New York Rangers: The five most important moments of 2018

As 2018 came to a close, the New York Rangers as an organization made a series of choices that set the team up for the long-term future. Here are the five biggest moments of the 2018 calendar year.

In the 2018 calendar year, the New York Rangers’ front office made the most consequential decision for the franchise in more than a decade. Opting to blow up the old core of the group that was a perennial contender in favor of a true rebuild was not an easy decision to make and something that effect will be looked back on for decades to come.

Over the course of 2018, the Rangers went from a team that made the postseason for ten straight years with the expectation to compete for a playoff spot to a rebuilding team geared towards the future.

The year started with New York taking on the Buffalo Sabres at Citi Field on New Year’s day and concluded with the team stealing a win on the road against the St. Louis Blues. The arch to get from winning on New Year’s day to having just two regulation wins on the road in mid-December is one that can be told in a series of decisions.

The Rangers went from having an Alain Vigneault coached team with Ryan McDonagh as captain to David Quinn coaching a group with no captain. Here’s the year in just five moments.