The rangers have struggled to find their consistent game. This is noticeable in their inability to generate offense from defensive play, and from their lacking power play.

Powerplay: With Gaborik Richards and Nash, the powerplay should be the scariest thing to go up against when playing the Rangers. Why don't they look comfortable skating into the offensive zone on the powerplay? Why are they passing when they need to and not when they want to on the powerplay? The answer is in the word "play." Play does not react; It acts, and the rangers don't seem to be playing with their power quite literally. Something is prohibiting this.

Defensive Offense: The rangers similarly are thinking too defensively on defense. A trick in hockey is to think subtly about offense on defense, and to think defense on offense (anticipation). The rangers aren't anticipating rushes, and unprepared by other teams mistakes on their rushes. This lack of anticipation means that their mind is somewhere else. They are focussing on something. This focus, I call anxiety. Like the powerplay, it is prohibiting them from playing hockey, because they can't improvise, and adapt; another two verbs for play. But we have a series of players who traditionally seem suited for creating turnovers like Hagelin, Stepan, Callahan, Gaborik, Richards. What are they focusing on so much that is prohibiting improvisation?

Conclusion: Torterella's system, although good, has been prohibiting the team from playing hockey due to how heavily it is enforced. Rumor has it that Sather wanted to hire Leetch to help coach the powerplay, but Torterella didn't want it. Truth: We have an unsuccessful powerplay. This is how we measure whether to get a PP coach, not the "system."

Torterella is also benchcing guys like Richards, for not abiding by the system. This is the very root of the problem. Guys should be benched for putting your team in a position to lose, not by disobeying the system. This is Torterellas premise, "The system always = success." Always is a very dangerous term in hockey, and this is not the 2005 NHL. their is much more play since the lockout. Disobeying the system should mean you get scolded, and told what to do next time in practice. On the ice in game time should be different. This is making it difficult on the players because they are not just going up against other teams during game time, but also, torts system in order to play. This is the root of excess stress during game play.

Are the coaching priorities disrupting this team from playing hockey?

Is the system bad? Or is it how it is being enforced?

What would you do about this coaching situation?

Thoughts?