The Need For Change

As a life long Ranger fan it was very difficult to watch the slow death the Rangers experienced at the hands of the Boston Bruins. There are many questions surrounding the Rangers moving forward. Maybe they just weren't good enough to advance past the Bruins or maybe their mistakes finally caught up to them against a better team then Washington. Staal and Clowe being out certainty didn't help. And of course their power play speaks for itself. Obviously these are some of the issues that jump out at you, but I think the problems go deeper. I think the issues with this team are also systematic and have to fall on the doorstep of the head coach John Tortorella.  He is a taxing coach to play for and his system leaves virtually no room for error. His defense minded strategies leave his goalie alone and a target for teams to virtually tee off on while his other players try to block shots and defend the shooting lanes. This might be viable at the end of the game while trying to protect a lead but as a game in game out strategy it puts tremendous pressure on the goalie and exhausts the defense. It can win games but never allows your team to get a big lead and close out games early by scoring multiple goals. His team's margin for error is virtually non-existent. Maybe that's the reason John Tortorella has never won a playoff series in less than seven games. Good teams have the ability to step up the level of play and distance themselves during the course of the game so that they have some breathing room , and  can make a mistake without  it costing  them the game. Tortorella's conservative restrictive game also limits his more creative players, Gabrek, Richards, Nash, etc. The Rangers pay huge money for these players and then they are forced to fit into a system that limits their creativity and therefore their ability to score. Once again systematic limitations. Their power play is also systematically inept , they try to shoot from the point, other teams get better angles and more open ice moving side to side and not front to back. Teams know how to defend the Rangers because their power play is unimaginative. How can a coach go this far into a season and fail at this aspect of the game and not make adjustments. That is one of John Tortorella's problems, he is also arrogant stubborn and spiteful... His teams play hard for him but I'm not sure whether it's out of respect or fear. I find it interesting that John Tortorella  has problems coaching the biggest stars on the team, maybe it's not their problem maybe it's his, or more to the point his system. Great coaches succeed overtime because of their ability to adjust to game situations and change their philosophies based on their talent and depth. Tortorella has left a path of destruction in his wake. He has a resume, Conference Finals last year Final 8 this year, a past Stanley Cup championship in Tampa. But it's always with a price. In addition, he is poisonous to the media as well, why? The biggest problem now is the best player on the team King Henrik doesn't seem to want to play for him or the Ranger's anymore, maybe it's because they are too systematically challenged !!!