Rangers Need Answers to Questions

Two months into this young NHL season, it is obvious who the weakest division is. 

The Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference has become the joke of the NHL right now. The Pittsburgh Penguins have been the only consistent team so far this season while the Washington Capitals have come on strong of late and may be finding their stride behind captain Alex Ovechkin. 

So who wants that third spot in the Metropolitan Division? The New York Rangers would seem to be the odds on favorite to secure the third spot, but have had trouble putting back to back wins together and have lost three in a row to under achieving teams. 

After starting the season with a treacherous nine game road trip where the Blueshirts went 3-6, and a home opening loss to Montreal, it seemed as if the Rangers were in for a long season with their star goaltender in the final year of his contract. The Rangers struggled to find the back of the net while opponents were peppering the back of theirs. 

Then came a favorable stretch of games where the Rangers would begin to elevate their game to the level everyone expected. A three game winning streak against mediocre to bad teams was halted by the mighty Anaheim Ducks, but the Rangers bounced back with a blowout win against Pittsburgh and two more wins against the basement of the Eastern Conference. 

Winning five out of six helped this team regain their mojo....or at least everyone thought they did. 

Can Vigneault Get Rangers Over the Hump?

After the firing of John Tortorella just days after the Rangers were eliminated by the Boston Bruins, New Yorkers were eager to find out who would be behind the bench for the 2013 season. 

With many options to decide from, including former Ranger captains Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky, the Rangers were looking to move on from Tortorella's tough love tactics and defensive system. There is too much wasted offensive talent up front for the Blueshirts and the time for change is now. 

The Rangers ultimately decided to go with former Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault. Vigneault is known as a players coach who allows the players to control the locker room. Vigneault's Canucks teams have been known for their offense with talented players like the Sedin twins, Ryan Kesler, and Alexandre Burrows, but have also underachieved during the playoffs. Since his first season with Vancouver in 2006, the Canucks have been past the second round once. In 2011 the Canucks reached the Stanley Cup Final where they would eventually lose to the Boston Bruins in seven games.

Now the Rangers look to Vigneault, who signed a five-year deal, to lead the Rangers back to the Stanley Cup. It has been 19 years since the Rangers played for the cup, and they have been to the conference finals twice since. The burning question in New York now is can Vigneault get the most out of his players and get the Rangers over the playoff hump? 

Vigneault will inherit a highly talented Ranger team, both offensively and defensively. John Tortorella's defense first, counter second system wore down the defense and relied heavily on Henrik Lundqvist to be a stalwart every game. With Vigneault behind the bench, the Rangers will look to become a team on the attack instead of a team on their heels. But how long will it take before we really see a change in the Rangers play? 

Don't expect the start of the 2013 season to be much different than this past season Ranger fans. It will take time before they get comfortable in a new system. It will take longer than one training camp, and recent surgeries for Carl Hagelin and Ryan Callahan will keep them out through the start of the season. Fans and players alike will need to be patient this season and not jump to drastic measures if the Blueshirts don't get off to a good start or have a tough season. The talent is there, and with the change behind the bench to Vigneault the Rangers are headed in the right direction...forward. 

It may not be this season, but the Rangers will be back in the Stanley Cup Finals in the next two or three years.