If the issues are resolved at another trade deadline, the Rangers will have four days of rest before they can pivot to making the playoffs, starting with Saturday’s home game against the Blues.
The goal was to add scoring ability, but with the Hurricanes outbid New York for Jake Guentzel, the question became whether Drury was worth digging deep into.
Then the answer was nothing, as roster reinforcements were added in their place.
So unless some 11-hour development happens with some of the young players in the Rangers’ bottom-six forward group, this lineup will be sink or swim this spring.
This is a product that has shown dominance on special teams all season, including a 25.1 percent success rate on the power play.
Igor Shesterkin has regained his confidence, averaging 2.00 goals per game since early February, and his heroic goaltending has been a boon for Broadway.
A common criticism of the Rangers is their inconsistency in 5-on-5 play, but this is an area of improvement.
On Monday, the Rangers suffered a 4-2 loss to the 5-on-5 powerhouse Panthers, but they showed signs of resiliency even at even strength, especially in the first period.
I’m not going to take any credit for the morale victory, but closing the distance against Florida means we’re almost getting a playoff-like atmosphere.
The same cannot be said for the Blues, who are one of the weakest 5-on-5 teams.
St. Louis has improved its offense throughout the season, with Robert Thomas serving as the sole headliner, leading the club with 69 points.
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The Rangers have four players with 50 or more points, all of whom should benefit from the Blues’ 32.1 shots allowed, minus-18 goal differential, and sixth-most dangerous scoring chances.
New York is plus-19 at MSG this season with a 21-8-0 record.
The Blueshirts’ playoff rehearsals begin Saturday against a St. Louis team that is sitting idle for the rest of the season.
play: Rangers -1.5 goals (+125, FanDuel).
