New York Rangers fans are unlikely to get their wish anytime soon. On Wednesday night, fans made their wishes known by chanting “fire Drury” at Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately, the wishes and chants will most assuredly fall on deaf ears.
The calls rang out during the Rangers’ 8-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators. The game was pretty much over in the second period as the Blueshirts headed into the intermission down 6-1. But the Senators being the Senators, gave up three goals. But instead of getting back into the game, the Rangers gave up a couple more to end another embarrassing blowout.
Despite the evidence of a floundering season, and a vocal fan base, the Rangers’ ownership is not going to budge. Earlier this month, team owner James Dolan went on the record, defending his general manager.
During a rare interview, Dolan gave a glowing review of GM Chris Drury. Dolan used descriptors like “winner” and “competitor” in reference to Drury. Dolan preached patience as the club is still looking for its mojo.
Well, the Rangers’ fan base has made its patience manifest. The chants on Wednesday night were the epitome of how this season has gone. The fans have run out of patience, particularly after a sour season last year.
The question remains: How much rope does Drury and the entire Rangers’ management team have? The club is hurtling towards another playoff miss. There doesn’t seem to be an answer to the team’s inconsistency this season. Maybe there isn’t a single answer to the conundrum. If it’s a multifactorial issue, there could be more than one solution.
Thus far, it doesn’t seem like Drury has an answer for any of that.
Rangers Fans’ Calls May Only Get Louder
The longer the Rangers take to address the team’s situation, the louder the calls will get. The prevailing chatter suggests that the team could be ready to make a major shake-up. But that’s something easier said than done.
Trading away major stars for the sake of it could be a recipe for disaster. But so is doing nothing. Standing by idly while the entire barn burns is hardly what Rangers fans want to see. The fanbase would like to see something, anything, that would suggest a positive turnaround is coming.
Then again, there are various moving parts to the proposed shake-up. That’s why addressing the matter may not be cut and dry.
Fan Discontent Could Become a Distraction
At some point, fan discontent could become a distraction for the Rangers. It’s extremely difficult to fathom that the cries in the stands and the media won’t eventually seep into the dressing room. The team will, at some point, begin to feel the heat.
If that’s the case, what can coach Mike Sullivan do to put out the fire? Sure, he’s a coach with a winning pedigree, but he’s also a human being. There could be a breaking point at some juncture. When that breaking point hits, will the club fall apart entirely?
That should be the most important thing the Rangers must avoid. Falling apart completely could lead to one inevitable outcome: A full-on rebuild. The Rangers are too big to fail. The city, the team, and the NHL cannot afford a decade-long rebuild on Broadway.
Rangers Fans Unlikely to Get What They Want Anytime Soon