The Rangers failed to win a Cup during a recent window marked by poor performance and unmet expectations. The team finished 29th in the NHL in the most recent season, ending the Gorton/Drury era and beginning a Drury-only transition. Blame is not limited to one general manager, since both Gorton and Drury contributed to the outcome. Drafting is presented as a major issue, with high picks producing franchise-altering misses and several first-round selections failing to remain with the organization. Late-round development also struggled, with few NHL regulars emerging from multiple drafts. The overall result was a roster that did not reach Cup contention despite expectations.
"Expected to compete for a Cup the last two seasons, the Rangers instead were a disaster, so bad they ended 29th in the NHL last season. Last season was the final nail in the coffin of the Gorton/Drury combined era, as the Blueshirts transition to a Drury only era. Why the Rangers never won a Cup in that stretch is a hot debate, and the answer is that there are many reasons."
"While many want to pin why the Rangers never won a Cup on one GM, specifically Drury, the answer is far more complicated. Gorton and Drury are both responsible for this debacle. Drafting It's no secret that the Rangers have been terrible at drafting for a while now, and this really falls on Jeff Gorton. There is some hope finally with Gabe Perreault, but Vitali Kravtsov and Lias Andersson were franchise-altering mistakes made by Gorton."
"Andersson (7th overall) and Kravtsov (9th overall) were not the consensus picks at their draft positions, with Casey Mittlestadt and one of Oliver Wahlstrom or Evan Bouchard the preferred picks at the time. Hindsight is 20/20, but these were two big misses on top ten picks. Gorton also drafted Filip Chytil, K'Andre Miller, and Nils Lundkvist in the first round of their rebuild. None are in the organization anymore for various reasons."
"Gorton also struggled with finding late round diamonds in the rough. If we mark the 2016 draft as Gorton's first following Glen Sather stepping down as GM in July 2015, Gorton drafted just one NHL regular from 2016-2018 (Morgan Barron). His 2019 draft was better, but not by much. Matthew Robertson (2nd round) was a very late bloomer who is still a question mark. Zac Jones (3rd round) is likely a bottom pair NHLer on the right team...eventually."
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