#2: How do they improve?
Coming in the third year of a total overhaul, this tantalizing taste of the playoffs could be dangerous. An impatient fan base will be looking for improvement and if they don’t do better next season, look out. At the same time, management must resist the temptation for a quick fix, something they succumbed to when they re-signed Chris Kreider instead of trading him at the deadline.
They have some difficult roster decisions to make and they must have a plan. The question is when it comes to their Restricted Free Agents, does the plan include them? Ryan Strome is their number two center, but will he stand in the way of FIlip Chytil, Morgan Barron or Brett Howden? How badly do they need Tony DeAngelo with Nils Lundkvist waiting in the wings? Do they keep Alexandar Georgiev or trade him? Will Brendan Lemieux be willing to sign for a bargain price again?
The Georgiev decision will depend on the team’s decision regarding Henrik Lundqvist, a road we’ve been down before. A buyout or retirement are the only real options for him and when it happens, the effect will ripple through the entire roster.
The biggest contractual issue facing the Blueshirts is their need to re-sign Mika Zibanejad after next season. If he continues to improve, he will command Panarin-like money and term. He will also be 29 years old.