The Rangers have some major questions that still need to be answered.
The Rangers core is like a house of cards; blow hard and it'll all fall down.
Fallout from the Jacob Trouba booting to Anaheim is inevitable so what The Maven has to do is guess what's on tap in the mind of Chris Drury.
But since the GM won't tell – except maybe to "super-insiders" Kevin Weekes and Emily Kaplan – I lean on my Vice-President of Hockey Smarts, Jess Rubenstein.
"Not Fox," blurted Ruby, "he's going to be named captain."
That was my suggestion a few years ago when Foxy was playing like a Norris Trophy-winner, not like the schlub he's looked like lately.
"It will be K'Andre Miller who goes," Jess went on, "but only if they can get a decent return for him. Then again, it's doubtful that they will since his being a RFA as well as a liability on defense."
Like others in the crowd, Rubenstein sees some positives in Miller and suggests that coach Peter Laviolette has limited K'Andre's offense. "Move him up to forward," he said.
I figured that Ryan Lindgren would be part of the house cleaning if Miller doesn't go.
Rubenstein: "Given a choice of keeping Miller or Lindgren, Lindgren will cost less to re-sign. Miller will ask for the Heavens when he's only worth a comet -- and a bad one, too."
Meanwhile, there remain questions hanging over the club like dark clouds on the Pecos.
To wit:
* Has the team quit on the coach, a la Boston with Jim Montgomery?
* Does Drury have Joel Quenneville's cell number; just in case?
* How will Igor Shesterkin's new fat contract affect his head?
* And speaking of "fat," who are the "Fat Cats" – alias dead wood – left on the roster?
We'll know more once the Rangers play REAL teams not the Kraken or Blackhawks.
Hey, a house-cleaning is a house-cleaning. All Drury has done so far is sweep the foyer and pay off his goalkeeper!
