The assumption, apparently naïve, was that scouring the league for opinions on the surprising hot streak of the Rangers was going to bring some measured perspective.
Instead, it got the exact opposite.
Speaking to one league executive, one coach, and one national broadcaster, all on the condition of anonymity in the hope of unfettered candidness, The Post came upon an outside picture of the Blueshirts that was far more shining than expected.
As Thanksgiving is a traditional measure for league-wide reflection, the Rangers are on a run of 9-1-1. That continued with the 5-0 thumping of the Islanders in the Garden on Wednesday night and rolls on with afternoon matches on Friday in Philadelphia and Saturday at home against the Capitals.
So the rebuilding that was declared this past February in a letter to the fans? Not so much for the team that at this barometer was tied in points atop the Metropolitan Division.
“It was a good PR move, but I don’t think there are a lot of people that believe in the rebuilding,” said the coach. “People know going in that they have some good rookies and some real experienced guys that have been to Stanley Cup finals before, and they have goaltending. At the end of the day, you have to be ready to play.”
So it hasn’t surprised anybody that Henrik Lundqvist continues to be an elite goaltender, the 36-year-old starting 17 of the first 22 games and putting up a 2.61 goals-against average with a .919 save percentage. That solid goaltending has also included 22-year-old backup Alex Georgiev, who picked up his first NHL shutout on Wednesday night.
“The difference is that if we make a mistake,” the coach said, “it’s magnified because it ends up in the back of our net.”
The big question coming into the season was how the players were going to react to first-year NHL head coach David Quinn. Fresh out of Boston University, Quinn has demanded accountability on a different level than his predecessor, Alain Vigneault. And the team has responded to what has been some tough-love to this point.
“Whatever that coach is selling, they’re buying,” the executive said. “The internal leadership is obviously strong, led by Lundqvist, and they’re following.”
The one thing that everyone mentioned was that Thanksgiving is not quite the same marking poll it used to be. There is such parity in the league that the 26 points for the Rangers (12-8-2) is five points short of Toronto’s conference lead — and seven points in front of Florida’s conference basement. Besides the few teams considered elite — the Leafs, Lightning, Predators, and maybe the Jets or Wild — the rest of the league is in a pretty similar situation.
“We could go through this exercise with 26 other teams,” the broadcaster said. “The Rangers still have some holes, and their ‘D’ hasn’t played as well as they should, or could. But in that group, if you have to start with something, starting with the goalie is where I would go.”
Yet that hardly means the Rangers are in the best shape to make a run this season, well in front of their projections. General manager Jeff Gorton is likely going to be exploring trade options nearing the Feb. 25 deadline, with key pieces Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello the most attractive rental pieces currently in his stable.
“Do they have the depth?” the executive wondered.
What they do have is promising young players up front in Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson, to go along with young blueliners Brady Skjei, Neal Pionk and Tony DeAngelo. Those guys are following the leaders like Marc Staal and Mika Zibanejad and Jesper Fast, who have set the tone by going full-in on Quinn’s system and mentality.
Thus far, it’s led to a surprising start to the season. Turns out, most people outside the organization aren’t exactly holding their breath waiting for it to come crashing down.
“It’s not an easy thing when you’re trying to go through this, all credit for showing honor by playing the way they’re playing,” the executive said. “It’s hard thing to do.”
Or, as the coach added, “How do you not take them for real?”
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