Postmortem: New York Rangers

Well, it's time to add another name to the list of the fallen in the 2013 NHL playoffs, as the New York Rangers bowed out to the Bruins in five games. Let's take a look at what went right and, more importantly, what went wrong for the Rangers this year.

Heading into the truncated season, hopes were high for the Rangers after winning the Atlantic division in 2012 and advancing to the Eastern Conference finals. Added to that was the blockbuster trade in July which brought former Rocket Richard trophy winner Rick Nash to New York. They gave up some depth in the trade, but the thought was the top end scoring of Nash would really boost the Ranger's offence and power play.


However things didn't go so smoothly at the start of the season. By the first week of February they were only 5-5 and by the end of March hadn't pulled much further over the .500 mark at 16-15-3. The team was struggling with inconsistency and injuries, so they decided to shake things up a bit at the trade deadline. Out went the team's leading goal scorer and most dynamic offensive threat Marian Gaborik, and in came a trio of young players Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett and John Moore in return from Columbus. They also acquired Ryane Clowe from the San Jose Sharks.

The trades worked, as the Rangers went 9-3-1 in the month of April and they were able to propel themselves back into the playoff picture, capturing the 6th seed. Brassard in particular was an excellent addition, picking up 11 points in 13 games during their push for the playoffs. Overall they were led up front by 22 year old center Derek Stepan, who had 44 points in 48 games. The addition of Nash also paid dividends, as he led the team in goals with 21.

However the real strength of the team was defense. They finished 4th overall in goals against, averaging only 2.25 goals against per game. The young defensive core, including Michael Del Zotto, Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Anton Stralman finished a combined plus 36 on the season. Then of course there's goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who was simply outstanding this year. He finished tied for the league lead with 24 wins to go along with a sparkling 2.05 goals against average and .926 save percentage to earn yet another Vezina nomination. With the defense solid, timely goal scoring and an outstanding netminder, the Rangers were rolling come playoff time.

Up first was a familiar opponent in the form of the Washington Capitals, who they've faced in the playoffs four of the last five years. The Rangers were able to shut down Alex Ovechkin and eliminated the Caps in seven games, just as they had the year before. Then came the Bruins in round two, and that's when everything just fell apart. New York could only score five goals in the first three games and quickly found themselves with the nearly insurmountable task of coming back from a 0-3 series deficit. Though they managed to fight back in game four and win in overtime, that fight was gone in the next game and they bowed out of the series in five.

So what went wrong? For one thing, the offense simply dried up. Brassard continued his outstanding play from the end of the regular season and led the team with 12 points in 11 post-season games. However, the big guns that every team needs to come through simply weren't there. Regular season scoring leader Stepan only got 5 points, Nash only scored one goal, and former Conn Smythe trophy winner Richards was such a liability that he didn't even dress for the final two games. Lundqvist was good, but when the margin of victory is so razor thin in the playoffs, he couldn't overcome the deficiencies of the line-up in front of him.

How do things look moving forward? Not as bad as you would think initially. The young defensive core is, in my opinion, the best in the NHL. They'll need to re-sign McDonagh, but have the cap space and hopefully the wherewithal to do it. Lundqvist is still only 31 years old and on top of his game, so he should provide all-star level goaltending for the foreseeable future. After the Gaborik trade, and with the emergence of guys like Brassard, Stepan, Carl Hagenlin and Chris Kreider up front, the Rangers are looking good at forward  too. Why then, with so many good young players approaching their primes, did the Rangers falter so badly?

There are two main points I feel should be considered. The most obvious one is their star players disappeared in the playoff. Nash, with such little playoff experience in his career, can be forgiven., but for Richards it is simply unacceptable. He may now be a buyout option. Secondly, many people are pointing the finger at coach John Tortorella, and I'm inclined to agree with them. Torts has a reputation for being equal parts aggressive and personable with his players. While that approach has worked in the past, he doesn't seem to have the ability to connect with the youth in New York, while the veterans have either tuned him out or simply aren't affected by him anymore. The situation with Richards, one of the team's highest paid players with whom Tortorella won the Stanley Cup in 2004, is particularly worrisome. After five years behind the bench in New York, with only three series victories to show for it, it might be time for change, and to give this talented young roster the push it needs to evolve from good to great.