No one is ever going to accept that losing is expected for a professional sports team. The New York Rangers gave an amicable effort this year to not roll over and die despite some horrendous expectations. For all of the holes in the lineup, first-year head coach David Quinn has duct taped and super glued together a solid effort out of his team.
While the roster Quinn was given to work with had serious holes, it was to be expected. This was year one of a multi-year rebuilding project. This meant a complete overhaul of the team that went to the playoffs for much of the first half of this decade.