NY Rangers Season Wrap Up and Why I’m Excited About the Future of the Blueshirts
In February of 2018, Glen Sather and Jeff Gordon sent a letter to the Blueshirt faithful on the state of the Rangers. In the letter, Sather and Gorton basically had to say that the Rangers were entering a rebuilding stage. If you were a Rangers fan then, you would’ve known that the Rangers were beginning to rebuild for a while up until February 2018. Several key players that had helped the Rangers to three conference final’s appearances and a Stanley Cup appearance in 2014 had either been traded or released by February 2018. These included Derek Stepan, Rick Nash, Ryan McDonagh, and Dan Girardi.
It was a weird feeling. From 2006-2017, the Rangers missed the playoffs only once, in 2010. The Garden would always be rocking come playoff time, with white towels being waved by the most loyal fans in hockey as the boys in blue would embark on yet another hopeful Stanley Cup journey. Even though the Rangers only reached the promised land once in 2014, they always seemed like they could get there every year. Whether it was Ryan Callahan or Ryan McDonagh leading the charge, Blueshirt fans were always confident that the Rangers could make a run to the Cup.
The Rangers were about to enter uncharted waters. Rebuilding hadn’t been associated with the Rangers in several years. However, like any sports franchise ever, there will be ups and downs. The Rangers were about to enter the descent.
And that’s exactly what happened. The Rangers missed the playoffs in 2018 and 2019 while finishing last and second to last in the Metro division. It was a strange time in the Big Apple.
Then, something incredible happened. The Rangers rose back to playoff contention almost as fast as they fell from it.
Rangers fans can thank the front office for putting the “rebuild” into light speed. From April-September of 2019, the Rangers executed what could only be called as a near perfect offseason. Let me list all of the transactions from that time period:
April 20: Acquired Adam Fox from Carolina in exchange for
June 17: Acquired Jacob Trouba from Winnipeg in exchange for Neal Pionk and a first round pick
June 21: Drafted Kappo Kaako with the second overall pick
Sometime between June 21–July 1: Signed Igor Sherstekin to an entry-level contract (later called up from the AHL)
July 1: Signed Artemi Panarin
Within less than two years, the Rangers went from a group of aging veterans who couldn’t make the playoffs to a playoff contender with an ungodly amount of youth and potential. Hockey fans, including myself, were astounded at how quickly the Rangers revamped themselves.
Coming into the 2019 season, I was excited to see what this new group of youngsters could do on the ice. Would the accelerated rebuild pay off? Will Artemi Panarin live up to his hefty contract? Will Kappo Kaako have an immediate impact? So many questions surrounded the Rangers as the 2019-20 season commenced on October 2.
Did the Rangers live up to expectations? Honestly, I don’t even know if there were any expectations this year. There were so many new faces on the roster, many of them having had only a few years of NHL experience. As the season progressed, Rangers fans could see flashes of brilliance from the young stars. There were many times where Igor Shesterkin and Alexander Georgiev looked like Henrik Lundqvist’s successors. Adam Fox looked like a starting-caliber defenseman for most of the season. Kappo Kaako, despite spending a majority of the season in the AHL, had some nice moments in the big leagues.
Meanwhile, the “veterans” were also doing their part in helping the Rangers back to the playoffs. Artemi Panarin is currently in the MVP conversation after tallying 95 points in 68 games. There were points in the season where Mika Zibenjiad looked like the best player in hockey, most notably his five goal explosion against Washington in February.
Looking back on the season prior to the pandemic, the Rangers did pretty well, albeit with some growing pains (see: Kappo Kaako). When the season was suspended on March 11, the Rangers were two points out of the second wild card spot with 79 points through 68 games. That eclipsed their total from the 2018-19 season by a point.
While the Rangers came up short in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers against Carolina, I’m extremely excited about the future of the New York Rangers. Whenever the pandemic ends, and fans are allowed back into stadiums, I can guarantee you that Madison Square Garden will be rocking, playoffs or not.
