Thirty-five games into the season, the eye test shows the New York Rangers are in trouble.

The Rangers have lost eight of their last 10 games after a fairly successful start to the season. I say “fairly successful” only because the goaltending tandem of Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick were as good as an NHL duo can be. For the first 13 games, they were as dominant as the Rangers offense was mediocre. But it was clear that New York’s over-reliance on stellar netminding was, no pun intended, skating on thin ice.

Since that opening stretch, the Rangers have plummeted in almost every facet of the game except between the pipes. It is hard to say why this is occurring with nearly the same roster that had the team within two games of the Stanley Cup Final last season. But there are significant issues on the ice and, more concerning, seemingly in the locker room.

Let’s start with keeping pucks out of the net. While the Rangers have never had the most stout defense in the league, recently they have struggled tremendously. They seem completely overmatched and outplayed, especially defending against a hard cycle, and can’t transition the puck out of their zone. Errors in these areas have led to significant breakdowns, allowing high-danger opportunities that even great goaltending couldn’t stop.

K’Andre Miller has taken an immense step backward. He seems lost out there, outworked and disengaged.  

Former Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox is playing reasonably well, with 26 assists. His high hockey IQ makes up for his lack of size and speed. However, he has just one goal so far.

Lastly, we can’t overlook the drama surrounding Jacob Trouba. Rangers management made clear that they wanted to move him. They threatened to put him on waivers or accept a trade,  Trouba had no choice in the matter. The Rangers dealt him to Anaheim for a bottom-six defenseman, shedding his $8 million contract. By all accounts, management did not handle the Trouba situation well over the summer, which led to an internal distaste that has currently bled into the team psyche.

Shifting gears to the other end of the ice, offense. New York has always relied on a few highly skilled veteran players who could carry the team when necessary. But the top-heavy Rangers are not scoring. The question is, What happened?

Mika Zibanejad is an extremely intelligent player who has deteriorated into a shell of his former self. His work ethic is undeniable, but he is turning over the puck in volume. His shooting had been off the mark, to put it kindly. With each passing game, he digs himself deeper into a mental rabbit hole. His offensive numbers are down  significantly.

Chris Kreider has gone back into “where is Chris Kreider” mode again.

Alexis Lafrenière is finding it very difficult to find the back of the net.

Other than Artemi Panarin, the star players are just simply not delivering and not working hard enough to deliver. One year removed from bringing his team to the President’s Trophy, coach Peter Laviolette appears to have lost his players. The  Rangers have moved away from Laviolette’s on-ice systems in only his second year behind the bench. Winning a hockey game is about winning a bunch of small battles in order to win the big one. The Rangers simply aren’t winning small or big battles. They have completely disassociated themselves from the coach’s neutral zone lock system and are playing their own brand of pond hockey. Maybe it’s complacency on the part of a few stars. Or maybe it’s time for mutually beneficial trades for some players.

Teams are the sum of their parts. They are so tightly knit that if a few players or various systems seem to falter, the whole team is dragged into the quagmire. That’s the Rangers right now. This is the first time in roughly 12 years that the Rangers are facing serious in-season adversity. The team has been the definition of success, with 10 playoff appearances, four conference final appearances, and one Stanley Cup appearance over that time. This abrupt change is mystifying.  

The “eyes” have it. We may be witnessing the decline of the New York Rangers.