for the second period flat, which carried forward into the first 10-12 minutes of the final stanza. Where was the intensity, the effort, the forecheck? None of that was evident or in existence at all.
If Jesper Fast’s absence has created an unfillable hole in the room, shouldn’t management have recognized his value before allowing him to go scot-free to Carolina as a free agent?But it has to be more than that, correct? It does seem as if there is an unhealthy undercurrent running through the environment. Again, if there are issues in the room, they must be tackled immediately, and excised if necessary.
Why does this seem like a carryover from the bubble and how much, if any, damage to the group psyche did that three-game sweep inflict on the Rangers?
Brooks is implying, implicitly or explicitly, there is a leadership vacuum in the room. not just that, but a player who leaves it all on the ice. Players are going through the motions, at least per what Brooks seems to be saying, without having an example of a full-out effort. Maybe the 4 A's and no C or one voice to be the rally cry is a concern, though after the game 1 loss, coach David Quinn said that the leaders led in the room. Figuring out what's missing - and maybe it's just the losing, where if the effort was the same and NY was 4-1-1 the view would be different - is critical and quickly.
Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Ryan Strome aren’t in the same time zone where they resided last year in carrying the team’s offense. If they don’t step up, changes around the margins will mean little. Neither for that matter is Tony DeAngelo, who doesn’t seem to have responded as hoped by the staff in the wake of his benching.
We have said this before. I tweeted this and more last night. "Veterans not scoring w/ Zib/Panarin slumping & mostly invisible. Trouba lousy." Look at the above, those four forwards, one-third of your lineup. Your main veterans have to produce and all have been invisible. hard to win that way, but no excuse. This is a bottom line business. ADA has been brutal.
Pavel Buchnevich, the team’s most engaged and effective forward thus far, must get a spot on the first power-play unit.
Buch has been the best forward overall followed by Colin Blackwell the last two games he played. If Buch is pushing for a big deal, six games, he is showing he deserves it. Add his LH shot to the power play, move Strome down. Panarin is thinking not reacting and the lack of movement is killing the PP. Buffalo killed NY with movement and high-low, slot pass action, we haven't seen any of that this year. All has been outside the dots, which is insufficient and creates not enough pressure. In addition, get Trouba, who has been brutal all season, off the second unit PP until he shows signs of breaking out. One caveat is that he did have COVID slightly before camp opened, so like Zib, he too may be getting his wind back, as the lungs - as I can attest - may be affected, impacting his speed and stamina.
And with the team’s most important players mere shadows of themselves so far, it would be foolish to scapegoat Jack Johnson. But seriously, why the signing and why the playing time? It can’t be because … Jacques Martin. It seems silly to have both Johnson and Brendan Smith on the roster, in essence blocking Libor Hajek. There are spots open on the taxi squad. There is no reason the Rangers shouldn’t ship the veteran defensemen off the cap. Maybe management was all wrong on Hajek in targeting the nearly 23-year-old defenseman out of Tampa Bay in the Ryan McDonagh deal. Fact is, the only way the Rangers could get Hajek is by adding J.T. Miller to the package. So they did. Three years later, he is not even capable of being the club’s seventh defenseman? Come on
Martin wanted Johnson and seemed to have convinced JD to bring him in. I made the argument on twitter that JJ may be playing despite what Quinn wants. I have no definitive facts on this but hard not to think this smacks on management or Martin dictating defensive combinations. If this is the case, that is far from ideal and also does not allow Quinn to make his own decisions. Smith should be in the lineup, not that he is the end all and be all, but is far, far better than Johnson. The bottom blue line pairing is killing the Rangers.
Try Hajek, what do you have to lose. Maybe he learned something the past year and will be a better option than what is there. When Tarmo Reunanen is ready, give him a shot. Miller has really taken a step forward. if Trouba can rebound even slightly, the top-four is fine. If ADA doesn't bounce back at all, that's a wasted contract, though his usage isn't helping the situation. The same on the contract with Strome, who takes on added importance with Filip Chytil down.
This is what I also tweeted last night:
Not winning draws. Laf snakebite so far. Please explain to me how this is all David Quinn's fault? Default position is to blame the coach, but seriously? Not everything's his fault, including playing Johnson.The system has not been great but players need to execute. He wants a north-south team and has an east-west one. Kids have shown growth but if no turnaround, even in a year where additional growth was expected, then he could be shown the door.
Blaming Quinn is easy. It's the default position. If the team does not rebound, he will be shown the door. When, unclear, but if the losses continue to mount and the effort is not there - especially the latter - a change could happen. We came in with high hopes for the season, but also cognizant that this would be another year of growth. Some of the latter was sent in Chytil and also now in Miller but that is offset by the decline of a substantive number of veterans and the lack of passion/execution on the ice.
I know several want Quinn gone. My belief is he has a clear view of what he wants to see and has communicated that. The execution has been lacking, which after a while will result in his ouster. Same if the veterans don't produce. But the tougher love has paid dividends with several, so i am not about to clamor for his dismissal despite the suboptimal results and especially what we have seen to date.