from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

Regarding the Rangers, who step up in class with a back-to-back weekend in Tampa Bay and Carolina that abuts the Mar. 21 trade deadline:

1. The question for Chris Drury is whether the GM would be more inclined to make a splash on Monday if his team measures up against the teams with, respectively, the fourth- and third-best records in the NHL or whether he’d be more urgent in supplying aid to the Blueshirts if deficiencies are exposed?

Me? I’d be far more willing to up the ante if the Rangers acquit themselves well against two of the teams they’d likely have to go through in order to reach the Final.

2. Don’t look now, but the Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad connection might need some help on the right side, their line with Alexis Lafreniere in that spot having gone the last five games without a five-on-five goal while toting the admittedly small sample size of a 37.54 x GF.

Lafreniere’s impact seems to have diminished after an encouraging burst that bridged February and March. The sophomore has two points (both assists) in the last seven games. Points do not necessarily tell the whole story, but production matters when skating on the top six. It is getting tougher now, there is less time and space, and it will continue to get incrementally more difficult and then dramatically so as the playoffs approach and arrive. I’d be surprised if Lafreniere has a top-six assignment when the tournament commences.

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