The New York Rangers, as always, have their fanbase clamoring for more playing time for a player or for the coaching staff to hit the road and not come back. So what is happening on the ice up under those Broadway lights? Only Gerard Gallant knows, and no one seems to be able to figure out his game plan. However, despite not knowing Gallant’s game plan, there are a plethora of questions surrounding the Rangers needing an answer as they head into the new year.
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Why Do the Rangers Always Let You Down?
It appears it has been that way since 1926. Despite being one of the Original Six, the Rangers have been swimming in the pond of mediocrity for decades now. They’ve only shown up in certain seasons, winning the cup four times, and most other times, they tease you with hope, only to smack you in the face with the sweet puck of losing.
Was Last Season a Fluke?
According to most fans, the answer is yes. However, most of those fans are bandwagon. Why are they bandwagon? They expect the same thing that happened last season to occur in this one. If you are a real New York fan, you know that the Rangers are not going to give you consistency. It’s never going to be an easy path to the playoffs. New or bandwagon fans do not understand this yet. But they will.
Why is Glen Sather Still Around?
Dolan. It is always because of Dolan. Sather is like that one family member that no one likes to talk about, but he is always there at family reunions and picnics so he can get a little piece of the pie and tell stories that make absolutely no sense or are irrelevant to current times. He is a poor lost soul, trapped in what is the Broadway lights. Once you have that spotlight on you, it is hard to let it go. Dolan needs to let Sather go, but fans know that eventually, they will end up seeing the “Tomb of a Once Great GM” and will notice an extra fee or two in their ticket prices to cover the grand mausoleum they will have to pass by just to find their seats.
Does Gallant Need to Go?
No, not yet. However, if you look at Rangers fans on social media, the answer is yes. Everyone thinks they know better than the coach. Better than the one who is with the players the most and understands how the players work and perform. Is Gallant always right? No coach ever is, if you think about it. They are human and prone to making mistakes. So it is easy to see why some fans think he should go. On the surface, it appears he is making the same errors over and over, keeps changing the lines, and cannot seem to make up his mind about certain players.
But is he really?
The truthful answer is that no one really knows. Fans see what they want to see. If it were as bad as fans think, we would see something in how the players react to him. To know that he has “lost the room,” so to speak. But, it does not appear to have happened yet. So, no. Gallant does not need to go.
Who Needs to Step Up?
The short answer? Everyone. The long answer is more complicated. Everyone.
Who Needs to Go?
No one. Yet.
What Do the Fans Need to Remember?
There are 82 games. Wins come and go, but if you do not support your team through it all, then you are just a bandwagon, fair-weather fan.
What Needs To Happen in the New Year?
The Rangers need to win. They need to focus on getting to the playoffs. However, they are probably too distracted by all the noise and vitriol the fans produce. It is blocking the pucks and sending them to ping off the posts.
Will the Rangers Make the Playoffs?
Yes. If they do not screw the pooch, that is. It is an 82-game season, for crying out loud. It is never over until it is over, and you hang your head in shame because you suck again.
Do the Rangers Have a Chance to Win the Cup?
What team does not? Anyone can win. You just have to play hard and win the most games. Easy-peasy. So simple even the Arizona Coyotes could do it…if they were in a different city…with better players…better coaching staff…and an arena of their own.
So, in conclusion, the New York Rangers have a chance to slide into the postseason and surprise everyone as they did last year. Will it happen? Now that is a question only time and the end of the season will answer for fans.
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