It has been a whirlwind summer if you are a New York Rangers fan and the future appears to be very bright indeed.
Although in reality the now-famous rebuild letter was sent out less than two years ago, it seems a distant memory in the wake of an offseason that has dramatically changed the immediate outlook for the New York Rangers.
Heading into a second consecutive season without playoff hockey, Blueshirt fans were made to feel like the real winners anyway following a slew of aggressive and shrewd moves.
First, John Davidson returned home after years away with the St. Louis Blues and the Columbus Blue Jackets to lead this rebuild into its next phase and oversee the construction of what is hoped to be a repeat Stanley Cup contender.
After bolstering the front office General Manager Jeff Gorton then beefed up his team’s roster significantly, trading for stud defenseman Adam Fox and then raiding the Winnipeg Jets for Jacob Trouba, who has the potential to evolve into one of the best defensemen in the NHL.
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Still, those moves were nothing compared to what transpired on the first day of free agency after the Rangers upstaged neighbors the New York Islanders to land the prize of free agency in Artemi Panarin.
And, just like that, a sense of euphoria washed over a Rangers fanbase that has been starved of a championship since those glorious days back in 1993-94 when the legendary Mark Messier put an entire franchise on his back before presenting New York City with the ultimate gift.
All of a sudden hope was restored and there was a tangible air of excitement in and around Madison Square Garden as fans began to dream of the possibilities that lay ahead.
Sure, and as I’ve mentioned in a previous column, there is still a lot of work to be done as both Gorton and Davidson work to navigate the murky waters of the salary cap while thrashing out new deals for a slew of key men, including the likes of Trouba, Chris Kreider and Brendan Lemieux.
There is also the small task of keeping expectations in check and remembering that this rebuild is still in its infancy and the likes of Kaapo Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov will need time to adjust to the NHL.
Adding Panarin was a must for this franchise who previously lacked star power, but that shouldn’t come at the cost of the ultimate goal which is the continued development of this team’s plethora of high-end prospects.
But that isn’t the point of this article. The point of this piece is that there is something brewing in the Tri-state area and the Rangers are just one of the players involved. Now, I’ll preface this next point by acknowledging that I know this is a Rangers site and mention of certain other teams could annoy some, but hear me out.
Not only are the New York Rangers building something special but so are the New Jersey Devils and they could actually be a step or two ahead of the Blueshirts when it comes to competing for a Stanley Cup.
On the same weekend, they took rookie phenom Jack Hughes with the No.1 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, General Manager Ray Shero showed that he means business this year and beyond after trading for hockey’s current greatest personality in P.K. Subban.
As well as bringing a huge character to Newark, the Devils have also significantly upgraded their blueline by acquiring the former Norris Trophy winner.
New Jersey also made the shrewd move of signing power forward Wayne Simmonds to a one-year, $5 million deal, and the scoring wing who can hit like a train could well be put on a line with Hughes in order to offer protection for the Devils’ shiny new toy and now future face of the franchise.
You even have the New York Islanders, and again I’m sorry for appearing to praise a rival but this will make sense shortly I promise, who have also become relevant in the NHL again.
Despite experiencing a mixed offseason after missing out on Panarin, losing their 2018-19 star Robin Lehner to free agency but being able to keep hold of Anders Lee, Jordan Eberle, and Brock Nelson, the Islanders look to be in good shape heading into 2019-20.
Scoring is still a concern, as is now goaltending following Lehner’s decision to get his money elsewhere in free agency, but the Islanders do have a budding young star in Mathew Barzal who is still learning to fill John Tavares‘ rather big shoes but will only continue to get better and better.
And when you consider that they have a future Hall of Fame General Manager in Lou Lamoriello running the show, and a Stanley Cup-winning head coach behind the bench in Barry Trotz, it is a safe bet to assume that these rugged Islanders will continue to be competitive this year and beyond, as painful as that may be to admit.
Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that hockey has been stagnant in the New York area for years now and the last championship for any of the city’s three major hockey teams came courtesy of the Devils way back in 2003.
But, and almost like it came out of the blue, this wonderful sport we all love has all of a sudden woken up in New York and is ready for an almighty resurgence.
The Islanders, who got a taste of the postseason last year, represents the city’s best chance of immediate success with their structured and disciplined approach to the game.
However, the Rangers and the Devils with their future faces of the franchise in Kakko and Hughes respectively, now possess the weapons and the firepower to be able to dominate the NHL and fly the flag for the New York area for years to come.
I was out in New York recently and, as I always do on my visits, I made a visit to the NHL Store the day after the Rangers announced the signing of Panarin. The buzz in the store was fantastic with ecstatic Rangers fans piling into the shop in order to pick up their freshly customized Panarin, #10 jersey.
There were also a wide collection of P.K. Subban jerseys on display and, talking to a very helpful and passionate shop assistant called Harry, he spoke of the opportunity the NHL Store had to really market the Rangers, Devils, and Islanders and push their respective brands out into the wider public domain and take full advantage of all this current hype and buzz.
Stick on a New York talk show podcast or a national show like Golic and Wingo on ESPN, and hockey is hardly mentioned. The Rangers were probably talked about for five minutes tops after signing Panarin but were soon overshadowed by the beast that is NBA free agency and the slog of the MLB regular season.
Now, I’m not having a dig at those shows or the coverage in particular because I understand that the NFL, MLB, and NBA will always move the needle when it comes to sports in New York and America, but hockey deserves its share of the limelight too.
Especially now in New York when we have three teams who are starting to come into their own and look primed and ready to rediscover the glory days.
There may not be instant success for the Rangers and the Devils in particular but, if Kakko and Hughes turn out the way we expect them to and both front offices continue to push the envelope by flooding their respective rosters with young talent and battle-hardened veterans, then the winning will soon follow.
I can’t remember ever being this excited as a New York Rangers fans before and I’m sure fans of the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils will echo those sentiments.
After being in a dormant state for so long, hockey in New York is now on the cusp of a major resurgence, a new dawn if you like and we will have a front-row seat for all of it.
Bring it on!