The Stanley Cup Playoffs start on Tuesday without the New York Rangers. Here’s a guide on who to root for.
The major reason that the New York Rangers are scoreboard watching is because it will determie where their second first round pick will land, courtesy of the Carolina Hurricanes. Not only will an early exit for Carolina be some consolation for the sweep, but it will help the Rangers drafting position. Of course, now that the team has won the draft lottery, moving up with their second pick is just gravy.
When it comes to that pick, the wish has to be that the teams with a worse points percentage than the Canes move into the second round. That means while rooting for the Hurricanes to lose to the Bruins, you should be rooting for Columbus, Chicago, Montreal, Arizona, Vancouver and the Islanders to win.
Boston did the Rangers a favor, finishing last in the Eastern Conference Round Robin. That means the Presidents’ Trophy winning Bruins will face the Hurricanes in Round One.
Old friends and family
After you get past rooting for draft position, there are some former Rangers out there you may want to support and some compelling stories to go with them. There are other Ranger connections with playoff teams in the front office or coaching staffs.
The Rangers are well represented in the coaching ranks with two former Ranger coaches guiding playoff teams. Four other former Ranger players or coaches are assistant coaches, behind the bench of playoff teams.
The good news is there are not as lot of “ones who got away” with Colorado’s Ryan Graves the notable exception. There are a handful of former Blueshirts who were traded away and have found some success elsewhere and a few who found greener pastures as free agents.
First up, the Eastern Conference playoff teams and their connections to the New York Rangers. The order is by seeding as a result of the Stanley Cup Qualifier.