MSG analyst Dave Maloney received a text from his daughter this week: "What is wrong with the Rangers?"
It's the same question most Blueshirts fans are asking after the team kicked off the season with a 2-4-1 record. Such is the nature of the NHL's unforgiving 56-game schedule, where a slow start can feel insurmountable and a losing streak of five or six games could derail all playoff hopes.
Maloney texted his daughter back: "The expectations got a little beyond where they are reality-wise."
That's the easiest explanation. The Rangers famously admitted to a rebuild in February 2018, and have since jettisoned nearly all of their veterans from their 2014 Stanley Cup Final team (forward Chris Kreider is the lone survivor).