Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Not like this. Not like this.

That’s the way many felt when the Rangers collapsed in Game Four, losing 5-0 and draining all remaining hope that was left in this fan base. The team was too slow. Too rigid. Too stuck in old fashioned hockey truisms that simply are not true anymore. A glimmer of hope after Rick Nash scored in Game Five, then crushing defeat.

This loss wasn’t as bad as 2014, when a bounce here or there in the Stanley Cup Final means more hardware in New York. That was the worst. The loss in 2015 stung, but deep down, we knew Tampa Bay was better and healthier. But at least those series were competitive.

The Rangers stunk up the joint in their demolition, possibly the last hoorah for some beloved fan favorites. These same fan favorites who, like their coach and their president –but perhaps not the GM, we don’t know yet– are relics of these truisms that have been disproven by a game that now features speed and creativity.

The all-in truism is no more. In a salary cap league, teams can’t go all-in without completely crippling the future of the franchise. Gone are the days where teams, like the Rangers, can buy players on the market while they try to rebuild the system. As this all-in mode came and went for the Rangers, they brought in Nash, Martin St. Louis, Keith Yandle, and Eric Staal. All it cost them was four first round picks, three second round picks, two young roster players, a blue chip prospect, a very good prospect, and a good prospect that wound up being a bust.

As Joe Fortunato pointed out yesterday, in one of the best posts I’ve ever read from him, the Yandle deal could go down as the worst trade in Rangers history. Not because Yandle wasn’t useful. But because Anthony Duclair is on the path to greatness and the coach, stuck in the antiquated truism that immobile defensive defensemen are the best defensemen, completely wasted Yandle. If Yandle follows through and doesn’t re-sign and Duclair progresses this way, this will be worst trade in Rangers history.

This was followed up by dealing another top prospect in Aleksi Saarela –albeit not on the same level as Duclair– for what amounted to a single playoff win in Eric Staal. The high profile trade will go down as a complete waste in assets, when comparable and arguably better fits could have been had for pennies on the dollar. A move like this is fine on the surface, but for an organization stuck in old time hockey ways, it was not the right move.

Now the Rangers are stuck with $12.65 million in dead cap space for Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, and Tanner Glass. All three relics of hockey truisms that stand no longer. It will take a small miracle to shed one of those contracts, let alone all three. For fans, it has been exceptionally difficult to watch the declines of Staal and Girardi, two warriors who have given everything for this team. But loyalty won out.

Loyalty. Another hockey truism that ceases to exist in the cap era. One the Rangers hold near and dear, but one that cost them a prolonged run as a true Cup contender. Loyalty. The reason why Girardi and Staal are here getting big minutes as those immobile defensemen, the first truism that cost the Rangers.

Loyalty. The reason why Alain Vigneault is both a great coach and his own worst enemy. Failure to see what was right in front of him the past two seasons. The declines were on their way. They became an avalanche of scoring chances masked by an All-World goaltender who crumbled under the weight of carrying 18 skaters.

Loyalty. The reason why AV could not see that his system was crippling the Rangers. He could not see the defensive zone letdowns. He could not see the penalty kill lunacy. It worked for him in the past with these same players. It should work now. But it didn’t.

The Rangers are at a crossroads. It begins at the top with a philosophy change. These truisms: Loyalty, old time hockey, tough guys, defensive defensemen, and all-in mentalities, need to go. The Rangers need to embrace a new era of hockey that has been born and is passing them by. One of creativity, speed, moving the puck, and not having designated fighters.

Quick. Name me the player on Chicago that drops the gloves. Now the Penguins. Now the Caps. I bet 100% of you came up with Tom Wilson, but drew blanks on Chicago and Pittsburgh.

These are teams that have embraced the changing game. They are better teams than the Rangers. They will continue to have better teams because they promote skill and speed over traditional toughness.

Ah yes, toughness. The truism that states you need to protect your teammates. The truism that you need to have someone in the lineup to do just that. Even that is gone. Toughness nowadays is willingness and ability to get to the corner for the puck. Get to the slot for dirty goals. Take a hit to make the quick transition pass.

Quick. Name the player on the Rangers that exhibits those qualities. Bet only a few came up with the only true answer: Chris Kreider. Bet none of you said Tanner Glass.

The makeup and colossal failure of this team is not on the players. It’s on the decision makers. Those who need to recognize that the truisms of the 70s, 80s, and 90s do not hold true today. A philosophical change is needed for this team to reach glory. And it starts at the top.

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