Around The Circuit, What Rangers Fans Need To Know About The NHL

Picking a Cup-winner – no less a Presidents' Trophy champ – at this point is both impossible and foolhardy.

Start with the fact you never bet against the Champs. But attrition could do in the Panthers just as it once did to Tampa Bay. (Wear, tear and long playoff runs take a toll.)

The Jets early blitz was impressive and Winnipeg should make it past the first round. But Then?

New Jersey looks like a world-beater one day and then gets blanked the next. No doubt the Devs will get in but after that, it'll be Jacob Markstrom or bust.

The Rangers still have enough talent to rebound, but only if Igor Shesterkin awakens from his Rip Van Winkle imitation. Meanwhile, the Wild, Stars and Canes have much to commend.

As for the Maple Leafs, the No Cup Years Total now is 57 so why should this season be any different? Guaranteed, it'll be same-old-same-old!

AROUND THE CIRCUIT WITH THE MAVEN AND SOLON MIHAS:

Paul Bisonette has become the latter-day Don Cherry, glorifying toughness on the air, and sometimes off. His recent restaurant bout – Biz vs. six drunks – was exactly what Grapes would have bravely done in the same situation. The Oilers disappointing 11-9-2 start leads one to wonder how much input Connor McDavid has in running the team? You don't think coach Kris Knoblauch would dare challenge his superstar on any grounds.

Speaking of coaching, Captain Brad Marchand looks like a better player now than when Jim Montgomery was ruling the B's roster. You have to wonder if there's a connection related to Monty's boot out of Beantown -- and Marchand's role, if any. ... Taylor Hall was a fave of ours when he starred for the Devils. We'd love to see his resurgence in Chicago continue.

Suggestion to Leafs fans: Curb Your Enthusiasm. Goaltending may be adequate now but the current combo won't last past the first round in the spring. Managerial "votes of confidence" for coaches take on assorted forms. Barry Trotz says he "trusts" Andrew Brunette in Nashville. Fair enough, BT, but for how long?

Neil Smith and Vic Morren have a good thing going with their NHL Roundup show. Smith points out that Peter Laviolette's greatest success with an organization "occurs in his first season behind the bench." Whereas Morren counters, Rangers problems are "as much a core issue as it is coaching." Vic adds: "The current group simply does not have the DNA to win against the diversity in systems faced over four rounds of playoffs."

Happy anniversaries coming up: Islanders 45th anniversary of first Cup (1980) and Devils 30th anniversary of their 1995 epic upset of Scotty Bowman's Red Wings.

Shortly after the story broke that Chris Kreider might be trade bait, the longtime Ranger met the media. To the surprise of many, he began reeling off his list of injuries. That prompted one reporter to suggest: "Kreider doesn't want to be traded so this injury talk was made to scare away NHL GMS who might want to deal for him." ...

The Penguins would be a better team today had they never traded away Marc-Andre Fleury. We don't know about you but we're baffled by the quarter-season slumps of Zach Hyman in Edmonton and the Rangers Vincent Trocheck.

The head-scratcher on Long Island has been Patrick Roy's club's inability to hold third period leads. One reporter calls it "an entity unto itself!" It's now five months since Joel Quenneville was reinstated to coach again. Our guess was that Q would have been hired by now. Quite frankly, we can't figure out why Joel still is out in the cold!