New York Rangers: How Long Should The Rebuild Take?

The New York Rangers rebuild has taken many interesting twists and turns throughout its time. Now it’s time to ask: when should we start seeing progress?

The New York Rangers have hit a very fascinating point in their rebuild. The team is about to hit draft lottery gold, picking second overall for the first time in their modern draft history, all but guaranteeing a star to build the team around. With a ton of cash to throw around, and a core of some talented players and prospects, the Rangers life couldn’t be brighter than it is now.

Now, as we watch each move the team makes very carefully, it can be hard not to fantasize about the team competing for playoff euphoria again. The Rangers are only a few years removed from being a perennial playoff contender, and only five years have passed since the team made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.

However, patience is key. Management must be aware of the importance of every single move they make, as each one will either put one foot forward, or set them two back. The summer of 2019 will go down as the most important in the team’s rebuild, and perhaps the most important of Jeff Gorton’s Rangers career.

Let’s dive deeper into just how far this rebuild must go:

Rebuild Time-frame

The rebuild is about to hit its peak moment, with the Rangers drafting second overall in the 2019 Draft. Walking out with Kaapo Kakko or Jack Hughes gives the team a true young star to build around, and certainly alters the conversation here. Adding that depth at forward assuredly accelerates the rebuild to an extent.

Vitali Kravtsov and Igor Shestyorkin will also play key parts in the team’s rebuild, as both of them are set to join the Rangers for the 2019-2020 season. This gives the Rangers a contingency plan in goal with Henrik Lundqvist‘s career winding down, and a potential second star forward on the wing. Couple that with Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich growing, and Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil taking a step forward, and all things look right as rain up front.

The real key moments will come during UFA time. The Rangers commitment to free agency this year will determine their playoff hopes. Do they bolster the team with a potential addition of Artemi Panarin, Erik Karlsson, or both? Or do they stick to their guns and stay patient, rebuilding from within with home grown talent?

Erik Karlsson, at present, is infinitely more useful to the Rangers, as it is their extremely shoddy defense that is the real roadblock of this rebuild. If they can clean up that area of the team, perhaps by signing Karlsson, buying out one of the big three on D, and trading a forward, they could see themselves competing with a young, talented squad as soon as next season.

Don’t be surprised, though, if the Rangers buck the trend of going heavy handed with the cash, and commit to rebuilding from within. Management is well aware of the strength of the 2020 draft class, and may not want to sabotage their chances of getting one more real franchise changing player from that draft.

That being said, the team will want to be competitive as soon as possible. Results will be evident as soon as next season, but the true rebuild won’t likely be “over” until at least the 2020-2021 season. With patience, and a strong strategy to rebuild the weakest link on the team, the defense, a one to two year time frame seems like the strongest prediction.

Stick with it; The Vision is coming to life before our eyes, and it will be exciting to see it develop!