New York Rangers Have No Choice But To Make Changes This Offseason

The New York Rangers are a dysfunctional organization from top to bottom. It has been a disastrous season for the Rangers, after they started the season 12-5-1. New York was sitting in wild-card one in the Eastern Conference, but it was a mirage due to several underlying issues.

Those underlying issues did not only have to do with their play on the ice, but also the analytics associated with the poor play on the ice. But the biggest thing is the mentality of not only the players, but the general manager and the owner.

It appeared that the players had put aside their differences with General Manager Chris Drury after what happened in the summer, following Barclay Goodrow‘s placement on waivers and the failed attempt to trade defenseman Jacob Trouba. Plus, throw in the contract distractions of Igor Shesterkin and Alexis Lafreniere, and there was a stacked deck for the Rangers.

But success can cover a lot of problems. Just look at the Vancouver Canucks and the situation involving J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. Winning is a cure-all for everything. However, in Chris Drury’s mind, he felt his team needed more of an edge and made it known that he was looking to move players like Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, K’Andre Miller, Kaapo Kakko, and Trouba.

The letter that came out divided the locker room, as the players chose to mutiny, quitting not only their coach but also sending a message to their General Manager that they did not like his business tactics. Again, these are professional athletes, and they have every right to make those decisions, but that comes off as childish and unprofessional.

Thus, the Rangers season went into a tailspin with players like Trouba and Kakko being moved out. At the NHL Trade Deadline, Ryan Lindgren went to Colorado. Not to mention J.T. Miller coming into the fold. So the players saw heart and soul players leave, and nothing was coming back that was equal to their value. Yes, the Rangers were going to take a step back this season, but nobody thought it would be this bad.

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But then the players who left started to speak out, like Trouba, Kakko, Vesey, and now Calvin de Haan, about the culture of the New York Rangers. Normally, players don’t say things when they leave, except that it was great to play for them. Not the case with this Rangers team.

Even Artemi Panarin spoke out about how the team handled its young players. But he has his own issues to worry about off the ice. There were many bad distractions that led to a toxic culture, and the only remedy is change.

And change is coming, as sources told RG Media, “You can’t run this same group back.”

This is a familiar tune to when the Winnipeg Jets had internal issues with Blake Wheeler after his issues with Rick Bowness. From all indications, there is going to be a roster overhaul over the summer for the New York Rangers.

“They have decisions to make this offseason on key players, and how they approach it is anyone’s guess,” sources told RG. “There will be a long evaluation process about who is the right fit for this room. But there will be changes.” 

Expect names like Chris Kreider and K’Andre Miller to be heard this summer. Teams called on both during the season. There is an expectation that the same thing will happen in the off-season. According to the report from RG Media, Kreider’s name will be back in the news. Teams will call on Miller as he could be part of the shakeup.

As Russ Cohen of Sportsology.com, Siriusxm, NHLDraftBuzz.com, told Full Press Hockey, there are teams that would want Miller because of his attributes.

“Yeah, I think a lot of people would like K’Andre Miller because he still has size and speed, and they’ll be like, well, out of New York, we could get more out of them, and that may be true. So I do think they can move,” Cohen said.”

Head coach Peter Laviolette will take the fall for this disaster. For some reason, second-year Laviolette is a thing, but the poor play in front of Shesterkin will cost him his job. Rightfully or wrongfully, the coach always pays the price.

But as it has been documented, Laviolette should not be the one to take the fall either. GM Chris Drury, who decided to change course, should be a part of the change, too. Plus, Drury is not going to be allowed to hire and fire another coach, is he?

So maybe it’s the construction of the roster and players in the locker room that’s the issue. Trying to hotshot a title is not always the answer. Developing players that you believe is the smarter strategy. Regardless, change is coming in the Big Apple with the New York Rangers. 

How far it runs is anyone’s guess. But the team will look vastly different next season. If it does not, then shame on them for doing the same thing over again and expecting success.