The problem here is obvious, it's that too often the Rangers are not firing on all cylinders as a team (which is not entirely shocking given some of the youth), and that if it's not a hot veteran hand carrying us, then there is nothing-doing, offensively. It's mostly Panarin doing the carrying, but sometimes Zibanejad and Kreider, who are by themselves too streaky to be relied on to carry us all the way to a Cup.
This results in a team that flashes, and can beat up on also-rans consistently since all Panarin or Fox have to do is be Panarin or Fox for 20 minutes, but the team is never, ever going to consistently beat veteran, experienced, talented teams that have good systems who have played together for a long time (ie, every team near us or above us in the standings). This is also why the team rarely sees days where it seems like everyone is excelling and pouring it on to 5 goal wins. Usually you just get the two goal performance from one Superstar and the team wins 3-2.
But this problem is stemming from a deeper issue, which is that the team is misidentifying what it is. It thinks on the basis of this cleaning up against losers that itself is a contender, which it isn't. In furtherance of this mistake, it has too quickly called a wrap on acquisition of future talent in favor of importing win-now grit, which always results in an over-pay either in terms of contract (Goodrow, Reaves, even Kreider, and Strome will be on this list soon) or trade (Buchnevich for Blais). It also imported a "toughness," philosophy that it wasn't ready for - it stupidly thought it was ready to be the Tampa Bay Lightning and that it needed to start importing these enforcers and start playing a "tough out," game that was ready for the playoffs, but it did so before it had developed the requisite offensive prowess that teams like the Lightning or Hurricanes had naturally developed before importing their grit.
The result is a team that is not ready to take the next step because it rushed it's guys like Kakko, Lafreniere, Chytil and Kravtsov by not fostering their offensive development all the while taking losses as the kids learned on the job; instead, it tried to shoehorn those kids into defensively-responsible first, support offense second roles, and these are roles the kids are not suited for at this stage of their careers. They knew how to be main offensive threats as kids because that's what they've been their whole lives; thinking defense first and then being passengers or getting minimal offensive-designed minutes has stunted their development. With Kakko and Lafreniere they have been good soldiers but they are being completely wasted and they aren't developing the necessary offensive capabilities they will need to be stars. With a guy like Kravtsov he realized he was being misdeveloped and revolted, and now he isn't here.
The Rangers tried to walk down the middle of the street and it backfired and now they are getting hit by cars on both sides. It's plain as day.
It is completely hopeless that this incomplete, undeveloped team is going to win a Cup on the back of five players in Panarin, Fox, Zibanejad, Kreider and Shesterkin. They will never, ever win with this five player core as their biggest five horses and the team needs to come to that understanding, like, yesterday, as do the fans.
The only, ONLY hope this team has is to figure out first and foremost a way to turn Kakko and Lafreniere into stars. To that end, since it's not happening fast enough to win while Kreider and Zibanejad remain elite, it has to realize this dream of "two separate windows - one now, one later," is dead. It has to start doubling down on the future again.
It doesn't mean the team has to actively tank. But it does mean it has to start identifying the players who aren't going to be here, or will be too expensive, or who won't be producing at a high level in 2023-24 and start moving those guys out for players and prospects who WILL be part of that future core. It has to start making moves to win later more than winning now. It has protect it's future assets over worthless "now," pieces like Blais, Goodrow, Reaves, and Hunt, who simply aren't doing anything to push the needle for this team into contender status.
Gonna need a hard look at that Goodrow contract to see if it can be moved. I'd rather keep Rooney for half as much AAV and a third of the term. Reaves has not added much of anything. Blais can stay as a FOURTH LINER if he's cheap enough.
And finally the "toughness," mandate needs to be repealed.
Skill wins. Skill is what has won us games this season - the Panarins and Foxes. The Blaises, Goodrows, and Reaves have added nearly nothing to this team compared to the Panarins and Foxes.
