Rink Rap podcast with Mollie Walker: Why Rangers had ‘no sparkle … magic’
As Mollie Walker of the New York Post admitted on the Rink Rap podcast this week, she spent countless hours this season trying to find the right words to describe just how shockingly terrible the New York Rangers situation was.
Most perplexing was trying to explain how the Rangers crashed from sitting atop the NHL as Presidents’ Trophy winners in 2023-24 to missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, one of the most disappointing campaigns in franchise history.
“You want to talk about the deficiencies on the ice and how they actually stack up to other teams? Sure, that’s all legit and valid. But sometimes you just can’t quantify what a team is playing for, how they’re playing for each other and the camaraderie and chemistry that a team can have. And the Rangers had it for quite some time,” Walker told Forever Blueshirts. “This (2024-25) team had none of it. There was no sparkle. There was no magic, and that was so evident. … It was truly crazy to see a team that had so much of it go to having none of it in such a short amount of time.”
There was a certain joy to the three previous Rangers seasons, which featured a pair of runs to the Eastern Conference Final. The Rangers played with confidence and swagger. No deficit seemed too much to overcome, especially in 2023-24, when the Rangers were kings of the comeback.
It wasn’t perfect. The Florida Panthers exposed the Rangers in the 2024 conference final, outworking them, taking advantage of their sloppy defensive play and numerous turnovers. The New Jersey Devils shocked them in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But those Rangers teams didn’t look the part of quitters. And they certainly appeared to enjoy playing for one another.
“I’m such a believer in that X Factor, that “it” feeling, whatever you want to call it. It’s almost indescribable and not tangible. Just a feeling that a team has to it where you know that, yeah, that team can go and win the Stanley Cup,” Walker explained. “That missing ingredient for how ferociously you play for one another. It’s the best thing about sports I think because it’s something you can’t quantify.”
This season? Not so much.
There were numerous no-show performances. Far too many blown leads late in games. Just as many early deficits which put them in an immediate hole. And the fact that it took until Game No. 81, when they were already eliminated from playoff contention, before the Rangers won a game after trailing by multiple goals.
That was on the ice, where blame could be partially placed on a failed system, especially the man-on-man defensive “structure” deployed by since-fired coach Peter Laviolette — one that clearly was not embraced by the Rangers nor fit the personnel.
But deeper than that there was a heaviness about this team, a dark cloud.
“It was exhausting,” Walker said.
And she only had to report on it all. Imagine the players who lived it, were at the heart of it?
In retrospect, Walker explained that it was clear things were headed in a bad direction right from the start of training camp. And it all set up by a messy attempt to trade the Rangers captain last summer.
“Jacob Trouba coming back into the locker room and being completely open and honest about how difficult it was for him to have his heart in this and for him to lead coming from the offseason circumstances that he did, I think that’s infectious. That’s something that’s going to catch on,” Walker shared.
She added that it wasn’t her take that the Rangers stopped caring or trying to win. But instead, “I think it just became too big of a snowball for anybody to get in front of and stop.”
Related: Rangers get their man, hire 2-time Stanley Cup winner Mike Sullivan as coach
Mollie Walker says Rangers must make major decisions on Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider
No one seemed more beaten down by the off-ice drama and on-ice collapse than Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Though he finished the season strong, Zibanejad scored just 20 goals — his fewest since 2016-17, his first season in New York — and had 62 points, 10 fewer than the prior season and 29 less than in 2022-23.
Worse, he carried the weight of everything, leading to a Mopey Mika persona. It wasn’t much better for Kreider, who was included in general manager Chris Drury’s November trade memo to the other teams and had a slew of physical ailments as the longest-tenured current Rangers player limped to the finish line with a career-low 30 points.
Walker said more than anyone else on the Rangers, Zibanejad and Kreider “wore this one” last season since they’ve long been the central figures on Broadway.
“I know that what was going on with Mika also affected everyone around Mika,” she explained. “No more than his best friend (Kreider), who had him as the best man at his wedding. These guys are human … it’s soul-sucking to be around.”
Zibanejad’s distaste for how Drury goes about his business and a perceived lack of communication within the organization was aired at break-up day. Shortly thereafter, Rangers owner James Dolan went public with a contract extension for Drury.
“It was very calculated. It was Dolan telling everyone who’s in charge and who will be in charge for the foreseeable future,” Walker said. “This was not a surprise … Drury has very high favor with ownership. So, the message was this is our guy. Get behind it or get out.”
Walker emphasized that the Rangers, led by Drury and new coach Mike Sullivan, must meet with Zibanejad and Kreider and make sure that each is all-in this season. Or if the Rangers hierarchy doesn’t want one or the other, then they need to work with the players on a cleaner exit strategy. Zibanejad has a complete no-move clause; Kreider has a 15-team no-trade clause.
“Learn from your mistakes. Do not let another disgruntled player walk back into that locker room. It can’t happen again.”
You can watch the complete Rink Rap interview with Mollie Walker at our Forever Blueshirts YouTube page
Or you can listen to the audio podcast with Mollie Walker
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