The New York Rangers are off to a slow start, something most of us expected. They are dealing with their first real system change since Alain Vigneault coached the Rangers from 2013-2014, taking over for John Tortorella. By all accounts, there were minimal system changes from Vigneault to David Quinn, from Quinn to Gerard Gallant, and from Gallant to Peter Laviolette. They all employed a hybrid man/zone defensive zone system, something current coach Mike Sullivan does not use. That alone is a big change and requires extra patience.
For those saying this is an excuse and that the Rangers should be blown up, you are wrong on both counts. It’s been ten games and only one of those games was with a fully healthy team. There are a lot of positives with this club, especially as they are a pretty good 5v5 team when it comes to controlling play. At least on a macro level. Digging deeper obviously reveals some significant shortcomings at the club that a good process cannot overcome on its own, but a good process is a good process.
The 2013-14 Rangers, the best comparison at this point due to similar major system changes, also got off to a slow start. The Rangers lost to the lowly Phoenix Coyotes on opening night and went 2-6-0 to start the season, including a two-game stint in San Jose and Anaheim where they lost by a combined score of 15-2prompting their backup goalie to retire after a 9-2 loss in San Jose. The 2013-2014 Rangers would continue to struggle, but show flashes of what was to come.
After that 2-6-0 start, the 2013-14 Rangers embarked on a fun stretch that saw them go 8-3-0 with a pair of three-game winning streaks. That 10-9-0 start, one game above .500, lasted for the Rangers until mid-November. They went 5-5-0 in their next 10 games, bringing us to December 5 with a 15-14-0 record. Then the 2013-2014 Rangers turned it around, right?
No, those Rangers lost four straight and six of eight games, leaving them with a 16-18-2 record on December 20, 36 games into the season. The 2013-14 Rangers reached the halfway point of the season, after Game 41, with a 20-19-2 record, having put together a nice little holiday winning streak.
The 2013–14 Rangers finished the regular season with a 45–31–6 record. They went 25-12-4 in the second half of the season, once everything clicked.
The 2013-2014 Rangers showed that patience is necessary when making a huge adjustment
This isn’t an exercise in saying that the current version of the New York Rangers will have the same success as the 2013-2014 Rangers. It’s fair to say that it’s way too early in the season to see what this team really is. They haven’t been completely healthy since Game 1, they’re adjusting to a new system, and their top six is ​​in what can only be called an epic shooting slump.
That’s not to say there aren’t major concerns with this team. Will Cuylle and Alexis Lafreniere look lost. Artemi Panarin has remained invisible outside of his four-point game. Taylor Raddysh is on the top line and leads the team in goals. The drop into the top six is ​​mainly due to a suspected injury (JT Miller) or an odd reluctance to move into high-danger areas of the offensive zone.
Instead, perhaps this is a reminder that patience is a virtue. We live in a world of instant gratification, where ads can be skipped, TV can be paused, everyone is always available, and lessons and contributions from the past are forgotten.
There are of course differences. The current version of the Rangers has a lot more skill in the top six and perhaps a comparable fourth line. But the 2013-14 Rangers had much better scoring and defensive depth, especially with the best third line in hockey that year and Anton Stralman as the second pair defenseman.
Is there cause for concern? Absolute. There were also reasons for concern with the 2013-14 Rangers. We shouldn’t ignore the concerns, this is clearly a flawed team with obvious needs in defense and scoring. This is the time of the season when we jot down concerns, discuss concerns, but try not to miss the forest for the trees. This can (and in my opinion probably will) get better. But it also can’t be. It’s just too early to tell.
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