Episode 87 - Broadway Blues - With Vincent Mercogliano from The Athletic

From Eastern Conference Finalists in 2022 and 2024 to NHL bottom-feeder. The New York Rangers fall from the NHL’s elite has been stunning with much of the blame being heaped on GM Chris Drury.

Vincent Mercogliano covers the Rangers for The Athletic and joins Neil and Vic to do a deep dive into the current state of the franchise, how they got to this point and where they go in a 100th anniversary season that has been anything but memorable.

In Three Things You Need to Pay Attention To, it took more than half of the season but we finally have a head coaching change. Also, the Lightning remain on fire while guess who’s back in a playoff spot?

IN THIS EPISODE:

[01:43] – Three Things You Need to Pay Attention To

[13:10] – Vince Mercogliano joins the show and delivers a very extensive breakdown of how things have fallen apart at MSG. The on ice product is visible to all but much of the issues of today have their roots going back as far as two years with several episodes taking place off the ice.

[22:25] – Further elaboration on the acquisitions made by GM Chris Drury and why hasn't there been greater accountability from ownership?

[26:04] – Perhaps equally distressing for the Rangers organization is an equally weak team in Hartford with three prospects continuing to struggle at the NHL level. Add in the underwhelming career of the first overall pick in the 2020 Entry Draft.

[31:06] – Perhaps one of the biggest rubs with GM Drury has been his treatment of players. This coming from a former player, captain of the Rangers and a Stanley Cup Champion in Colorado.

[34:10] – The future of Artemi Panarin.

[37:13] – The positives Vince sees in the immediate amidst the mess of the 2025-26 season.

[39:44] – Updates on Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin

[40:21] – More on Fox. Injury aside, the reported pursuit of Quinn Hughes in New York and the not getting a call for the Olympics has been a double whammy.

[43:36] - Putting a wrap on the discussion with Vincent Mercogliano.

[45:35] - Coaching updates on a milestone for Jon Cooper and a health scare for a former NHL coach working in the KHL.

[51:36] - 2026 NHL Draft to be held in Buffalo.

[55:00] - The ongoing drama at the main rink at the Milan-Cortina Olympic site.

[58:00] - Personnel items.

X: https://twitter.com/NHLWraparound

Neil Smith: https://twitter.com/NYCNeil

Vic Morren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vic-morren-7038737/

NHL Wraparound Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhlwraparound/

#NHLWraparound #NHLWraparound.com #ShortShifts #NYCentric #CelebritySeries #HallofFameEdition #StanleyCupdate #SummerCoolers #Smith'sPix #NeilSmith #VicMorren #PatrickHoffman #NHL #SummerCoolers #AnaheimDucks # #BostonBruins #BuffaloSabres #CalgaryFlames #CarolinaHurricanes #ChicagoBlackhawks #ColoradoAvalanche #ColumbusBlueJackets #DallasStars #DetroitRedWings #EdmontonOilers #FloridaPanthers #LosAngelesKings #MinnesotaWild #MontrealCanadiens #NashvillePredators #NewJerseyDevils #NewYorkIslanders #NewYorkRangers #OttawaSenators #PhiladelphiaFlyers #PittsburghPenguins #StLouisBlues #SanJoseSharks #SeattleKraken #TampaBayLightning #TorontoMapleLeafs #UtahMammoth #VancouverCanucks #VegasGoldenKnights #WashingtonCapitals #WinnipegJets #VincentMercogliano #TheAthletic #DeanEvason #SteveMcCarthy #RickBowness #DougMacLean #ScottHowson #JarmoKekalainen #DonWaddell #JohnnyGaudreau #JimMontgomery #DrewBannister #LukeRichardson #NHLonTNT #KenHolland #BooneJenner #BraydenPoint #CamYork ##ChrisJohnson #TSN #ConnorBedard #SamBennett #WyattJohnston #MarkScheifele #JulienBrisebois #WilliamNylander #MitchMarner #PhoenixCoyotes #DylanGuenther #ChrisDrury #JackEichel #IgorShesterkin #HenrikLundqvist #MikeRichter #MikeSullivan #BarclayGoodrow #JacobTrouba #ChrisKreider #JeffGorton #JohnDavidson #VincentTrocheck #VladislavGavrikov #JTMiller #FilipChytil #KaapoKakko #RyanLindgren #K'AndreMiller #MikaZibanejad #TylerMotte #AndrewCopp #AlexWennberg #EliasPettersson #JimDolan #RyanStrome #PeterLaviolette #GabePerreault #BrettBedard #BrennanOthmann #AlexisLafreniere #ArtemiPanarin #AdamFox #BradenSchneider #NoahLaba #QuinnHughes #KieferSherwood #PierreLeBrun #MatthewRobertson #DavidQuinn #BillGuerin #JonCooper #ScottyBowman #AndreiVasilevskiy #BobbyOrr #GlennHall #NoelPicard #JohnTortorella #BobJohnson #MarioLemieux #JaormirJagr #RonFrancis #NikitaKucherov #StevenStamkos #VictorHedman #CraigBerube #GerardGallant #ShanghaiDragons #TomRowe #NHLEntryDraft #EricLindros #VincentLecavalier #AustonMatthews #GavinMcKenna #BobClarke #MacklinCelebrini #StanFischler #ChrisJohnson #TSN #MapleLeafGardens #CharlieConacher #GordieHowe #HartfordWhalers #WayneGretzky #JoeLouisArena #TroyTerry #LeoCarslsson #CutterGauthier #LukasDostal #MiroHeiskanen #TristanJarry #JakeWalman #RomanJosi #ConnorMcDavid #LeonDraisaitl #EvanBouchard #DougieHamilton #SimonNemec #JesperBratt #OndrejPalat #JacobMarkstrom #ErikKarlsson #BlakeLizotte #TomWilson