What the New York Rangers rebuild needs: A big free agent signing

As captivating as the Stanley Cup Playoffs are, everyone connected to the New York Rangers will be counting down the days until puck drop in 2019-20.

There is of course the small matter of the off-season to navigate for the New York Rangers who face arguably their most pivotal summer in decades with the second overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft and over $20 million in cap space.

Signing a marquee free agent has certainly divided the Rangersphere, with the naysayers adamant that committing big dollars to just one player on a long-term basis would be an unwanted return to the past of the Blueshirts spending freely and would, ultimately, derail the rebuild.

While that argument may make sense when looking at an aging superstar like Erik Karrlsson, players like Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene and Jeff Skinner are young enough to make a lengthy contract a smart investment.

But there are other reasons that adding star power makes sense…

First, beefing up the roster with a bona fide superstar would serve multiple purposes, not least sending a message to the rest of the team that this franchise means business and is ready to start winning sooner rather than later.

Sports is littered with examples of already dominant teams adding big game players built for the big moments in order to lift their fanbase and shift the franchise towards the peak of the mountain.

Look at the Golden State Warriors.

They already had an array of generational talent at their disposal, but decided to go out and grab Kevin Durant to send a message not only to the rest of the league, but their current crop of players too.  Look how that move panned out in terms of championships and rings.

Of course, I’m not comparing the Rangers to the Warriors but the point stands; signing a big name this offseason would make the rest of the NHL sit up and take notice and it would state very clearly that this rebuild is geared towards one thing…

Winning.

There’s also one other caveat to consider here.

The Rangers are pretty much guaranteed an absolute stud in the NHL Entry Draft if everything turns out hunky dory down the line.

Be it Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko – you’d think the New Jersey Devils would select the former with the No. 1 pick but who knows – Rangers fans will be pinning the hopes of an entire storied franchise on the very young shoulders of an untested rookie not yet proven in the big leagues.

And, no matter how uber talented those two players are, it would be a substantial amount of pressure to put on them to  carry a team and a franchise from the very get-go, especially in a hotbed market like New York where the media can mimic a rabid pack of dogs sometimes.

Having an established star in place would take the pressure of either Hughes or Kakko, thus enabling them to develop and get used to the hustle and bustle of the NHL at their own pace.

This passionate fanbase is ready for a winning team and they deserve to be cheering on a cup contender.

Look at their reaction to Pavel Buchnevich’s goal that tied things up late in the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets on April, 5.

Madison Square Garden was whipped into a frenzy and that was a clear indication as any that the Rangers fans have fully bought into this rebuild and the overall vision of the franchise.

With the right head coach in David Quinn in place, an abundance of talent in the system and a boatload of picks locked and loaded ready to go, this rebuild is on the precipice of delivering gold.

Adding a star free agent who can take on the mantle of leading a team towards the riches of a Stanley Cup will galvanize this franchise and this fanbase.

This rebuild needs a singular spark to fire it into orbit and an elite free agent signing would help push the New York Rangers that little bit closer to the promised land.