Rangers

"The New Show on Broadway”

“The New Show on Broadway”

by Drew Duffy 2/27/23

The world’s most famous arena will benefit from a new attraction within the coming days. With the drawn out acquisition of potential American superstar, Patrick Kane from the Chicago Blackhawks, the Rangers will solidify their top six forwards and truly become a must watch event in the heart of Manhattan. Kane brings many quantifiers to the ice in Madison Square Garden, dazzling hands, swift skating, but most importantly, championship pedigree. For a team that fell two games shy of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in eight years, and only four years following the public announcement of their “rebuild”, the Rangers were riding the stellar play of their Vezina trophy winning netminder, Igor Shestorkin, and their nearly automatic powerplay to the Eastern Conference Finals. Their dream fell at the whim of then back to back Stanley Cup champion, Tampa Bay Lightning. While championship runs can happen at random for some teams, the Rangers are not leaving their fate to chance. Chris Drury, general manager, and the ownership team are pushing their chips in to solidify their lineup and give their guys the best chance to get out of the Eastern Conference and compete for the sport’s most prized possession. The acquisition of Kane seems to be the end of Drury’s deadline activities, and if so, he is going out with a splash. Drury has added former four time all star Vladimir Tarasenko to the top six and Niko Mikkola to shore up the bottom pair defense. Drury is showing everyone around the league that he is not afraid to extend his hand at some of the biggest names on the market and create a juggernaut, on paper. Kane’s inclusion into the lineup will bring fanfare, media coverage, and excitement to the Ranger’s team. It is admirable to see a general manager understand and value their team’s “window” of opportunity and act with such initiative to win. It is a blueprint that all leaders of organizations should watch and applaud from afar. Regardless of what happens on the ice with chemistry, scheme, and results, there is no denying the fact that Drury’s deadline acquisitions have placed the Rangers in their best position for success. Sometime’s general managers swing and miss, sometimes they benefit from internal contributors, and just sometimes their big splash pays off. Drury is positioning his team to reach great heights in the spring and adding a three time Stanley Cup champion in Kane will only validate this sentiment. Kane’s addition will sell tickets, put “88”s on the backs of fans everywhere, but most importantly, it will give the Ranger’s their best chance to reach the Cup Finals in nine years, and be the ones to hoist it for the first time in nearly three decades. The puzzle is nearly complete, now it is time to sit back and enjoy the most entertaining show on Broadway. 

Let’s go Rangers.