I think I'm more annoyed with the fact that I don't remember the last time I saw an iteration of this team that really dictated the pace of play.
This was by far the most important game this team has played up to this point of the season and they got a vote of confidence from their GM who probably lessened his returns by asking for players who could help right now in some moves to try to keep things afloat even though he was stripping some parts off the roster.
This is the effort you come out with?
Ready to just let this iteration of the team die.
I don't know what they want their identity to be.
It's as if they want to be a rush based attack team with almost no puck moving defensemen, a few giant oafs (mind you, I thought Soucy was fine today and if thats what they get out of him, I'd be thrilled if it were in a 3rd pair role but we know where this is going) while simultaneously plugging in a few grindy forwards in an effort to try to be imposing.
I've heard things like "meat and potatoes" and "tougher to play against" and okay, they've added some size and snarl and are certainly better now than they were a few months ago.
But the above still applies. They haven't really committed to a direction and it leads to being sort of good at a few things, mostly mediocre if not really bad at others with a goalie who can steal you a game occasionally in the regular season, more often if you can get into the playoffs and a supposed star forward who can't get you through them.
If there really is a culture problem (and I'm going to go ahead and assume its true because everyone has been on this for months) it doesn't get solved by moving out 1 guy who was obviously contributing to it (Trouba) and a few others who weren't (Lindgren sucks, but he wasn't a problem off the ice.) The others who were issues are still here. Not really marking this as a negative because there are layers to making it happen but it should have been really, really f***ing easy to just sit back and let things play out while slowly stripping away the decay instead of trying to do that while remaining competitive to the tune of signing Igor to a massive extension (we could have lifted the Oilers for him yesterday, even as a pending UFA) and adding another expensive forward, no matter cheaply he may have come (maybe this one works out, but he isn't going to remain this good for much longer.)
And f*** Laviolette. Dude has intentionally nuked the few good things that this team has had going for them this year because of his love affairs with certain players and his inability to hold expensive veterans accountable while scapegoating easy targets. This is what led to his dismissal in Washington and unfortunately, barring an epic collapse (not even just missing the playoffs) we're going to see him back behind the bench next year. He should be axed along with the remaining portion of the core vets who need to go.
Yeah I agree that there really doesn't seem to be a direction. They've added some snarl and some dump and chase players, and Drury has certainly targeted that with his picks, but they still don't really play that way, outside of whatever line Rempe is on. And they only get the license to do so because it's "the 4th line."
The other lines are still trying to bring the puck up and play rush hockey, but they don't have the defense corps to do that (and I'd argue not the forward corps either!) so when that breaks down, it becomes a dump without a chase.
And yeah, I'm tired of these Rangers. They've never had a direction. That's why they're so bad fundamentally despite varying results.
That's on Gorton and his "let's just add whatever stuff" brand of team building. I don't hate everything Drury has done, but he hasn't been aggressive enough, at least yet. I don't care if you call it a rebuild, a retool, whatever; they need a new f***ing roster.
Regardless of how they want to play, the defense needs major upgrades, and that's why the fear of "well, we got Soucy, when do the Finals start?" exists.
Whatever they do, they need to remove all the dreck and not half ass that. And then the next iteration of the team needs to decide what the f*** they're doing, with a coach who will actually implement something.
People talk about rebuilding the meatsack Rangers, and I get that fear too, but at least it was something.
They turned into a really good checking team under AV once Torts stopped yelling at them, although we kinda needed that part.
I think a ruff and tumble kind of roster with Berard, Othmann, Sykora, Rempe, and whatever is left of Miller and Trocheck makes some sense to start with, but they need to get rid of every vet who isn't playing that way, and also Lafreniere because f*** 'im.
