Wednesday Morning Bathroom Break (3-3-21)
This Day in Music (3-3-1986)
Metallica releases sophomore album, “Master of Puppets.” 35 years after its release, the album is still considered one of the greatest Metal efforts ever.
The crowd on-hand at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night was treated to a positive version of the present, and teased by the possibility of a tantalizing future. The Rangers came out strong boosted by a fantastic first period by forward Pavel Buchnevich and held off the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2. Yet, with the Sabres in town, eyes and hearts of Rangers fans were fixated on Buffalo’s 24-year-old superstar center Jack Eichel. Rumors seem to incessantly link the Blueshirts to the American-born stud, who many people believe is growing tired of Buffalo’s lack of success. Many Rangers fans are more than willing to move a small mint in assets to land Eichel, and with good reason. Eichel is a bonafide superstar in the game, and despite having just two goals on the season, he has remained a reliable playmaker for the Sabres recording 13 assists. Yet, the Rangers should absolutely approach this situation from a position of want, despite the very real reality that this team may indeed need Eichel more than they care to admit. He is, after all, a true number one center that would instantly legitimize the Rangers offensive attack. In truth the Rangers have not had a player of his caliber taking face-offs since Wayne Gretzky closed the 20th century by waving goodbye to the Garden Faithful. That is in no way an effort to compare Eichel to The Great One, rather meant to emphasize that the Rangers have gone a literal generation without a case-closed, #1C. The fanbase was rallied into believing that Mika Zibanejad was that player during the 2019-20 season, and his struggles continue to confound everyone around the franchise. He did show flashes last night, delivering a gorgeous outlet pass to Buchnevich for the game’s opening goal. The Rangers have not and should not give up on Zibanejad, but it would be wise to wonder if the team could be further improved. The issue with trading either Alexis Lafreniere or Kaapo Kakko plus much more to Buffalo for Eichel is it creates a certain sense of immediacy. Eichel would come to any new team he joins bringing a $10 million cap hit along with him, and while the Rangers will be in a much better position to handle such an expense once dead money is freed from the payroll this offseason, is this team really ready to have their Cup window opened? It would seem nearly impossible for the Rangers to be able to afford Eichel, Panarin, Zibanejad, Kreider, Trouba, Fox, Lafreniere and Shesterkin for much longer than a two-year window, not to mention some of the valuable depth pieces the team has cultivated. If the Rangers were able to secure Lord Stanley’s Cup in that time, well, it would all be worth it, right? Of course, but is it fair to assume that could happen, even with that mouth-watering array of talent? This is not to say the Rangers shouldn’t trade for Jack Eichel, more a means of trying to get inside the head of those in the Rangers front office who will likely take a more-measured approach to this situation than some fans may like. We have seen many instances where superstar players have finagled their way to Broadway, patience was a virtue in acquiring Rick Nash, and it may be again in the pursuit of Eichel. For the remainder of the regular season, it may behoove the Rangers to wait in the weeds for a more fortuitous opening in the Summer. When players want to play for the Rangers, it’s generally only a matter of time before they do. The question now is, does Jack Eichel’s heart lead him to Manhattan? Only time will tell.
The rock-steady Islanders continued their workman-like pace through the 56-game season with a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. Whenever I find myself watching the Islanders, it often seems as though one is watching the same game over and over again. It is in some ways utterly maddening how consistent they are in executing Barry Trotz’s defensive-style. Despite struggling to score through two periods, the savvy Islanders never panicked and young-gun Oliver Wahlstrom buried his third goal in four games to give the Islanders a lead. Captain Anders Lee was able to secure what became the game-winning goal six minutes later and the bus was firmly parked at the Rock. Though the Devils were able to secure a goal after pulling goaltender Aaron Dell, the Islanders refused to break. The Islanders net-minder Semyon Varlamov was excellent again behind his normally iron-clad defense and the team now finds themselves tied with the Washington Capitals for first place in the Eastern Division. As has been said many times, few teams have taken to the abbreviated season as well as the New York Islanders, and though they may not have the high-end skill to match up on paper with teams like Toronto or Tampa Bay, they seem to make up for it through a well-forged and completely embraced identity of team hockey. While it would be smart for the team to pursue means of improvement before the April trade deadline, the recipe for success seems right for the Islanders. The rigors of the Eastern Division are no joke, and the Islanders are very much on the offensive in the race.