And everyone thought the Kings weren't the cream of the crop when they won. Canucks were the "powerhouse 1 seed" and they dismantled them.
It's easy to look back in retrospect and say "well they were clearly the better team". In 5 years, we could be looking at whichever team wins the cup this year and say the same thing. Current day, about that same team, we could all have disagreements about how legitimate they are.
Do I think the Rangers, as they are built, will win the cup? No. It is unlikely. Foolish to let a month let us get ahead of ourselves. But we've played great and played great against a tough schedule. We've been above average on the road all year, even when we struggled, and now we're figuring it out at home. Our offense is creating more chances in 1 month that we had in 4 seasons under our old coach. Our defense is beginning to become cohesive, with everyone coming into their own as of late. And most amazingly, our star goaltender has refound himself and playing lights out hockey.
This team isn't a joke. The only time it was a joke was when they let their demeanor speak that way. What did I complain about the entire beginning of the season? Their lack of resilience. Lack of resilience is an indicator of bad character. They have been coming back in games consistently, playing 60 minutes of hockey. As long as that continues on a consistent basis, the sky is the limit for the team.
Projecting that it will continue also means another thing. We will be buyers at the deadline. I think we'll target one of Stastny, Subban, or Kessler. I think we'll also target a 2nd or 3rd pairing veteran, hard nosed, defender... like a Douglas Murray.
