Rangers coach says injuries ‘didn’t help,’ but not excuse for lost season

TL;DR

Rangers coach Mike Sullivan acknowledged that injuries impacted the team's performance but stated they are not an excuse for the disappointing season. The Rangers finished last in the Eastern Conference after key injuries to players like Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox.

Key points

Mike Sullivan acknowledges injuries impacted the Rangers' season.
The Rangers finished last in the Eastern Conference.
Key injuries included those to Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox.
The team lost 11 of 13 games without their top players.
Chris Drury announced a retooling of the team.

Mentioned in this story

Mike SullivanChris Drury

New York RangersIgor ShesterkinAdam FoxEastern Conference

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Where New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury typically offers vague answers to questions about his team, coach Mike Sullivan tends to be more direct and expansive. Such was the case Friday at the team’s breakup day when a reporter asked Sullivan how big a role injuries played in the Rangers’ disappointing centennial season, one that ended with a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference.

“Well, it didn’t help, I’ll tell you that,” Sullivan quickly responded. “Listen, every team has to endure injuries, we’re no different in that regard. But what I’ll tell you is that some injuries are easier to endure than others, and we had some key ones at certain times in this season that made it tough.”

That they did. In fact, it’s fair to say that the dual lower-body injuries sustained by Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox on the same night, Jan. 5 in an overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth, submarined the Rangers season. The Rangers lost 11 of 13 games without their No. 1 goalie and top defenseman, sunk like a boulder out of the playoff race, and led to Drury’s letter to the fans announcing a retool was in order.