“The Iranian nuclear threat requires us to be prepared for every course of action,” Gallant said and repeated twice for emphasis. Add that to the shorthanded roster, and it makes sense the Rangers are struggling to find consistency in their own zone.Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant made no mention of the moribund nuclear talks, instead telling Austin: “We must take all measures necessary to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon.” He appeared to suggest that Israel could resort to military action to take out Iran's nuclear facilities. Recently we can point the blame on the shorthanded roster, since the Blueshirts are missing two of their three best defensemen. The recent defensive issues are certainly troubling and something to watch. They have a role, they have a purpose, and they make the Rangers more dangerous on the ice. This is something the Rangers lacked last year beyond the first shift against the Penguins. With the Motte-Goodrow-Vesey fourth line, the Rangers finally have a line that can be used in primarily defensive zone starts against top competition. Where they wind up playing is a small step in the big picture though, as execution on the ice and coaching the proper matchups are more important. We will see where Tarasenko and Kane wind up, both at even strength and on the powerplay. Once they are fully healthy and dress their expected lineup, we will begin to see what this team can really do. Now it’s up to the players and the coaching staffĪgain, Drury did his job. Injuries to Motte and Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller’s suspension, and the NHL making up rules as they go have forced this short term pain for the Rangers. But the cap gymnastics needed to land Kane have forced the Rangers into playing with at most 17 skaters for the last week. With the trades, Drury ensured the Rangers still have a 1st rounder in 2023, sacrificed zero prospects or players of value, and landed two prolific RWs. Things changed in a big way, and Drury pivoted when he realized he could add another dynamic scorer to the lineup, thus pushing Jimmy Vesey to the fourth line. The overall cost is a 2023 2nd (becomes a 2024 or 2025 1st if the Rangers win two rounds), a 2025 4th, and a 2025 3rd to Arizona to eat cap space. Instead, Kane forced his way to the Rangers in such a manner that Drury simply could not say no to the asking price. The eventual goal was to find a 4C that would replace Jake Leschyshyn, and that would be that. The fourth line had been without a role for most of the season. Motte added a shutdown element to the fourth line, which now had Goodrow as well, that the Rangers needed. In trading for Motte, the fourth line need was addressed, sending Julien Gauthier to Ottawa. They also jettisoned a net-negative in Blais, who simply did not work out in New York. Mikkola pushed Ben Harpur out of the lineup and solidified the bottom pair. Drury sacrificed a 2023 1st round pick, Hunter Skinner, Sammy Blais, and a 2024 3rd round pick.ĭrury did his job with the Tarasenko trade, giving the Rangers a much needed shooter in the top six, thus moving Barclay Goodrow down to the fourth line. Drury struck quickly, making the first big splash and setting off a wild trade deadline season by landing Tarasenko and Mikkola, addressing two of the bigger needs. They needed an additional RW scorer, they needed to address the fourth line, and they needed a bottom pairing defenseman. Drury did his job, even if it’s painful at the momentĬoming out of the All Star break, the Rangers had three clear needs.
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