The Rangers’ scoring woes have become impossible to ignore, even with their injury troubles.
Mika Zibanejad leads the team with 18 goals in what’s been a bounce-back year. But when your second-best scorer is on pace for just 73 points, you know something’s wrong.
Artemi Panarin just hit his 600th point in a Rangers uniform – pretty impressive stuff. He’s still putting up a point per game, but at 34 and in his contract year, his incredible playmaking skills are being wasted on a team that can’t finish.
The culture in New York isn’t what anyone expected. K’Andre Miller and Vincent Trocheck were supposed to be the guys setting the tone. Instead, Miller’s having his worst season ever, though injuries haven’t helped.
Trocheck’s actually been their best player this year. He’s putting up near-career-best numbers with 27 points in 33 games and he’s still dominant in the face-off circle. But here’s the thing – he’s 32, just like Miller and Zibanejad. The Rangers need to think about trading them while they can still get something good in return.
Want to talk about frustrating? Look at Alexis Lafreniere. The former No. 1 pick looked amazing in the Winter Classic, then completely disappeared. In his next four games? Zero points, three shots, and a brutal -7 rating. That $7.5 million contract is starting to look pretty heavy.
But why stop there? The Rangers should think bigger.
Igor Shesterkin is a superstar goalie in his prime. He’s been standing on his head trying to keep this team afloat. He deserves better than watching his prime years slip away during a rebuild.
Same goes for Adam Fox. At 27, he’s still one of the NHL’s best defensemen, putting up nearly a point per game while playing lock-down defense. He could bring back a massive haul of picks and prospects.
It’s time for the Rangers to face facts. This isn’t working. They need to give their young guns like Schneider, Perrault, Laba, and Othmann a real shot.
The only question is: Will James Dolan let them tear it down and start over?
