Okay, Maybe the Rangers Stink, Or Do They? | The Cutting Edge W/JackKnife

I really got to hand it to my favorite sports teams.  When I show even the slightest hint of optimism, they find ways to go, "actually, no, screw you Jack."  Seriously, it's like when I have a little faith, someone on the team runs into the locker room and yells, "guys! Jack believes in us! Quick!  Implode and forget how to play the sport you've dedicated your life to!"  This is why I might sports bet only once a year, because the moment I hit  "place bet," I have the same effect of the as the basketball in Space Jam that drains players of their talent.

I say this because not only did the New York Jets go back to being the Jets after I specifically said that they shouldn't tank, but also because last week, I said the New York Rangers glass was half-full, and they had something to look forward to despite Igor Shesterkin being hurt. Flashforward to today, they followed that up, with a three-game losing streak heading into nearly a week long break.  

Yes, there is a goalie problem

Perhaps this break was exactly what they needed.  I don't think any player needed it more than goalie Dylan Garand, who to his credit, held his own in net with Igor Shesterkin's season ending injury.  That being said, he's never had a workload like he's had the past few weeks and he's tired. 

Head coach Mike Sullivan tried to give him a break by starting newly acquired James Reimer on Monday versus the Los Angeles Kings.  Well the problem is in that sentence considering Reimer not only came out of retirement to sign with the Blueshirts, he's still Reimer.  He allowed three goals on eight shots and was yanked for the already tired Garand to start the second period.  

If the Rangers want a shot in the dance this year, they need to address the depth at goaltending with Shesterkin hurt.  Joonas Korpisalo is skating again and perhaps having him as a capable backup will help take the load off of Garand's shoulders.  But is he the answer?  Do the Rangers try to land someone like Jordan Binnington, John Gibson, or Anthony Stolarz?  Is it even worth it for Drury to give up assets in this scenario?

One thing is sure.  Goaltending in the Metropolitan has gotten a lot better after the New Jersey Devils traded for Connor Hellebyuck.  Three of the better goalies (Hellebyuck, Shesterkin, and Ilya Sorokin) are all playing for the tri-state teams (this year excluded with Igor's injury).  So it's not just that the Rangers are dealing with lack of goalie depth, but now their rival made themselves much stronger in that area.  

One thing I will not tolerate though is the sudden slander lately about Shesterkin's contract.  It's some kind of combination of "you can't build around a goalie" and "you can't build around one player.  Well here are my retorts to that.  One, Shesterkin's cap hit only makes up 12% of the Rangers cap hit in it's current year, and it's only going to decrease as the cap rises.  It's a similar cap hit to when Henrik Lundqvist was here. 

"Oh, but Jack, that's the point.  They spent all that money on Lundqvist and didn't win the Cup with him."  Well, if they didn't pay him, they wouldn't even sniff competitiveness.  The reason why the Rangers didn't win the Cup with Hank was not because they paid him like the elite goalie he was.  They didn't win the Cup with Hank was because they overpaid guys like Brad Richards, Dan Girardi, and Marx Staal with their remaining space, and it pains me to say that because I loved Girardi when he was here.  

We Ranger fans are getting a taste of what it's like to have regular or sub-par goaltending.  It's a crappy feeling.  We have been spoiled the past two decades.  Someone get Shesty a senzu bean.

What's with the slow starts all of a sudden?

Funny to think how in many of the Rangers first few home games, they opened the scoring quickly within the first two minutes.  Well their opponents pulled the Uno reverse card in two of the last three games and forced the Rangers to play catch up the rest of game after these total defensive breakdowns.  The one game they didn't give up that goal within the first two minutes, against the Ottawa Senators, they still allowed two goals a minute and six seconds apart.  

Now the good thing is, there is heart in this team.  Last year's team would have rolled over and died when falling behind the way they did the past couple games against the Senators and Kings, but to their credit, they made things interesting enough to where the Rangers were in it, but ultimately failed after giving up empty netters.  The loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs was just a full on heartbreaker, giving up the lead with 28 seconds left.  That goal perhaps is where the wheels started to fall off on this team.  

Speaking of slow starts, we all know that Pavel Dorofeyev has a reputation for being a streaky goal scorer, but the guy just seems cursed at this point.  All the posts he's hit lately, it's got to be getting to his head, and I imagine it's not a good feeling being demoted to the third line with Noah Laba and Will Cuylle while Oliver Bjorkstrand and Tye Kartye get top six minutes.  It's good that he's shooting, but they need to find the back of the net, or else fears of Dorofeyev being a Jack Eichel or Mitch Marner merchant might be true.  

Is there anything to be grateful for?

Well, despite my pessimism in the beginning of this blog, we can take solace in a few things.  One, Alexis Lafrenière is still being awesome.  He has 16 points (nine goals, and seven assists) in 14 games.  Laffy currently sits tied for fifth in the NHL in goals.  Second, Adam Fox's revenge tour is silent but effective.  Fox recorded his first goal the other night, which brings him to 17 points in 14 games this year.  Last thing, despite the latest struggles, the Rangers are still in a playoff spot, currently in third place of the Metro with a 7-6-1 record.  

Fact of the matter is, these slumps happen, especially in an 84-game season.  A three-game losing streak is not as catastrophic as it is in the NFL considering they play just 17 games in that league so wins and losses hold more weight.  However, after this break, the Rangers need to shake off the bad play, and show us the team that came out hot to start the season. 

Maybe this rough stretch is just a blip on the radar.  We'll see how they can correct it against their next opponent.  They play again on Sunday against...Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers...

Well, they'll have their work cut out for them.  Playing competitively and perhaps beating the best player in the world could be the confidence boost they need.

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