SUNRISE, Fla. – The Rangers’ Stanley Cup drought, which turns 30 this month, will last at least one more trip around the sun.
The Blueshirts and their long-suffering fans saw their championship dreams dashed Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena, where they were eliminated in Game 6 with a 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, who have now won two back-to-back Eastern Conference titles.
New York failed to extend the series, with Panthers goals from Sam Bennett and old friend Vladimir Tarasenko sealing their heartbreaking fate. Artemi Panarin cut the lead to one with 1:39 left, but it was too little, too late.
The team that set a new NHL record for combined comebacks between the regular season and playoffs (34) hasn’t had a single more rally.
This made it impossible to deny what has been a pretty obvious conclusion throughout this series.
The Panthers are hands down the better team.
The Rangers pushed them to six games thanks to some gutsy overtime wins and the sheer will of Igor Shesterkin, who made another 32 saves in game six. But aside from that net advantage, they were inferior in almost every other category.
The Cats were faster, stronger and better equipped to dictate terms, with a swarming forecheck and stifling defense that dominated the Blueshirts for long stretches. They used this stifling style to create an unmistakable advantage in time of possession and offensive zone time while outscoring the Rangers in five of six games, often by lopsided margins.
This eliminated many of New York’s point-producing stars, with Panarin, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox hobbled, combining for just two goals in the series.
It also highlighted the vulnerability of relying on goaltending, special teams and pixie dust as a winning formula. When the Rangers’ power play went cold, as it did in their 1-on-15 game against the Panthers, their five-on-five mid game was exposed.
Rangers’ memorable season comes to an end
All of this raises legitimate questions as we approach what could be a summer of uncertainty.
The Rangers’ core has been very good, as evidenced by winning the Presidents’ Trophy and earning trips to the two conference finals the last three years. But are they good enough to satisfy this city’s unwavering thirst for cutting?
Tangible progress has been made this season under head coach Peter Laviolette, who has provided much-needed communication and structure while increasing the team’s overall preparation and intensity. The result was new franchise records for wins (55) and points (114), as well as lasting memories such as Panarin’s career-high 120 points, Alexis Lafrenière’s long-awaited breakout and the phenomenon that was Matt Rempe Mania. But ultimately, the Rangers didn’t have the firepower in front of Shesterkin to survive a deep, versatile and fierce team like the Panthers.
That responsibility falls on the players, who have gone through three coaches in the past four years and now have no choice but to look in the mirror. And it starts with the highly compensated veterans the team was built around.
The clock is turning. Kreider, Panarin and Zibanejad, as well as Barclay Goodrow, Vincent Trocheck and Jacob Trouba, are all 30 or older. They are closer to the end of their prime than the beginning, with their championship window closing more and more as the years go by.
Team president Chris Drury is three full seasons into a tenure that began with unexpected upheaval and heightened expectations. Outside of Trocheck, who has been the Rangers’ best skater this postseason and is Drury’s best addition, he’s trying to win with a roster built on the back of former general manager Jeff Gorton.
Drury bet that this group could accomplish this by locking up several players acquired by Gorton in extensions, then refusing to sacrifice the assets necessary to catch a big fish at the trade deadline, with Jake Guentzel at the top of the wish list . But how many more chances is he willing to give them?
Fourteen of the 20 players who dressed Saturday are under contract for next season, including each of the Rangers’ top six scorers. But is rolling it back with a few minor tweaks enough to push this core over the hump? Or should he seek more substantial changes?
What’s next for the Rangers?
There’s no obvious answer, but he could point to Florida as an example of what bold action can accomplish.
The Panthers won their own Presidents’ Trophy in 2021-22, but were swept in the second round by the battle-tested Tampa Bay Lightning. General manager Bill Zito responded to that disappointment with a culture-changing trade, sending his leading scorer, Jonathan Huberdeau, and top-pairing defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to the Calgary Flames in exchange for one of best forwards in the NHL in terms of skill and growl. Matthew Tkachuk.
The result was back-to-back conference titles, with a chance to win the franchise’s first championship in the coming weeks.
There may not be Tkachuk-level talent for Drury to pursue — and even if there is, he may not have the roster flexibility to make it happen.
Panarin, Trocheck and Zibanejad hold full no-movement clauses, but a few other options could come into play this summer.
Kaapo Kakko, who is set to become a restricted free agent, feels like a real contender after scoring just 19 points (13 goals and six assists) in 61 games this season and being healthy scratched in the second ECF match. Even Ryan Lindgren, who has been such a warrior since his debut in 2019 but fears long-term wear and tear given his rugged playing style, could be in danger as he enters his own RFA period.
But parting ways with those players would only create limited salary cap space. Moving Goodrow, Kreider or Trouba would represent greater savings and open up more opportunities.
Kreider is the least likely to go anywhere of this trio, especially after his heroic hat trick to close out the Carolina Hurricanes in the previous round, but he and Trouba will submit 15-team no-trade rosters that will become active on July 1 . That will leave 16 teams that could technically be traded.
If that kind of cap space frees up, the questions would shift to what the Rangers need to add most to get over the hump. A center to relieve Zibanejad and provide protection against Filip Chytil’s injuries? A right winger to finally fill the Pavel Buchnevich-sized hole on the first line? An infusion of size and mobility on the blue line? Or extra speed, hustle and grit to fuel better results in 5v5?
These are all conversations to explore in the weeks to come, but the overriding feeling for now is disappointment – disappointment in an exciting season that created so many memories and offered so much promise but fell short of the mark. ultimate goal.
The 2023-24 New York Rangers have been pretty darn good; but not good enough.
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Learn more about his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.