The Rangers put the capper tonight at on a season that began with great hope but is closing with a thud. Organization wide questions that may have been deep in the recesses of people's brain now are in the front cortex dominating sports radio, articles, blogs and the players' thoughts as well. When, not if, those changes occur is the primary topic as we begin what will be a very long offseason.
The
lines tonight matter little. I do want to see Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault see material playing time, including on the man advantage. With nothing but pride to play for in the last game of the season, why not allow the kids an opportunity to shine. Brett Berard also should be in the lineup. There is no reason to sit Berard for a veteran for he same reason why Othmann and Perreault needs to be on the ice for heavy minutes. Winning tonight won’t mask what happened during the season so why not let fhe kids be the primary focus. The other hope is we get one more power play goal to send Sam Rosen off with his more signature call.
This morning, Katie Strang, who is one of the most respected investigative reporters out there, reported that
Artemi Panarin and Madison Square Garden Sports, the company that owns the team, paid financial settlements to a Rangers employee last year after she alleged that Panarin sexually assaulted her. The payment occurred last August while the incident occurred in December 2023. I copied and pasted details of the incident below. If what was reported is true, Panarin’s character comes into question and I wonder if the breaking of this story impacts his availability and team’s willingness to play him tonight. In addition, given the news earlier this year that team employees were no longer allowed to talk to players, was this the incident that was the tipping point that created that change?
The alleged assault occurred in December 2023 during a Rangers road trip, according to two Rangers sources briefed about the allegation. Panarin and the woman, who was a regular part of the team’s travelling party, were at a post-game gathering at a hotel with about a dozen other players and staff members. Panarin allegedly took her phone and said he would only give it back if she retrieved it from his hotel room, the sources said. When she went to his hotel room to retrieve her device, Panarin pinned her down on the bed. She pushed him off, retrieved her phone and left the room.
Chris Kreider looked like he would be a career Ranger, especially after the natural hat trick to defeat Carolina in the playoffs. Think back to his place in the pantheon of Rangers at that time and the view of the fanbase as they tossed hats on his lawn. If someone had told you that less than a year later the majority of those people would be pushing him out the door as public enemy #1 and few would believe you.
Perception is that Kreider quit on the team. Supposition of his place in the locker room "coup" that has transpired this year coupled with his subpar performance this season and everything he did the prior 12 years has been tossed in the trash. Unknown if just how injured CK20 is. Plus, the impact of Drury's leaked text message cannot be ignored as well. As I tweeted, both parties and the organization is culpable, and if this is how it ends, I will try and remember the big moments where he stepped out rather than how this campaign is coming to a limping end.
Elliotte Friedman on the Rangers' coaching search, His view is even if they replace Peter Laviolette as coach, who is coming in and winning with this group. Plus, he believes that the players have quit the organization, making it impossible to win. What is left out is: "with this current group." A rebuild is needed. The question to also be answered is how deep. Is it tearing it down to the studs, layers and front office included, or is it just certain pieces with components of the core remaining? That is what has to be decided.
I ended up on a mild twitter debate last night if
Matt Rempe is a viable NHL player. A look at the advanced metrics is not good. But a look behind those numbers, especially since he returned from his last suspension, show a different player. Rempe has been smarter when on the ice, avoiding the hits that resulted in prior suspensions. He has been effective in a forechecking role while displaying some offensive skill that makes me believe he most certainly can be a solid fourth line player. Rempe needs to make sure that he keeps his wits about him on the ice because he still has a target on his back from the referees. In addition, he should continue to work on his skating, which right now is better than what we first saw when promoted. New York has the makings of a strong, checking fourth line with Rempe a part of that trio.
I will be out of pocket this weekend for the last two days of Passover. If anything material happens, I will cover it at the beginning of next week. We will start taking recommendations for offseason coverage then. Thanks to all who have read and commented. The season appears to be even longer than the six month schedule and the offseason bodes to have the same feeling.
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