Fansided

Each NHL team’s biggest burning question in 2018

By Simon Vacca

EDMONTON, AB - OCTOBER 23: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers lines up for a face off against Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 23, 2018 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
EDMONTON, AB - OCTOBER 23: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers lines up for a face off against Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 23, 2018 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
20 of 31
Next
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 17: Henrik Lundqvist #30 skates out to play against the Florida Panthers on November 17, 2018 in New York City. The Rangers defeated the Panthers 4-2. With the victory Lundqvist passes Jacques Plante for sole possession of seventh place on the NHL’s all-time wins list (438). And with the appearance, he passes Sean Burke for sole possession of 13th place on the all-time appearance list (821). (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 17: Henrik Lundqvist #30 skates out to play against the Florida Panthers on November 17, 2018 in New York City. The Rangers defeated the Panthers 4-2. With the victory Lundqvist passes Jacques Plante for sole possession of seventh place on the NHL’s all-time wins list (438). And with the appearance, he passes Sean Burke for sole possession of 13th place on the all-time appearance list (821). (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

New York Rangers: How far along are they in the rebuilding process?

On February 8, 2018, the New York Rangers took the remarkable step of admitting that a rebuilding period would be ushered forth in the midst of the 2017-18 season.

Inconsistency abound — marked by records of 4-7-2 in October, 9-3-0 in November and 6-16-2 between the 2018 Winter Classic and the NHL trade deadline —  Rangers’ president Glen Sather and GM Jeff Gorton authored a letter to the organization’s fans, wherein they noted that hopes of improvement could only become a reality if valuable young assets were added and some familiar faces were removed from the structural makeup of the club. New York’s administrative body then acted promptly, trading the likes of Rick Nash, Michael Grabner, J.T. Miller, Ryan McDonagh and Nick Holden, while acquiring key prospects, picks and pieces in the form of Ryan Spooner, Vladislav Namestnikov and Rob O’Gara, respectively. The process culminated with the firing of head coach Alain Vigneault once the 2018 campaign had finished, as the Rangers were absent from the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2009-10.

Indeed, better times have enveloped the atmosphere surrounding the famous Broadway Blueshirts. But few would trouble the notion that the Rangers are, in effect, embarking upon an upward trajectory. As such, there is reason to believe that the franchise’s administration was smart to think ahead — even if its decision was unpopular among some facets of the team’s fans.

Going forward, the burden of responsibility falls on the shoulders of head coach David Quinn to lead the esteemed organization out of the doldrums. Fresh out of a successful tenure with Boston University in the NCAA, Quinn is a rookie at the NHL level, having briefly served as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche back in 2012-13. And while the position has been warmly embraced by the 52-year-old, the shadow of challenges continues to loom large. The decline in play of veteran netminder Henrik Lundqvist is likely a question of when — not if — and the degree to which the club remains competitive is most certainly reliant upon defenders Kevin Shattenkirk and Brendan Smith’s ability to bounce back rather swiftly.

The Rangers continue to be caught amidst the tide of a systematic retooling. But how far along are they? Or better yet, how soon will we know if Sather and Gorton’s gamble paid off?

Home/NHL