The onus is on the players, who, having gone through three managers in the past four years, now have no choice but to look within — and that starts with the highly paid veterans at the heart of the team.
The clock is ticking: Kreider, Panarin and Zibanejed, along with Barclay Goodrow, Vincent Trocheck and Jacob Trouba, are all over 30. They’re closer to the end of their primes than the beginning, and their chances of a championship grow slimmer every year.
Team president Chris Drury is entering the third season of a tenure that began with unexpected turmoil and rising expectations. With the exception of Trocheck, the Rangers’ best skater in these playoffs and Drury’s best addition, he has been trying to win with a roster that former general manager Jeff Gorton has helped build.
Drury has gambled that the team can do that by signing some of the players Gorton has acquired to extensions and not sacrificing the assets necessary to land a big-name player at the trade deadline — Jake Guenzel was at the top of the wish list — but how many more chances is he willing to give them?
