Rangers Recap: Mediocrity

I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. After a four game stretch where the Rangers took 6 of 8 possible points against the Stars, Senators, Avalanche, and Golden Knights, it looked like the Rangers finally figured out how to play. Boy were we wrong as they get shutout *again* (the 6th time this season) and for the first time on the road to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Coming into the game, the Blackhawks had lost big in their prior two games, surrendering 13 goals. We are at a point in the season now where these clunker games just cannot happen anymore. The Rangers spent the entire first month getting their teeth kicked in, especially at home, and used up all the goodwill in those first 15 games or so to have a clunker game here and there. They are in a spot no franchise ever wants to be, they are in the middle of the pack with a directionless look.

There are far too many players to call out right now, but why don’t we start with JT Miller. When he was reacquired last season, people got a little too excited at his return like he was a low-rent version of the Tkachuk brothers: Physically demanding of himself and his teammates, in your face, and one tough guy to cover when his game is on. Where is that JT Miller this season? This is beginning to look like one of the worst trades the franchise has done in quite some time.

When the team probably should have been looking more towards re-tooling a year ago, Chris Drury decided to quintuple down on this core, spend draft capital and prospects on a 32 year old center. The problem is, Miller looks like a shell of himself. His style of play usually ages poorly too. Miller can be a quote machine all he wants to the media, but if he can’t lead this team with his play, then what’s the point?

Last night was a pretty good example of how life without proper puck movement can kill you against a young team with an emphasis on speed. The Rangers badly need puck movers and sorely missed Adam Fox last night. Scott Morrow has looked very good in his time with the big club, he’s making pretty solid decisions when the puck is on his stick, but he’s all alone in that department.

None of Carson Soucy, Will Borgen, or Braden Schneider are puck movers, and when you can’t get the puck out of your zone from the backend, you are playing with fire. When skilled teams that are fast pin you in your own zone, you’re asking for trouble. Shedding assets is no fun, and losing stinks, but the Rangers really might have to take the plunge and meticulously rebuild this blue line properly with the modern game in mind. Puck movement is king, and the Rangers do not have enough horses to properly accomplish that.

With no game until Saturday against a struggling Montreal Canadiens team at the Garden, it begs the question: Which Rangers team is going to come out of the tunnel? If the Rangers continue to put up very mediocre results, despite their process, players will get dealt sooner than later, hopefully opening up spots for prospects to make the jump.

The Rangers need to decide on a direction, and one that will have the chance of sustained success. No shortcuts, no accelerations of any kind, and even though Mike Sullivan is the head coach, a rebuild might be in order. He can blame his general manager for that in the end.