The New York Rangers are coming off one of their least predictable seasons yet. After a decent first few games of the season, we can think a bit about expectations for the season. Most likely, the Rangers will return to the playoffs as a six, seven or eighth seed, which seems to be in line with most reasonable expectations for the Rangers this season. Some have the Rangers going all the way to the Conference Finals, but very few have the Rangers reaching (or winning) the Stanley Cup.
For the first time in a few years, reasonable expectations for the Rangers are lower. Despite bringing in a new coach With championship status, Rangers missed the play-offs last season and by making largely the same roster this season, fans are getting a bit of goosebumps.
Still, you might wonder: what would actually make fans happy this year?
To answer that question, it’s important to reflect on everything that went wrong last season. Igor Shesterkin was Igor Shesterkin regardless of whether the stats showed it, so he wasn’t the problem. Everyone else? Part of the problem. Artemi Panarin may have been excellent, but far too often he didn’t quite look like himself. Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad looked slower and snake-bitten. Adam Fox played hurt and not at his usual level. We can continue.
Almost every player on the roster wants to have a better season this year than the last, and almost every player on the roster will need that to make this team look better than last year’s team. But if the individual stats improve, will the fans be happy? I don’t think so.
You’d probably think the next step would be making the playoffs. Fans were extremely disappointed to miss the postseason last year, especially after a year in which the Rangers reached the Conference Finals and held a 2-1 lead over the eventual Stanley Cup Final champions. But I don’t think fans will ooh and ahh about a Rangers season that ends with the team getting the seventh seed and losing in the first round in five or six games.
This brings reasonable expectations for the Rangers. Statistical improvements and the playoffs are a start, but most importantly, that’s what it is How the Rangers are playing. Last season the team looked rotten night in, night out. There was no defense, players didn’t line up behind each other, far too many players seemed visibly uninterested. The Rangers got knocked down and then soiled their pants instead of getting back up. It was disheartening to see a team come so close the year before.
This isn’t about grit, throwing punches or anything like that. It’s about a team that plays like a team, plays the hardest, and plays like the games matter to them.
So if the Rangers show much improved team defense and commit to actually performing to the best of their ability, you can bet the fans will take notice and be louder and prouder than last season.
The Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal, but so is the approach to getting their business. All Rangers fans are now asking for a team that is willing to do whatever it takes to get there.
#reasonable #expectations #Rangers #season