I think your being a bit harsh in your assessment of that team. They were a good team, but the system they played in was not one that would put your team in a position to not burn itself out the deeper you go into the playoffs. Torts always shortened his bench and had his top end guys playing a ridiculous amounts of minutes riding them to a point where the fourth line and the bottom D pair hardly saw the ice. Plus, they were a grinding team that went b***s to the wall and blocked shots practically every night. In my opinion, had they played the Devils in the first round they would have won. However, they would have still burnt out later in the POs as they did.
This team has, not only more depth than 2011-12 team, but a coach that is looking to distribute ice time a lot more evenly than Torts. They are much quicker, better, and give a lot of teams fits with their speed. They have also had to overcome adversity with the amount of key players that have gone down with injuries this season. Most of them have experienced the Stanley Cup Finals and they are going into the playoffs with a starting goalie who has been well-rested (not that it was planned this way by any means).
So, IF the Rangers do win the President's Trophy, I do not see it as the kiss of death because I see this team really geared up for the PO run. You gotta remember, this team went to the Finals and lost 3 games in double overtime and had 2-goal leads in a couple of those games. To come THAT close and lose, THEN, to go through a summer of workouts, training camp, and an entire 82 game regular season and the whole time your mind is set on getting another chance at the Cup, it is amazing that this team has been able to stay as focused as it has been. When they clinched a playoff berth, it was no surprise at all that the team went into a mini-lull against teams that are fighting for their playoff lives. I see this team as chomping at the bit for the POs to start. THIS is what they've been fighting for since mid June.
