Rangers Return from Road Trip with Harsh Dose of Reality: 3 Takeaways
The Rangers headed west last week with a new label hanging over them - sellers. General manager Chris Drury didn’t sugarcoat it. In addressing both the team and the public, Drury made it clear: the organization is entering a “retool” phase, and with the March 6 trade deadline looming, the Rangers are officially open for business.
That kind of honesty can be jarring, but it can also be freeing. For a moment, it looked like the latter might be the case.
The Rangers kicked off their four-game road swing with a spirited win in Philadelphia, showing signs of life. But that spark didn’t last.
They dropped all three games in California, finishing the trip 1-3. Zoom out a bit, and the picture gets even bleaker: New York is 1-7-1 in its last nine games and 2-9-2 over its last 13.
The standings don’t lie - the Rangers are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and the playoffs are slipping further into the rearview mirror.
Here are three key takeaways from a road trip that, if nothing else, clarified where this team stands.
1. Reality Has Set In - And It’s Not Pretty
That win in Philly? It felt like a breath of fresh air - a team playing loose with the pressure off. Maybe, just maybe, this group could string a few together and make things interesting.
But then came Anaheim. The Rangers scored first and even held a 2-1 lead, but the wheels came off late in the second period.
A power-play goal from Alex Killorn tied things up, and just over a minute into the third, a costly turnover turned into a 4-2 deficit. They never recovered, ultimately falling 5-3.
The good vibes didn’t survive the flight to California.
By the time they wrapped up the trip with a 3-1 loss to a young, energetic San Jose Sharks squad, the Rangers found themselves 11 points out of a playoff spot with 30 games to go. That’s not a hill - that’s a mountain.
“It’s tough to stay positive in a time like this,” Vincent Trocheck admitted. “You’ve got to do things to get guys to loosen up, loosen their sticks a little bit.
Play hockey. Have fun with it.
Remember why you play the game.”
That’s easier said than done when the results keep piling up in the wrong column.
2. Slow Starts Are Sinking Them
If the Rangers have any hope of salvaging the rest of the season - whether that’s as playoff miracle workers or simply as spoilers - they’ve got to be better out of the gate.
Tuesday in Los Angeles, it took all of 18 seconds for Adrian Kempe to put the Kings on the board. That goal set the tone for a 4-3 loss that wasn’t as close as the score suggests.
Then came San Jose, where two early penalties turned into two quick power-play goals. Just over three minutes in, the Rangers were already down 2-0.
Head coach Mike Sullivan burned his timeout after the second goal, trying to steady the ship. But by the 7:37 mark of the first period, it was 3-0 Sharks.
To their credit, the Rangers battled the rest of the way. But digging out of early holes has become a troubling trend.
“We’ve got to have a readiness from the drop of the puck,” Sullivan said after the loss in San Jose. “The last few games, we haven't had the best starts, so I’ve got to do a better job preparing them for it, I guess. I’ve got to find a way to make sure they're ready from the drop of the puck.”
That kind of accountability is what you want to hear from a coach. But it also underlines the challenge ahead. This team isn’t good enough right now to play from behind - and lately, they’ve been behind before fans can even settle into their seats.
3. Is This the End of the Road for Jonathan Quick?
Jonathan Quick’s place in hockey history is secure. His 407 career wins are the most by any American-born goalie.
He’s a two-time Stanley Cup champion, a Conn Smythe winner, and a future Hall of Famer. But right now?
Things are rough.
After Igor Shesterkin went down with an injury on January 5 against Utah, Quick stepped in and played well in relief - but the Rangers still lost in overtime. He got the nod for the next four games and lost all four. Two of those outings - the 10-2 drubbing in Boston and an 8-4 mess at home against Ottawa - ended with Quick getting pulled after allowing six goals.
Enter Spencer Martin. The journeyman netminder, signed midseason after starting the year in the KHL, has now started three of the last four games.
He got the nod in Philly and Anaheim, and again in San Jose. Quick started against his old team, the Kings, but it’s clear the crease is no longer his.
Quick started the season with promise, but he’s now lost 12 straight. His record sits at 3-11-2, and he hasn’t picked up a win since November 7.
To be fair, there have been nights where he’s played well enough to win - but the team in front of him hasn’t held up its end. Still, with the Rangers headed into sell mode, things aren’t likely to improve.
It’s a tough way for a legend to wind down, but the writing is on the wall.
Looking Ahead
The Rangers return home with 30 games left and a steep climb in front of them. The playoffs aren’t mathematically out of reach, but the focus now shifts. Development, evaluation, and yes - potentially saying goodbye to some familiar faces.
The retool is underway. The question now is: who will be part of the next chapter?