The New York Rangers’ struggles took another hit on Saturday afternoon with a 7–4 loss to the Washington Capitals.
While Alex Ovechkin’s 871st career goal made headlines as the forward kept his all-time-record chase going, the Rangers’ downward spiral seems to have no end in sight.
Speaking during ESPN's broadcast of the game on Saturday, former Rangers captain and six-time Stanley Cup winner Mark Messier did not hold back in his assessment of the team’s current state.
“I think, right now, the core of the Rangers is fractured,” Messier said. “And I don’t think they’re fractured internally. I think there’s a disconnect between management and the coaching staff. There’s a lack of trust and loyalty now, and in order to get over that, it’s going to take a lot of work.”
Messier pointed to the ripple effects of the Jacob Trouba trade to Anaheim and persistent trade rumors surrounding players like Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.
“When you put Chris Kreider on the trade block, that affects his best friend, Zibanejad," Messier said. "The cascade effect of that has clearly been evident over the last month.
"They don't look like a championship team right now to me with the way things have gone."
The Rangers’ issues extend beyond personnel changes, with Messier citing a broader lack of emotion and cohesion on the ice as a cause for the team's struggles of late.
“We haven’t seen a lot of emotion from the Rangers over the last month," Messier said. "Management can do whatever they want, but as players, they’ve got to be big enough to get over that.”
On top of trading Trouba, Rangers general manager Chris Drury has shaken up the roster further by moving former no. 2 overall pick Kaapo Kakko.
Those moves, however, haven't fixed anything for New York coming off making an Eastern Conference Finals appearance last season.
“The team needs, more than anything, a renewed sense of loyalty and trust across the organization,” Messier said.
Following Saturday's loss, the Rangers are 17–20-1 and face a steep climb to salvage their season now sitting third-to-last in the conference and five points off the second wild-card place.
