The New York Rangers remain on a mission to have a quick turnaround and truly compete for a Stanley Cup in the coming years. Trying to rebuild on the fly and find the pieces necessary to make that dream a reality, Chris Drury made the Rangers younger and more balanced (especially on defense) this offseason. Though a Rangers Stanley Cup is the obvious goal, essentially no one (rightfully so) believes the Rangers are Stanley Cup contenders this season. That was never realistic, but when can the Rangers truly compete for a Cup?
As the excitement around a strong offseason wears off, I find myself pondering this question a lot. I’ve spoken plenty about how the Rangers need to be all-in on superstars, and if Connor McDavid magically finds his way onto the Rangers roster, I do believe with a trio of McDavid, Adam Fox, and Igor Shesterkin, New York would be legitimate contenders.
Short of McDavid or maybe Auston Matthews joining the Rangers, it’s hard to see a rosy outlook for this Rangers team. Pavel Dorofeyev was a great addition by Drury, but he was not signed to be a Hart trophy candidate, more-so a goal scoring first line winger.
Who else in New York’s organization could become a true star forward? Maybe Gabe Perreault, but it’s tough to find anyone who thinks he could reach superstar levels of production. Alexis Lafreniere was drafted to be this player, but he has shown no indication of being anything more than a fine first-line winger (if even that). That’s not bad, mind you, but it’s not the star the Rangers so desperately need.
Let’s be real, New York doesn’t have any forwards within the organization who can lead a team to the Stanley Cup. The farm system isn’t bad, in fact the Rangers have a good amount of middle six forwards that can be supporting players. That’s a good thing! But lacking a true star has been the biggest concern with the rebuild on the fly approach, and it feels like Chris Drury is banking on a star forward signing with or being traded to the Rangers.
This is a strange space to be in for Rangers fans. Rooting for a team with a very low ceiling, knowing that if just one superstar can shake free and the Rangers can somehow pounce, this suddenly looks a whole lot different. Remember again, Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin are still here.
So, we wait. We will see what happens in the coming years and we will hope that the Rangers can stumble their way into an elite player that leads them all the way. If not, we could be looking at years and years of fine play. That’s not going to do what we want from the Rangers. May as well be looking at 2094 if that’s the case.
