It hurts because the Rangers came so far and came so close but we all know that they really did not come that close at all.
That’s the crux of the matter following a series in which the Blueshirts were dominated in five of six games and were able to keep it respectable only because of Igor Shesterkin’s remarkable work in net.
That’s the truth that the hierarchy will be obligated to confront as soon as this week as president-GM Chris Drury and the staff plot their offseason course following one of the great regular seasons in franchise history.
Romance went out the window with the handshake line.
I do not believe the Rangers can run it back again. I believe that the evidence gathered from this conference final defeat to the Panthers on top of the evidence gleaned from the six-game conference final defeat to the Lightning two years ago frames the case that the core has gone as far as it can and there must be essential changes to the group.
I wish I didn’t feel that way, I wish I thought that bulking up in support of the core would constitute the bridge from here to a title, but that’s kind of backwards, isn’t it? Nobody wins the Stanley Cup by leading from behind. Tell me the last time a fourth-liner or a third-pair defenseman won the Conn Smythe.
There are going to be some hard conversations this summer as the Rangers seek to transform themselves into more of a playoff-centric team even if it comes at the expense of some fancy regular-season numbers. When a group keeps telling you who they are, believe them.
The most difficult conversations will concern the futures of three of the Rangers’ foundational letter-wearers who go by the names Jacob Trouba, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, all of whom had inferior series against Florida.
Trouba, beaten wide by speed on what turned out to be the Game 6 winning goal to cap a series in which he was caught out of position and gave up the puck repeatedly. Yes, on a team that was punched in the mouth by the brazen Cats, Trouba’s physicality is essential but his lack of discipline was at times striking.
The captain wants it. He cares. He’s been universally lauded for his leadership. But No. 8’s no-move clause converts to a 15-team no-trade list this summer on a contract that has two years to run at an annual $8 million cap hit. There is some irony, don’t you think, that a team that lacks physicality might trade the most physical player on the team?
But Trouba is 30 now and would likely report to camp as the third-pair right defenseman behind both Adam Fox and Braden Schneider, the latter of whom ascended during the tournament and is likely to open 2024-25 as the right side shut-down match. Alexis Lafreniere had a loud breakout series but Schneider’s was equally impressive, albeit achieved in a quieter manner.
Kreider, 33, is in the same position as Trouba, his no-move converting to a 15-team no-trade list on July 1 while operating on a contract with three years to go at an equitable $6.5 million annual cap hit. Moving Kreider, a Ranger since 2012, would represent a massive move. He has evolved into one of the league’s great goal-scorers and an elite net-front presence on the power play and an explosive penalty killer. But if the Rangers believe they are in need of a dramatic makeover, it’s Kreider who would be able to command the most in return.
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Zibanejad, 30, does have a no-move clause on his contract extension that has six years remaining at an annual $8.5 million cap charge. I’m not exactly sure what the effect of sounding out No. 93 about waiving the no-move would be, but I can’t imagine it would be a pleasant conversation and I’m not sure how a chat like that would impact team dynamics if the Swede were unwilling to go.
It’s tricky business and we’re talking about the best Rangers center since Mark Messier, albeit without the playoff glare.
The Summer has to be about Size and Strength. That’s it. The Rangers have to be much bigger on the back end. Ryan Lindgren, NHL-listed at 6-0 and 190, will hit you every shift and twice on Sunday. Florida’s Aaron Ekblad does that, too. He’s listed at 6-4 and 215. Which one has more impact, do you suppose?
I have been arguing for years that the Rangers should construct a physical, menacing matchup line. They never have, instead opting to try and create three scoring lines. This is the time to transform the equation. This is the Summer of Size and Strength.
This also is the summer that Matt Rempe should spend as much time as possible in the New York area so he can train and work with organizational skating and skill instructors. Rempe is a work in progress, not a dime store novelty item.
If the 21-year old can learn how to gain control of his six-eight-and-a-half body’s moving parts and improve his balance, the Rangers could have a massive and disruptive force in Rempe. He is worth the investment.
The final three games of the conference had to be difficult to endure for the Rangers, who had every right to believe they were close. But the series also should have served as a critical learning experience for the hierarchy. There’s no excuse for anyone being fooled in the wake of this physical mauling.
The organization has a pretty decent pipeline producing legit prospects. There are credible candidates in Hartford. The window of contention did not close in Sunrise on Saturday but the window might well have closed on the core.
This is going to be a mighty interesting summer.