Don't kid yourself. It was both. We folded like a cheap suit against 3 physical teams.
No, I'm not convinced of that. And even if it were, I'm not convinced that the toughness can't be replicated in the bottom 6 instead, which we've now also done.
I don't really buy the toughness narrative that has developed here on this board.
The far more obvious and blatant problem to my eyes has been the team's lack of depth - it has a handful of stars and developing stud prospects on the roster, but is also full of sub-replacement level players. Which, shocker, is kind of to be expected because they spent the last 3 years trading away every useful NHL player they had for picks and prospects. So of course they can't ice a team of competent NHLers, they gave them all away in favor of youth. Which was also the absolute right move for the organization long term.
I'm not surprised when some of these prospects turn out to be replacement level Libor Hajek who is forced into the lineup because you traded away Marc Staal and bought out Kevin Shattenkirk (not that they were much if any better). The good news is, on defense, we have a pipeline of developing players, many of whom are going to be excellent NHLers.
This is reflected in Dom L's yearly breakdown of rosters which have shown the past two seasons that the Rangers are tremendously thin but have some good top end talent. That talent has been carrying them but they are unable to match up with deep teams and unable to sustain their momentum deep in the year as they wear out when deeper and more experienced teams turn up the gas.
The Islanders and Capitals smashing us does not tell me that we need a toughness mandate. We need some more toughness, yes. But we also equally, if not moreso, need to get black holes off the roster and have quality players in the regular lineup and also as replacements.
To an extent I do believe we've done that, I think we are deeper with players who are not net negatives. Net negative guys like Howden and Hajek will be out in favor of at least break-even players in Goodrow and Nemeth.
But I also think we are ridiculously getting carried away by this TOUGHNESS!!!!! concept.
We don't have to match the Islanders, who have won nothing. We should be maybe trying to copy, I dunno, the Lightning? The Penguins? The Blackhawks? The Kings? The Bruins? Try a team who has won multiple cups the past 15 years. Those teams all have more skill, especially at center, than we currently have on the roster or in the pipeline, with the possible exception of the Blackhawks, who even they at least had like a 22 year old Jonathan Toews at their inception.... ie a Hall of Famer. We kinda lack that at center.
