If the Rangers organization hasn’t been embarrassed enough over the past calendar year, their presence at the Olympics, especially with USA Hockey, could leave Rangers fans with paper bags on their heads for the foreseeable future. as things are going poorly, and anything short of gold would be considered a failed mission for Team USA.
The Rangers sent three players, two coaches and their general manager to Milan for the Olympic tournament. The only one not representing the US is Mika Zibanejad, who is expected to pose a major threat to Sweden’s power play.
JT Miller and Vincent Trocheck will join Mike Sullivan and David Quinn on the ice for the games, while Chris Drury will provide a bird’s eye view of the games as the Americans’ assistant general manager. Barring injury, Miller will likely suit up for every game, playing six minutes at center and bottom, while Trocheck will serve more as a 13th forward and may not dress if Clayton Keller gets the chance to play.
The real potential for embarrassment rests on the shoulders of the Rangers coaches. While Drury didn’t make any final decisions as assistant GM, adjustments and lineup decisions from this point on are the responsibility of the coaching staff. If the Americans do not seem prepared for every game, and they had a somewhat sloppy start against Latvia, then that reflects on the coaching staff. If they can’t adapt during a game when things aren’t working, that’s a reflection of coaching. If they’re struggling to score and Clayton Keller is in the press box, the coaches will be the target of the angry crowd dressing Trocheck.
Trocheck and Miller both had their fingerprints on the 5-1 win to open the group stage of the tournament against Latvia yesterday, Miller making a beautiful move that would have been an assist had the goal not been disallowed for offside, and Trocheck assisting on a beauty from Brock Nelson, who scored two goals in the match.
The fourth line is a concern for me on Team USA, but not against the weaker teams in the tournament like Latvia. I actually see the fourth liners continuing to thrive in the group stage as they get the easiest matchups. The other teams in Group C are Germany and Denmark, they just don’t have enough depth to take out a bottom six in the US.
However, in North America we all watch this tournament for the same reason. We expect Canada to wait for the US in the gold medal match.
Team Canada has the option to ice a fourth line of Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett and Brandon Hagel. That’s a line that plays with a lot of sandpaper, like 36 grit sandpaper, not to mention the fact that there are six Stanley Cup rings in there.
The projected American fourth line of Jack Hughes, Brock Nelson and Vincent Trocheck? Not a single Stanley Cup Final between them.
I love Vincent Trocheck. I’m also not blinded enough by prejudice to say that Jason Robertson shouldn’t have gotten his roster spot on this team. I point the finger at GM Bill Guerin for that.
However, this is the team Sullivan has to work with. It’s now up to him to make the tough decisions, and if Trocheck can’t carry his own weight as the tournament progresses, and Clayton Keller suits up and watches the team fall short of gold, then that’s on Mike Sullivan.
Clayton Keller is coming off a summer of winning gold in international play with Team USA, as team captain, no less, at the World Championships. It’s not necessarily ‘best on best’, but wearing the C for your country does mean something. That’s a man who was identified last summer as a leader and a winner, and he went and proved that to be true.
I’ll be looking for a much more complete Team USA match against Denmark tomorrow. When you’re in the easiest group of the tournament, there’s no excuse not to dominate every match. Latvia gave the Americans some offense in the first period and almost seemed to play with a higher level of intensity at times in the first frame. That can’t happen again. Start early for the rest of the way. Denmark currently has no NHLers on its roster, and ‘goals for’ is a deciding stat for seeding in this tournament. Execute the hell out of it.
I’m curious to see what happens with JT Miller over the course of the tournament and then after the matches are over. There has been a lot of buzz surrounding him since training camp about lingering injuries, and although he was on an offensive tear leading up to halftime, his play for the Rangers has been a target of critics all season. He looked like a fire was starting to burn inside him against Latvia, and that intensity should continue to build as the elimination rounds get closer. I’d say there’s a non-zero chance he’ll have surgery and then be shut down for the rest of the NHL season. I’m just speculating, but there’s too much smoke to ignore it.
I need to see the USA win Olympic gold, like I need air to breathe. I think this is our best chance in my life. We have the defense and the goaltending to keep the Canadian titans at bay. They were one shot away from Four Nations, and that was without Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy anchoring the blue line. If they fail to complete the mission while Miller is the leader in the room and Sullivan and Quinn are in control, I don’t know if I’ll be able to show my face in public. Win a gold medal for us and etch your name in history.
#Rangers #Olympics #Flirtin #Disaster