New York, NY (WFAN) -- What is fair to expect?
The team belongs to Chris Drury, who grew up in southern Connecticut rooting for the Rangers. He’s the captain, the second CT reared player to hold that honor in the past few years along with Brian Leetch. No one is Mark Messier and we know that so stop the questions about can Drury lead this team with the passion that Messier did.
You know the answer is he can’t. What he can do is lead this team with the same passion for success Messier did, by being an accountable leader like Messier was, and by leading by example like Messier had to. He’d better, because this is an interesting season in Rangerdom.
It is not even a question that the Rangers under Tom Renney’s watch are so much better than they were since Colin Campbell took them to within a hair of the 1997 Cup Finals (ok, maybe a few more hairs than that but they did play for the Eastern Conference Championship that spring before falling off the planet for eight seasons).
Through the patience of Renney, the watchful eye and restocking of the farm system by Don Maloney (now the GM in Phoenix), the Rangers are once again viable and vibrant. However, there is no more Jagr, no more Straka, no more Nylander (a season removed) and those were the big three of the most successful season or most hopeful season the team has had in a long time.
This question needs to be asked after last season’s flameout in the second round to Pittsburgh. What is the bar for success this season, and can the Rangers get out of round two and re create the hockey buzz this city and the NHL marketers desperately need? Let’s be honest, the Rangers being an NHL powerhouse is good for New York but its better for the NHL who has been lucky that Original Six member Detroit is so well run they have become the benchmark franchise even if they don’t win the Cup every season (they have in four of the past eleven seasons).
The Rangers have a good corps of forwards that are capable of being gritty, offensive, and very competitive but are they good enough to overpower a good defense or a hot goalie? The Rangers have a serviceable defense and whether Wade Redden proves to be the boost they need on the backline remains to be seen but I see him as a #1 defenseman on a good team but a #3 on a Stanley Cup team at this point of his career.
The other question is in goal. Henrik Lundqvist is the real deal but he plays too much and in last season’s playoffs against Pittsburgh, he looked tired, lacked concentration at times, and was a factor in the defeat. Making sure the Rangers can finish in the top four or five in the conference is a big reason King Hank plays a lot but can they achieve that success if he only plays 55-60 games so that he can dominate in the post season.
Here is where Detroit was so good. They had two goalies who split time, and when future Hall of Fame goalie Dominik Hasek faltered against Nashville in round one, future Hall of Fame goalie Chris Osgood, who looked washed up as an Islander, came in and won Detroit a Cup. He was pretty fresh entering the playoffs, as was Marc Andre Fleury of Pittsburgh. Fluery missed a chunk of time due to injury but the NHL’s best backup, Ty Conklin, the Steve Weeks of this decade, held the fort and kept the Penguins winning.
So back to the question. What determines success this season? Winning their division? Making the Conference Championship and making it a great series if they lose? Seeing their kids continue to develop and earn NHL ice time? Drury demonstrating he can lead the Rangers with all the pressure that goes with that role?
I’m giving the Red Wings the Cup now barring a catastrophic injury, and despite their #1 goalie flaming out in last season’s playoffs they still won the Cup, and they lost goal scoring machine Johan Franzen for a good part of the second and third round. They’re the huge favorite to repeat. The Canadiens are a very fashionable pick to win the east, the Flyers should be improved, the Devils are always tough, the Senators have a new coach and a new culture, the Penguins are weaker but still have Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin and are solid defensively.
My opinion is that nothing less than an appearance in round three is acceptable here. The pieces are in place though a little luck will help.
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