Patience or Playoffs: What’s Best for the Rangers?

Big changes to the roster, big changes behind the bench, these are just two of the differences fans will see in this new chapter of Rangers hockey. A complete collapse last season has forced New York to give up on its previous core and bid farewell to players like Chris Kreider, K’Andre Miller, and Jacob Trouba. With most of the last core gone from New York, it’d make sense for this Blueshirts team to jump straight into a rebuild. Although a few veterans may be gone, some remain, such as Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, and Vincent Trocheck, giving fans some potential hope for a bounce-back. The veterans can still do their job, but it's the youngsters from last season that surprised fans, with solid potential for this team's future. So the team still has its veterans, along with its young talent, meaning the postseason next year is certainly not ruled out, but is it what's best for these Rangers?

Though a postseason appearance would certainly be a good sign for New York, it doesn’t seem the best for developing these youngsters. While some postseason experience is never a bad thing, it would mean most of the veterans would be taking up most of the ice time. When it comes to developing, the young players will need some more time on ice; it will cost the team a playoff spot, but that’s exactly what’s to come in a rebuild. The Rangers already have such big potential with players like Alexis Lafrenière, Will Cuylle, and Adam Edström, adding some more ice time for them, and they're bound to develop through next season. They’ll struggle, obviously, it’ll cost New York some wins most likely, but as long as they produce throughout the year, it's the start of a successful rebuild. Of course, if the decision is to push for the playoffs next season, how far do fans expect this team to go?

This Blueshirts team still has its fair share of playoff performers from 2024, but is that enough to make it past the first round? Players on this team would be going into their first NHL postseason, and though the experience would benefit them, it’d be hard for fans to imagine it would help them out in any way. Best case scenario, the Rangers pull off a win in the first round because fans know exactly what to expect from Igor Shesterkin when it's the postseason. One could even argue that Igor bringing them to the second round is much more realistic than a simple first-round exit. Regardless of how it goes, this roster doesn’t scream going on a run, and this team continues its trend of relying on their goaltender, something that should be avoided at all costs. In the end, missing the postseason despite some hope is always depressing, but fans need to realize this is nowhere near the team it was before, and it’s time to go back to the retooling stage, the potential best thing for this team. New York begins a new chapter this Fall, and in the end, it's all up to their new coaching staff on whether this team goes back to rebuilding, or they still have what it takes to battle in the postseason.