Fansided

Projecting every NHL team’s chances of hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2019

By Griffin Youngs

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 07: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 07: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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25. New York Rangers

The Rangers decided midway through last season that the team they had wasn’t enough to win a Cup, so instead of trading the future to sneak into the playoffs, they decided to tear it down for a little while rebuild into a team that can win the Stanley Cup as Henrik Lundqvist’s career winds down.

Last season, the Rangers traded away several players at the trade deadline and intentionally tanked to finish in 23rd with 77 points. It’s difficult to gauge their intentions for this season, but they can’t really lose either way whether they improve or stay near the bottom with the path they’re currently on.

Why they could win

The will of Henrik Lundqvist could push the Rangers for one more undeserved deep run like he has in the past. If the Rangers can get into the playoffs, they will go as far as he takes them, as usual.

For a team in the midst of a rebuild, the Rangers are surprisingly deep on offense and farther ahead then most teams would be at this stage. A lot of their forwards are incredibly underrated, especially with their first line of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich. 2017 first round draft picks Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil are also ready to play full time this season after outstanding seasons outside the NHL.

They also revamped their coaching staff with the firing of Alain Vingeault and hiring of former Boston College David Quinn, who has put on the expectation that the Rangers will not “settle for less,” and they want to win heading into next season. Sometimes that change in attitude is all you need.

Why they won’t win

While the Rangers are on the track for building a Cup contender, New York’s goal really isn’t to win a Stanley Cup at the moment as it goes through this carefully crafted rebuild. Unless you’re really lucky, this isn’t the year to shoot for the postseason.

The Rangers declared they would tear down the roster at the trade deadline last year, and they did. Now comes the year where they supplement the youth they’ve brought in and let them develop while they acquire more young talent to build around them.

On paper for this season, the Rangers real issue is the incredibly weak defense. The first pairing of Brady Skeji and Kevin Shattenkirk is pretty good, but there’s not enough talent after that to take the pressure off of Lundqvist. That talent is on the way, but it’s not ready just yet.

Conclusion

The Rangers do not have a wrong direction this season. If they make the playoffs or even compete for spot, that’s fantastic and shows that they are drastically ahead of schedule. But realistically with that defense and an aging Lundqvist, you can expect a season similar to the last season, but with no expectations this time around, and that still fits into the Rangers rebuilding plan just fine.

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