All But Over…

…+5 in the last 10.   That’s what it’s going to take for the Rangers to make it into the playoffs after losing to the Bruins on Sunday.  The Blueshirts sit in 10th place in the East, 4 points out of 9th, and 5 points out of 8th.  The Thrashers have picked up back-to-back wins to make it that much harder for New York.

The season isn’t technically over…but it’s over.  Show me a point in time this season where the Rangers have been able to muster a substantial amount of wins in a row when it counted.  Sure, they started off 7-1 this season, but that’s so far away from where the team is now.  The team will go up against the Islanders a couple more times, Flyers as well, and have a mixed bag of games with the Devils, Sabers, Maple Leafs, etc.  It’s not looking good.

I know many of you threw in the towel a long time ago.  I’m throwing mine in today.  Call me overly optimistic for waiting this long.

I’m also throwing in my towel on John Tortorella.  I was a huge proponent of Torts coming to the Rangers after Tom Renney was fired.  But, it has become clear that with the current personnel on the Rangers, Tortorella cannot be successful as a head coach.  And it is much easier to change the coach than it is to change the team.

Make no mistake, I still like Torts.  I think he is a good coach.  But this just isn’t his team and it would take years to restructure the roster in such a way that would make his brand of hockey successful in MSG.  Obviously the blame falls on him as well as GM Glen Sather.  And we all know how the NYRangerscast feels about Slats.

Is it time for Messier to take over the club?  I don’t know if that’s the best solution either, but something has got to happen up top.  This is a train going in the wrong direction.  Bloated contracts, aging leaders, lack of scoring…it’s not a recipe for success.  It’s time for a change.  And hopefully missing out on the playoffs will usher in that change.

Hopefully.