New York Rangers: 5 bold predictions for 2019-20 season

The New York Rangers will look to see the rebuilding process through and clinch a playoff spot in the 2019-20 campaign. Here are 5 bold predictions for Jeff Gorton’s franchise.

On Feb. 8, 2018, the New York Rangers’ administrative body officially announced that the franchise would enter into the early stages of a rebuilding process. The departure of central players — Michael Grabner, Nick Holden, Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller and Rick Nash, among others — soon followed the organization’s publication of its intentions, which in turn split public opinion.

The Rangers were praised by some for the ease with which a difficult decision had been set into motion. While processes of this variety were common in the National Hockey League, many clubs tended to avoid such watershed moments, putting off pressing matters until the point of no return had already been passed. In the eyes of others, New York had made a mistake that could potentially prove to be unfavorable, as a disappointing suspicion became a reality — veteran goaltender Henrik Lundqvist would almost certainly be stripped of a final kick at lifting Lord Stanley’s trophy.

But general manager Jeff Gorton persisted. And in just a short period of time, he has shown that staying the course has the capacity to be nothing short of rewarding.

With that, let’s explore five bold predictions for the season ahead.

5. Lundqvist will get a late kick at the can

The glory days may have already passed — or, at best, are nearing their conclusion — but the fact that Henrik Lundqvist has served as one of the premier goaltenders of the last generation is still a thing of reality. And given the fundamentally impressive nature of Lundqvist’s résumé across a wide scale, it is not unreasonable to think that the veteran is capable of mustering a final run for the books.

A brief look at the past five seasons paints the picture of a netminder who has slowly moved away from his career averages (.918 SV% and 2.41 GAA), but nevertheless continues to put up decent totals — this in spite of playing for an organization caught in the midst of a very public rebuild:

• 2014-15: 46 GP — 30-13-3, .922 SV%, 2.25 GAA, 5 SO
• 2015-16: 65 GP — 35-21-7, .920 SV%, 2.48 GAA, 4 SO
• 2016-17: 57 GP — 31-20-4, .910 SV%, 2.74 GAA, 2 SO
• 2017-18: 63 GP — 26-26-7, .915 SV%, 2.98 GAA, 2 SO
• 2018-19: 52 GP — 18-23-10, .907 SV%, 3.07 GAA, 0 SO

Indeed, Lundqvist’s dip in form was not independent of his team’s regression, but instead acted a product of the Rangers’ shrinking window for success with a core whose peak was marked by an appearance in the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals.

As the franchise enters into a season wherein momentum is expected to shift in its favor, look for Lundqvist to take advantage of a late kick at the can.