The New York Rangers suffered yet another loss in what has become a cataclysmic jump off a bridge in the last two months. Their record fell to 17-20-1 after initially starting 12-4; they lost 7-4 to the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon at Capital One Arena.

With his name surfacing in the rumor mill, the Rangers center is more focused on turning his team's season around and improving his play.

Speaking on Monday's episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast , Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman backed the claim and also the New York Post's Larry Brooks' harsh report, describing the Rangers’ situation as a “death spiral” since late November.