Is it time to blow up the Rangers?

If you look at social media, there is just one theme to all the posts, comments, replies, or whatever you want to call them. They are phrased differently, some with emotion, some with rational takes, and everything in between. But the theme is that it’s time to blow up the Rangers. It’s hard to disagree with these takes, as the Rangers have been in free fall for some time with no sign of stopping.

After starting the season 12-4-1, the Rangers have gone 4-13-0 in their last 17 games in what can only be called an epic collapse. The warning signs were there on the west coast trip, and certainly weren’t helped by Chris Drury’s dumb memo that stated Chris Kreider was on the block. Jacob Trouba notwithstanding, since the team knew he was gone, it was Kreider’s inclusion that is rumored to fracture the room.

Barclay Goodrow was waived over the summer, making the team objectively better. Trouba was traded a few weeks after the memo. Kaapo Kakko was traded a couple weeks later as Drury finally completed the moves he should have made in the offseason. That’s the big mistake here, as Drury’s plan to retool the Rangers blew up in his face only completing 33% of the moves he needed to make.

Now with all this seeping into the locker room, the calls to blow up the Rangers are getting louder.

But to be very clear, it’s not a lack of caring. You can tell (most of) these guys care. They are human, this stuff is getting to them. It’s a lack of confidence, a lack of effort, and a doom-and-gloom feel in the room. When things spiral, it feels as if nothing can ever go right. It’s on the players to fix it, as Drury has already made 2 trades and the coach isn’t going anywhere. Calls to blow up the Rangers probably don’t help, but what else can fans do to express their frustration?

If Drury does indeed blow up the Rangers, then the main guys that will be moved are Ryan Lindgren, Chris Kreider, and Reilly Smith. Other pending unrestricted free agents include Urho Vaakanainen, Will Borgen, and Chad Ruhwedel, but the Rangers do need to field some kind of roster, so it’s possible some may not be moved.

Of these guys, Kreider holds by far the most value, and it’s not even close. Kreider is the Rick Nash of the 2018 fire sale, but with 2 more years on his contract. That’s worth something to a lot of contenders, and the Rangers would likely get a top prospect or a young, cost controlled, high ceiling NHLer in a trade for him.

But the calls to blow up the Rangers aren’t just about trading pending free agents and/or Kreider. The calls to blow up the Rangers include finding ways to get out of Mika Zibanejad’s contract (they can’t) or moving on from young players that are struggling like K’Andre Miller.

The key point to remember is that even if Drury does blow up the Rangers, they need to keep guys so they can dress a full roster. Miller may get traded, and that’s fine, but keeping talented young guys isn’t exactly the worst course of action. They can’t clone Will Cuylle 18 times, after all.

Patience is going to be key here, which is tough as patience is running thin. It would be different if we felt the Rangers were giving it their all and just falling short. On the macro level, they are actually somewhat fine at 5v5, but it’s the one-off mental mistakes that are winding up in the back of their net. It’s the inability to win a puck battle or even get to a loose puck first. Something is missing, even if the 5v5 play is “somewhat fine” at the macro level.

Teams can turn it around. Though they already made two big moves, the calls to blow up the Rangers won’t get quieter unless they figure it out. Maybe they need the break. Maybe the break won’t help at all.

At this point, who knows? Try to enjoy the holidays.