Ive been a long time lurker on HF, probably since the Drury/Gomez days, and wanted to chime in on the last few days. This was probably the most emotional week I've had as a Ranger fan, including the 2014 & 15 playoff runs which is crazy to think about.
I don't necessarily think the JD/JG firings were handled the right way by Dolan (classic MSG), but I definitely see the logic behind it. This team has the best winger in the league, a Norris caliber 1D, #1 & #2 overall picks, a top 5 goal scorer in Mika(outside of a covid effected month) and a clear #1 goalie. This has been a challenging season for a ton of reasons but i expected them to actually show up in these "playoff atmosphere" games. Unfortunately, starting in the bubble and continuing through this season, the team has not only lost every important game, but hasn't even been competitive.
The other aspect of this situation that i think hasn't been talked about enough, is how the veteran players on this team feel about the direction they are heading. Dolan made a comment in the Brooks article, and I'm paraphrasing, about "how the entire organization needs to be moving towards the same goal." I think the players have had enough of the laissez-faire attitude about winning and losing and voiced these concerns to ownership. It would certainly explain the reported disconnect between the top guys and Quinn.
Maybe I'm wearing too much of a tinfoil hat here, but why would Panarin/Kreider/Mika/etc. want to go all out for a team that doesn't necessarily consider making the playoffs a goal for this season or last? Something to think about.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Hoping to start posting here more because it really is the best place to talk Ranger Hockey anywhere on the internet.