Fansided

FanSided 250: How New York Rangers can move up the rankings in 2020

By Andrew Steele-Davis |
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 30: Brady Skjei #76 of the New York Rangers is congratulated by teammates Jesper Fast #17,Tony DeAngelo #77 and Mika Zibanejad #93 after Skjei scored an empty net goal in the third period against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on November 30, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey.The New York Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-0. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 30: Brady Skjei #76 of the New York Rangers is congratulated by teammates Jesper Fast #17,Tony DeAngelo #77 and Mika Zibanejad #93 after Skjei scored an empty net goal in the third period against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on November 30, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey.The New York Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-0. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

The New York Rangers sit pretty on the FanSided 250 list but there is always room for improvement.

We have had some time to digest the impressive FanSided 250 list now, which celebrates the hottest fandoms of the year and the New York Rangers are very much part of that.

Ranging from celebrities to TV to movies and much, much more, the FanSided 250 ranks the hottest fandoms of the past year, focusing on buzz.

After landing Finnish phenom Kaapo Kakko with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and then luring the prize of free agency in Artemi Panarin to the Big Apple, the Rangers were named No. 158 on the list.

And, in terms of the NHL, the Blueshirts ranked 10th in the NHL, above the Buffalo Sabres and the New Jersey Devils but below the New York Islanders.

There were 18 teams from the National Hockey League included in the FanSided 250, so there is room for improvement.

So, what do the New York Rangers need to do in order to move up the FanSided rankings in 2020?

One word: WIN.

It is an obvious premise especially when you consider that the St. Louis Blues, who were not even ranked in 2018, came in first in the NHL and No. 31 overall.

Why the sudden jump for the Blues? Well, the answer is obvious because they did after all win the Stanley Cup in June despite propping up the rest of the NHL in January.

Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers and Filip Chytil #72 celebrate
Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers and Filip Chytil #72 celebrate /

Therefore, using the St. Louis Blues as the perfect model, the Rangers will need to make significant progress in 2020 in order to move on up the list.

A perfect start would be to make the postseason this season, which the Blueshirts are on track to do, and another promising off-season would also help too.

Given that seven of the teams above them in the list all made the playoffs last year, the Rangers will need to stamp their postseason ticket this season and then take another step forward during the summer by further bolstering this roster.

If they can then emerge as one of the top dogs in the Metro Division during the first-half of the 2020-21 season, then don’t be surprised if the Rangers are higher up in next year’s edition of FanSided 250.

dark. Next. Rangers look for sweet homecoming against the Preds

But, whatever happens, the future looks bright for the New York Rangers and this new era of hockey at Madison Square Garden should continue to attract plenty more buzz as we move forward.

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