Why Aren't The Blueshirts Just Like The Florida Panthers?

It was only a year ago that the Rangers had the Panthers on the ropes.

The Blueshirts had just dumped Carolina out of the second round and were riding high.

Surely you remember the third playoff round with New York leading Florida and lookin' good. And, of course, you know what happened after that.

So, why aren't the Rangers even in the playoffs this year? Why can't they be like Florida? Robust, confident and leading the Canes one game to none?

Alan Greenberg, my Florida correspondent, has been following the Cup champ Cats for years. Listen up for Al's answer'

"The Panthers went from doormats to champions. The secret to their success was that GM Bill Zito (and the scouting staff) were able to do magic with low-priced talent. Plus, they do it every year.

'Some examples:   Oliver Ekman-Larsson was bought out and available after an-injury riddled season. He came to Florida at barely above minimum and was an integral part of the Cup drive; 

"Ditto, Dmitry Kulikov who was on the downside and resurrected his career in Sunrise. He signed a bargain extension because he wanted to stay; Nate Schmidt is the latest example: this year he's working for under $1M; 

"Niko Mikkola was a great Panthers' find. He personally told me that he would have stayed with the Rangers but never got an offer;  Kevin Stenlund had a great season here and earned bigger money elsewhere; same for Anthony Stolarz; 

"This year's bargain crew includes A.J. Greer, Tomas Nosek, Jesper Boqvist and Jonah Gadjovich (on an extension).

'Zito is paying big money to his core players who, unlike the Rangers, are producing. But they are getting great value out of their depth skaters. Kudos to Bill and the scouting staff.

("Note: After I wrote this Greer, Nosek and Mikkola teamed up for a great goal in the series opener in Raleigh.")

What's the moral of the story? If you own an NHL team, hire a general manager who knows his stuff and not one who wildly spends big bucks on flubs who fail to get his team into the playoffs. 

Hint: one of those teams plays at a rink within walking distance of the Empire State Building and a knish-maker!