The decline of a number of star players proved to be an epidemic, sparking the collapse of the entire Rangers team, which led to them spending Christmas in the basement of the Metropolitan Division.
The weight of this precipitous drop in the standings to 4-12 has fallen on the shoulders of many, both inside and outside the locker room, but those who can share in the most dramatic 180s embarrassment from one season to the next are: It's just the players who are responsible for both.
As much as last season's highs felt, this season's lows are a smoldering type.
“There may be too many things. [to explain]” Artemi Panarin said when asked what happened to the Rangers' offense. “But we have an extra weight on us. Maybe we're all working too hard. I don't know. We're not relaxing enough. I can promise you that the whole team wants to win.
“Everyone works hard, but if you don't have confidence you may not be in the right place mentally. Everything feels harder than it is. That's how it is.”
This is the worst feeling inside the Rangers' locker room since Panarin was signed in July 2019 and helped fuel a rebuild of the organization.
“I think so,” said Panarin, who has taken a step back from his usual dynamic self in recent games. “But no one is giving up.”
Last season, just before the holiday break, Chris Kreider buried a behind-the-net feed from the Swedish center to seal a 4-3 overtime win against the Sabers and a 12-8 victory over the Rangers. After it was contained, he jumped into the arms of Mika Zibanejad. -1 record.
Kreider watched from the press box this season as his team lost 5-0 to the Devils and dropped to 16-17-1 with a healthy dose of heartbreak.
Head coach Peter Laviolette is clearly at the point where he'll sit an established veteran, and if the team continues to question its effort and heart, Kreider certainly won't be the last.
One goal in the past nine games and just one assist this season are just some of the reasons why Kreider was named to the press box.
The next player could very well be Zibanejad, who recorded zero shots on goal in a game for the fifth time this season in Newark on Monday afternoon.
Zibanejad has recorded just one point in his past eight games.
His most recent 5-on-5 goal came on Nov. 19, and he is currently at -19 goals against this season, the worst on the team.
Not only did Laviolette start using Zibanejad as a third-line center, but the Rangers' second-year coach finally removed Zibanejad from the first power-play unit on Monday.
Vincent Trocheck is starting to emerge as a leader in captain Jacob Trouba's absence, but his on-ice play has not been as ferocious as it was last season.
Filip Sitil hasn't been able to make the same jump since returning from an injury scare in November, while Riley Smith needed a healthy scratch of his own to find a new gear in his game.
And then there's Alexis Lafreniere, who completely faded into the background shortly after signing a seven-year, $52.15 million extension on Oct. 25.
Players like Will Quill, Jimmy Vesey, Adam Edstrom and Sam Carrick have regressed over the past few games as the teams around them continue to slump.
The defense has been poor for most of the season.
There are questions about what exactly they are trying to accomplish in the defensive zone.
K'Andre Miller is on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, while Adam Fox buckled under excessive stress.
It's been a rough year for the Rangers' 2022-23 Extra Effort Award winner, and longtime D partner Ryan Lindgren has also put a lot of strain on him.
Zach Jones repeatedly looked overmatched, while Braden Schneider did the best he could while frequently switching partners and defenders.
But he didn't need individual career years to accomplish what the Rangers accomplished in last season's Presidents Trophy-winning campaign.
In fact, far from it.
As the Rangers' new motto says, “We need everyone.”
It's possible, but it also requires everyone to play as a team.
“We're not where we want to be mentally, we're not where we want to be record-wise, we're not anywhere we want to be,” Laviolette said. “That's not what we're here for. We're here to win hockey games, and that's not what we're here for right now.”
