New York Rangers: Glenn Sather and Jeff Gorton have it right

The time has come for new players and rookies to mix. It’s time to gut out the New York Rangers.

The New York Rangers are fading quickly. After falling 3-2 to the Wild on Tuesday night, they sit four points out of the last playoff position. The team is also sitting in last place in their division. We have quickly learned that this is not the year of the Rangers and they are destined to go nowhere this season. They are pretty good but just don’t have the horses to stay with other teams.

Less than one week ago, Glenn Sather and Jeff Gorton penned a letter to Rangers fans to discuss the fact that the team was going to begin a rebuild. They talked in the letter about saying goodbye to familiar faces that we all care about. They are building the “…foundation of our next Stanley Cup contender.”

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Watching the Rangers play of late, we have learned one thing. We have learned that Gorton and Sather have it absolutely right. It is the right time to start moving old friends off of the team and start acquiring new ones. As tough as it is to admit, this core group has peaked. They are past their prime playing together and it is time to tear it down and start all over again.

The problem was never more clear than this past Tuesday night when the team was playing the Minnesota Wild. We already know they lost 3-2, but that part isn’t the point. There was a moment at the end of the game that made things abundantly clear.

There were under two minutes left in the contest and the Rangers were down 3-2. They had an extra skater on and were trying to set up a late rush on the Wild net. Unfortunately all they could do was skate around and pass the puck backwards. It took them several seconds to move across even the red line. By the time they finally did, it was too late.

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In just that short minute or so, the Rangers one-dimensional play reared its ugly head. The Wild clogged up center ice so well that the Rangers quick passes and speed couldn’t penetrate. When an opponent takes away their game the Rangers can’t answer. They don’t have the team that can adapt well enough.

And that is why Gorton and Sather are right. Time to take it down to build it back up.