Why The Rangers Can't Do What The Panthers Can

As the Stanley Cup was paraded around Amerant Bank Arena by the two-time champion Florida Panthers, a Ranger fan could not be faulted for asking: "Why not us?"

The Blueshirts are the richest team in America with all the dough and other resources to ice a Cup-winner and yet it never happens. 

What's more, the answer is simple: Chris Drury manages the Rangers and changes coaches faster than you can say, "Prices will go up."

Bill Zito, the Panthers boss, imported Paul Maurice three years ago and Paul has produced two Cup-winners and one near thing. Need The Maven tell you who the smart one is with the title General Manager. (Hint: Not the one on Seventh Avenue.)

""When I took the job," Zito explained, "we absolutely had a plan and a script for a destination franchise. 'Let make the hockey great to sort of match the weather and everything that goes with it.'

"It started with Patrick Hornqvist. He came in and had that pedigree and energy and personality similar to Brad Marchand and it's almost like it kind of went full circle."

While Drury diddles around with Reilly Smiths and Sam Carricks, Zito selects character players who fit into a culture and it keeps repeating.

Zito: "Because of the culture we've been able to start, we don't feel that it's finished. It's always evolving and always trying to be better. If you look at the people who have come to our team –  either via trade or free agency – almost to a man they've had their best career years with us. 

"That's the room. That's players making other players better. That's the coaches making other players better and using them to their strengths."

Meanwhile, the assistant coaches Drury brought in got the gate after this regular season ended. Now, the GM is figuring out what to do with a man called Miko and assorted other disappointments.

Zito already is trying to build a third straight Cup-winner.

"We fortify through the process," he concludes. "We got Sasha Barkov, who's almost become like a planet, and Aaron Eckblad and Bob. It's supporting and adding – such as Seth Jones. 

"When he came here we told him, 'Be Seth Jones. You don't have to be anything else. You be yourself because you fit here with us.' To the extent that we can keep that going for most of the players that we bring in, I think it will work."

Did he say "think?" Let's put it this way, it's working two Cups better than the motley crew on Seventh Avenue!