In adding Patrick Kane, in addition to fellow star winger Vladimir Tarasenko, the Rangers made it clear to the league, and to their fanbase, that they are all in on another deep playoff run.
In the eyes of Gio, the big trade deadline splashes also mean that the Blueshirts are now officially in win-or-bust mode.
Kane’s debut on Thursday night created a celebratory atmosphere inside Madison Square Garden, but the eventual loss to the Senators served as a reminder that the hype can turn to frustration quickly, and that Kane being a Ranger now has to equate to hoisting a Stanley Cup.
“What's going on with the Rangers right now is there is one acceptable result, and that's a Stanley Cup champion, that's it,” Gio said. “So when you bring in Patrick Kane…when the crowd is so fired up, frothing at the mouth for a victory, and then you lose a game like this, it just reminds you that the Rangers are in that spot right now, what you want your teams to be in.
“But it's a Catch-22 that, when you got to the conference final last year and now you made two big trades at the deadline…now you got to go to the Stanley Cup final, you gotta win it, or it's a failure. Now you're the Yankees.”
The Yankees, widely seen as a World Series or bust team year in and year out, see a fanbase frustrated any time a season ends in anything other than a championship. Now that the Rangers have made some of the biggest moves in the NHL this season, one year after coming two games short of a Stanley Cup appearance, the expectations are now where it is in the Bronx every October.
“I wouldn't do anything differently than what the Rangers have done,” Gio said. “It's just that, from the fan perspective, the pressure is now on.”
Follow WFAN's morning team on Twitter: @7BOOMERESIASON, @GioWFAN, @Alsboringtweets, @JerryRecco, and @WFANMornings
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say ‘Play W-F-A-N’)