Dysfunction and Trade Talk Causing Issues Inside Rangers Lock Room
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period was on TSN Radio in Montreal and was asked about the dysfunction with the New York Rangers and if more changes could be coming.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
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Host: “Let’s talk about the New York Rangers. How did they become this dysfunctional with such a great lineup?”
Dave Pagnotta: “When a lot of people have been talking about friction in Vancouver’s room, there’s been friction in New York’s room as well. And part of the reason Jacob Trouba was dealt was for that. There still seems to be a little bit of animosity between some of the current players. Now that, coupled with the frustration of going through a bad swing and a bit of a free-for-all free fall, excuse me, those frustrations start to boil over, and things get a little bit more hectic in that room.
So you’re throwing blame, you’re taking blame, you’re pointing fingers, you’re ignoring messages, you’re this, that, and the other they’ve gotten in their heads, and it’s played a big factor as to why this team isn’t where it necessarily should be, and that’s why Chris Drury has been looking to make additional changes beyond moving Trouba and (Kaapo) Kakko.
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They’ve got cap space. They want to address their offense. They’ve made it clear that certain players, they’re willing to listen on, like Chris Kreider. Teams are calling about K’Andre Miller. There’s others that are generating interest as well. I don’t think they’re going to go through a full-on fire sale here, but it certainly looks like they still want to make some changes.
You can’t blame, I mean, how many coaching changes are you really going to do? At some point, you have to look at the roster, and I think that’s the consensus right now for Drury and the Rangers is having to adjust the formation that you’re putting together because clearly, you need to if you want to get back into playoff contention.”
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