Media Bytes: Big Game McHunting, Damage Control, Schneider
This week's media roundup: what it takes for the Rangers to become a star destination again, whispers of a McDavid pursuit, and doubts over Braden Schneider's trade value.
Welcome back to Media Bytes, a weekly column from Blueshirt Banter. Every Sunday, we’ll help you start the week right with a quick catch-up on the latest stories and developments around the New York Rangers and the broader NHL media landscape.
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All-Star Attraction
1. Late last week, Tri-State Hockey examined the Rangers' offseason and what expectations should look like heading into next season.
That conversation began with an anecdote from an interview Jonny Lazarus conducted with Vincent Trocheck on Morning Cuppa Hockey. While discussing why he chose to sign with the Rangers, Trocheck gave two simple reasons.
"He said he really wanted to go to a team that he felt could win and he wanted to play with Artemi Panarin," Lazarus recalled.
Pointing to recent examples of players leaving the Rangers off their trade protection lists, Lazarus used Trocheck's comments to frame a larger question: How do the Rangers become a destination again?
"We're not hearing any of those conversations happen now," he said. "Who is the guy that players will want to come to New York to play with as strongly as they felt about Panarin?"
Arthur Staple suggested Trocheck's answer also sheds light on why he was reportedly willing to be traded earlier this summer.
"All the guys [the team] had progressed to within two wins of a Stanley Cup Final—that core was gone," Staple said. "This is what we talk about when we talk about how you have to treat your players and how you treat your star players."
Staple argued the Rangers may have stripped away too much of the roster, leaving themselves without the kind of marquee player who attracts other elite talent.
With today's stars increasingly forcing their way to preferred destinations, he believes the Rangers are now missing the very type of player needed to land the next one.
"The Rangers have some work to do in that category," Staple continued. "This last month was a good step towards getting back to that and the Rangers can still be the Rangers in terms of appealing to free agents and players who want to play on a big stage, but you have to put people around them they're going to want to play with. They don't have that right now and that's going to take a little while."
