News Article: Do the Rangers have a culture problem? An exclusive look at what's bubbling at MSG

[Levitate]

Again, the complaints are not that he got traded, or that Drury told him he would go on waivers if he didn't accept a trade.

I mean, Brooks brought this up and people just gloss over it like it's not relevant but Tampa did the exact same thing to Ryan McDonagh, traded him to Nashville, and Tampa's team didn't quit. Should we just assume that's because they're a bunch of professionals and winners and this Rangers team is a bunch of losers that can't handle adversity? Cuz that's what it sounds like. Teams that want to win go out there and try to win.
McDonagh even went back to Tampa after all that.

If this is all really as you say they need to grow up.

e: everything you're saying sounds like a group of players that believe their group is more important than the jersey. That they're owed something because they're a tight group. In sports that's all bullshit. IF they wanted to keep the band together then they should play better.

 

[McRanger92]

I mean, Brooks brought this up and people just gloss over it like it's not relevant but Tampa did the exact same thing to Ryan McDonagh, traded him to Nashville, and Tampa's team didn't quit. Should we just assume that's because they're a bunch of professionals and winners and this Rangers team is a bunch of losers that can't handle adversity? Cuz that's what it sounds like. Teams that want to win go out there and try to win.
McDonagh even went back to Tampa after all that.

If this is all really as you say they need to grow up.

e: everything you're saying sounds like a group of players that believe their group is more important than the jersey. That they're owed something because they're a tight group. In sports that's all bullshit. IF they wanted to keep the band together then they should play better.

If this team managed to not blow a series lead in the last 2 ECFs theyve played in, they mightve gotten more rope. Instead they hung themselves with the lesser rope they had.

 

[Levitate]

If this team managed to not blow a series lead in the last 2 ECFs theyve played in, they mightve gotten more rope. Instead they hung themselves with the lesser rope they had.

Yeah I mean they got their chance to run it back and failed so

 

[mrhockey193195]

I, as a paying customer could not give two f***s about how Drury treats them. I do however care that the team is dogging it. So f*** the players sideways still.

Cool.

I think that part was pretty well understood by all parties LOL. Just a matter of when.

IDK. This Rangers team sounds a lot like my office where everyone in the f***ing organization wants input in every decision that gets made and they get all bent out of shape when I have to tell them I can't discuss personnel matters with them.

You can be rubbed the wrong way by what management is doing, but you still have to show up and play. You still have to be a professional. These guys all know that.

I think that's fair. I don't disagree that the players need to bear down and stop making excuses. I'm feeling a bit optimistic that things have settled and the locker room is starting to get back on track. Drury addressing the team in Dallas will also hopefully go a long ways. At the same time, I also completely understand why the group felt unsupported by their owner & management, and why they found it hard to be motivated when they were getting signals from their management that they weren't wanted or valued.

 

[stan the caddy]

Trouba's contract was always an elephant in the room. Everyone knew he wasn't going to play out the remainder of it. The thing is, however, you have to take care of that in the offseason. You can't just ship out your team captain 20 games or whatever into the season and act like it's going to be a kick in the pants to the players on the team and get them motivated.

 

[mrhockey193195]

I mean, Brooks brought this up and people just gloss over it like it's not relevant but Tampa did the exact same thing to Ryan McDonagh, traded him to Nashville, and Tampa's team didn't quit. Should we just assume that's because they're a bunch of professionals and winners and this Rangers team is a bunch of losers that can't handle adversity? Cuz that's what it sounds like. Teams that want to win go out there and try to win.
McDonagh even went back to Tampa after all that.

If this is all really as you say they need to grow up.

e: everything you're saying sounds like a group of players that believe their group is more important than the jersey. That they're owed something because they're a tight group. In sports that's all bullshit. IF they wanted to keep the band together then they should play better.

I don't know the McDonagh situation all that intimately, but I'd actually guess that they didn't do the exact same thing to him. I bet you that Brisebois actually talked to him in person and maintained a good relationship with him through the process, despite making a very cutthroat and ruthless decision. And that's kind of the point. They didn't burn bridges (as evidenced by McD requesting the trade back).

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Do you feel this is a directive from Drury or is this more of a Dolan thing.

I’ve been getting the feeling that Drury is just a puppet or extension of Dolan.

Some things (re: employees etc) are definitely a Dolan-policy, but the way players are being shut off from the outside is 100% a Drury thing. It has even gotten to the point where players weren't allowed to invite extended family to games. That's not a Dolan-thing.

Look, Drury is the team president now. His rules. But I can't say I am surprised it's led to the issues we've seen. The success on the ice camouflaged a lot, but once that disappeared, it changed everything.

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

Drury is a shit. The team is playing like shit. Both are true. But I’m willing to bet this same exact team wouldn’t be in this situation and playing this god awful if Gorton and JD were still around.

 

[Levitate]

I don't know the McDonagh situation all that intimately, but I'd actually guess that they didn't do the exact same thing to him. I bet you that Brisebois actually talked to him in person and maintained a good relationship with him through the process, despite making a very cutthroat and ruthless decision. And that's kind of the point. They didn't burn bridges (as evidenced by McD requesting the trade back).

If you don't know don't pretend you do?

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I mean, Brooks brought this up and people just gloss over it like it's not relevant but Tampa did the exact same thing to Ryan McDonagh, traded him to Nashville, and Tampa's team didn't quit. Should we just assume that's because they're a bunch of professionals and winners and this Rangers team is a bunch of losers that can't handle adversity? Cuz that's what it sounds like. Teams that want to win go out there and try to win.
McDonagh even went back to Tampa after all that.

If this is all really as you say they need to grow up.

e: everything you're saying sounds like a group of players that believe their group is more important than the jersey. That they're owed something because they're a tight group. In sports that's all bullshit. IF they wanted to keep the band together then they should play better.

Yes, that's exactly what happened to McDonagh.

Brisebois told him he could either waive his NTC to go to Nashville, or he'd be placed on waivers and they had an agreement that Columbus would claim him. He chose the former, as the better option. Possibly because John Tortorella was the Blue Jackets coach at the time of the conversation

Doug MacLean did the exact same thing to Todd Marchant in 2006. But he chose to just let it play out. He was placed on waivers and Anaheim claimed him, leading to Marchant winning a cup so it all worked out in the end.

But, that Marchant situation was why Rick Nash in 2009 negotiated a full NMC for the entire contract he signed, even the final 3 years that had just a partial NTC. So there was precedent, and Trouba and his agent could have asked for the same.

Everyone is acting like what happened to Trouba is new. It isn't, and there are even contract structures out there to prevent this exact scenario.

 

[mrhockey193195]

If you don't know don't pretend you do?

Right back at you? You're the who brought up McDonagh as an example of what you think is a similar situation with a different response from the team...

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Cool.

I think that's fair. I don't disagree that the players need to bear down and stop making excuses. I'm feeling a bit optimistic that things have settled and the locker room is starting to get back on track. Drury addressing the team in Dallas will also hopefully go a long ways. At the same time, I also completely understand why the group felt unsupported by their owner & management, and why they found it hard to be motivated when they were getting signals from their management that they weren't wanted or valued.

I love how you're just cool with the players dogging it.

 

[nyr2k2]

Drury is a shit. The team is playing like shit. Both are true. But I’m willing to bet this same exact team wouldn’t be in this situation and playing this god awful if Gorton and JD were still around.

Why is that? Gorton and JD are really the architects of this team. We got rid of Buchnevich and added Trocheck. Otherwise, the whole core is theirs. The awful Trouba contract which was a big part of this mess, was theirs. What do you think they'd do differently? Bring back David Quinn?

Drury was a protege to Gorton and is basically operating an extension of his front office. I don't know what people think is different. This whole scenario is a honestly just a more openly personal version of The Letter.

JD is honestly one of the more overrated executives I've ever seen.

 

[mrhockey193195]

I love how you're just cool with the players dogging it.

And I love how big of a fan of Dolan and Drury you are.

(See? Two can play this game of bad faith arguments and putting words in each other's mouths).

If you want to have an actual conversation, I'm 100% game. I've made my points very clear in this thread:

• Our roster is not good enough to compete for the cup as is, but I think we can be with a few more subtractions (e.g., Lindgren), a few more additions, and certain players getting healthy (Kreider) and getting back on track (Zib, Miller, Trocheck, Laf).
• I really like the moves to get rid of Goodrow and Trouba
• Drury & Dolan have created a toxic culture, and Drury has done a miserable job of communicating and connecting with the team.
• The players are pissed off about the culture problems & the lack of communication. They're sad to see their teammates go, but that's not the reason they're angry. The reason they're angry is how Drury has treated staff and players like disposable objects, not human beings.
• Millionaires or not, it's human nature to not perform your best when you're not feeling valued by your boss or your company. The team falling off the cliff in the last 4 weeks makes sense from that perspective. That being said, the players need to put their heads down and fight through this - it will only get worse if they don't (since Drury likely isn't going anywhere).

The posters who have engaged and responded, even if disagreeing with me, have led to interesting conversations & debate. The posters who are screaming "entitled babies should just play better!" and "Drury has the right to trade them, they should suck it up" (misunderstanding why the players are upset in the first place) - well, there's no conversation to be had from that.

 

[Levitate]

I mean I threw this out there earlier but are you saying you're speaking from a position of having inside information from the players?