New York Rangers: Five free agents that must be avoided

This off-season is a pivotal one for the New York Rangers, but there are many free agents the team needs to steer clear of.

Rangers General Manager Jeff Gorton has a lot of work to do to construct this roster into a Stanley Cup contender. While the Rangers advanced to the second round this year, it was another season of falling short.

The area of focus for Gorton will be the defense, the obvious weakness for the Rangers the past few seasons. However, there is a good chance the Rangers will lose a valuable forward in the expansion draft, opening the door to many free agent possibilities.

The window of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is still open, but won’t be for much longer. The Rangers could be a piece or two away, but there are some pieces that won’t do much good if signed this off-season.