Florida Panthers
Rangers, Panthers Should Have Been a Marquee Matchup. It’s Not
The New York Rangers are in town to play the Panthers tonight in Florida’s final home game of the regular season.
When the schedule came out, this looked like it would be a must-see game as the season came to a close and, perhaps, another playoff preview of two Eastern Conference titans.
What should have been a great showdown in Sunrise is now an afterthought.
The Rangers are simply playing out the string.
The reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners are defending it no more, their disappointing season ending out of the playoffs entirely after they were officially eliminated when they lost to Carolina on Saturday.
The Panthers meanwhile are headed back to the playoffs to defend their Stanley Cup championship in a couple of days.
The Rangers are heading off into an offseason of uncertainty and likely change.
The season was a total downer, starting this past summer when GM Chris Drury put veteran Barclay Goodrow on waivers to circumvent his no-trade clause.
It went downhill from there.
At midseason, Drury made a similar move with Jacob Trouba, threatening waivers if he didn’t accept a trade to Anaheim.
None of these moves endeared Drury to his team.
Trouba was having an off season, but the Rangers miss his toughness and competitiveness.
Ryan Lindgren was another tough player who was traded to Colorado at the deadline.
The team doesn’t have that toughness anymore. Matt Rempe, at 6-9, is a fighter but not a proven NHL player.
The media has been slamming Drury all season for not making significant offseason or deadline acquisitions.
The lone exception is the trade for J.T. Miller.
Miller has 12 goals and 32 points in 30 games with the Rangers.
Unfortunately, the team has gone 13-15-3 since Miller’s arrival. Definitely not a playoff pace.
Coach Peter Laviolette, after bringing the team to league’s best finish and an eventual loss to the Panthers in the East finals, has taken heat for losing the team this season.
It is a problem not uncommon for veteran coaches who have been with multiple teams.
Laviolette has one more year on his contract, but he is on tenuous ground.
Drury seems to be safe due to his close relationship with owner James Dolan.
In Drury’s four years as GM he has already fired two coaches in David Quinn and Gerard Gallant.
Laviolette’s record with the team is a very respectable 92-59-11, but that includes last year when the team set records for wins (55) and points (114) in a single season.
This season is far different: The Rangers are 37-36-7.
Their once potent power play, which was No. 3 in the NHL last year at 26.4 percent, is a paltry 27th now at 17.9.
The team’s stars have had a poor season, the most glaring being that of Mika Zibanejad.
His 18 goals is only the second time in nine seasons with the Rangers that he produced less than 20. He’s had seasons 0f 41 and 39 goals in New York.
Veteran Kris Kreider has been plagued by back troubles. His 21 goals and only 26 points are a dramatic reduction from recent seasons. He scored 52 goals only three seasons back. His days in New York may be numbered.
Among the other stars, Vincent Trocheck, Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, and Alexis Lafreniére all have had down years as compared to last season.
A bright spot, and a hope for the future, is second year man Will Cuylle with 20 goals.
Goalie Igor Shesterkin has been brilliant at times but erratic at others.
He hasn’t “stolen” games as he had in past seasons. His $11.5 million salary for the next eight seasons kicks in next year and already shows indications that it will not age well.
With nothing at stake tonight, we may see some of the Rangers’youngsters and depth players who deserve a look.
Gabe Perreault, the 19-year-old forward who recently signed after two years at Boston College, and Brendan Othman, who spent most of the year in the AHL, are both worthy of a closer look.
Both watched the last game from the press box.
Veteran Calvin de Haan, who has been a scratch in the past 18 games, made headlines on Sunday when he, in unprintable terms, said he was not happy with how he has been treated by the team.
After agreeing to talk to the media about his comment after practice, the Rangers PR team talked him out of it.
We’ll see if he plays tonight.
Why not?
The Rangers have nothing else to lose in this lost season.
ON DECK: GAME No. 81
NEW YORK RANGERS at FLORIDA PANTHERS
- When: Monday, 7 p.m.
- Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
- Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (Naples/FtM)
- Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
- Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
- Last Season vs. Rangers — Regular Season: Panthers won 2-1; Eastern Conference Finals: Panthers won 4-2.
- This Season (Panthers Lead 2-0) — At Florida: Panthers 5, Rangers 3 (Dec. 30); Monday. At MSG: Panthers 3, Rangers 1 (Oct. 24).
- All-time Regular Season Series: Rangers lead 61-36-8, 6 ties
- Postseason History: Rangers won 4-1 (1997, 1st round); Panthers won 4-2 (2024 ECF)
- Up Next for the Panthers — Regular Season Finale: Tuesday at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN/Local TV)
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