On February 8, 2018, the New York Rangers sent a letter to their fans announcing that it was time to start a rebuild. Team President Glen Sather and General Manager Jeff Gorton warned the fan base that some familiar faces would be leaving in an effort to get younger and more competitive.
Here are their exact words:
“We began the process of reshaping our team this past summer, when we traded for assets that we believe will help us in the years to come. As we approach the trade deadline later this month and into the summer, we will be focused on adding young, competitive players that combine speed, skill and character. This may mean we lose some familiar faces, guys we all care about and respect. While this is part of the game, it’s never easy. Our promise to you is that our plans will be guided by our singular commitment: ensuring we are building the foundation for our next Stanley Cup contender.”
So, how much has the roster turned over since that fateful day? The last game that the Rangers played before the letter was sent was a 6-1 loss to the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden on February 7. It was their fourth loss in a row and came in a stretch when they had lost seven of eight games.
Believe it or not, there is only one player left from the Rangers lineup in that Boston game. Mika Zibanejad is the sole survivor from that night. Of all the players who played at least one game in the 2017-18 season for New York, only Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Alexandar Georgiev and Filip Chytil are left. Coach Alain Vigneault was fired the day the season ended.
But how does that roster turnover compare to other teams in the NHL? Seven Bruins who played in that February 7th game are still with Boston. The names are predictable, David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy along Matt Grzelcyk, Brandon Carlo and Jake DeBrusk.
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We compared the lineups for games for all teams the week before the letter was sent out to see how much turnover there is and how the Rangers compare. There were some surprising results.
The Islanders were pretty bad that season, finishing only three points ahead of the Rangers and 22nd overall in the NHL. But 11 of the players who suited up for their game against Columbus on February 3 are still with the team. That’s the least turnover, by far, of any team in the NHL since February 2018.
The teams that made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018 were the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights. Eight Capitals who were in action that week in 2018 are still with the team, second most after the Islanders. Six Vegas players are still with the team.
The finalists the next season were the St. Louis Blues and the Boston Bruins. As mentioned, the Bruins still have seven players dating back to February 2018 and the Blues have five.
The four worst teams in the NHL that season were Buffalo, Ottawa, Arizona and Montreal. Since then, Buffalo and Ottawa have two players left from that season. Arizona has four and Montreal has six.
Here are the numbers for all 31 teams (remember, these are for the players who actually played that week in February):
- 11 players from 2018: Islanders
- 8 players from 2018: Dallas, Pittsburgh, Tampa, Washington, Winnipeg
- 7 players from 2018: Boston, Edmonton
- 6 players from 2018: Anaheim, Montreal, Vegas
- 5 players from 2018: Carolina, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Nashville, New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Jose, St. Louis, Toronto
- 4 players from 2018: Arizona, Calgary, Colorado, Columbus
- 3 players from 2018: Detroit, Florida, Vancouver
- 2 players from 2018: Buffalo, Chicago, Ottawa
- 1 player from 2018: Rangers
The Islanders are truly the outlier when it comes to roster changes. They made only one big change from 2017-18 to 2018-19 and that was behind the bench, hiring Barry Trotz. They also lost their best player in UFA John Tavares, but instead of getting worse, they got better and have improved every year since.
Meanwhile, of the seven teams that finished with worse record than the Rangers that season, all but Montreal have had the most turnover of their rosters with four or fewer players left.
What these numbers do tell you is that NHL teams are built around a core of four or five players who are committed long term to a team and the remaining players are in a revolving door with their tenure based solely on contractual status and salary cap considerations.
How about the Rangers?
Rangers management was true to their word when they said that they were going to make big changes. Even if you include the injured Chris Kreider and back-up Alexandar Georgiev, the Rangers have turned over almost the entire roster since they sent out the letter.
The holdover numbers change as the Rangers worked through their rebuild. Six players from the 2018-19 team are still with the Blueshirts. 13 players from 2019-20 are still Rangers. 25 players who suited up last season are still with the team.
While it appears that the Rangers are poised to make a run into the playoffs this season, roster turnover doesn’t always work. Of the 11 teams with the most roster changes since 2017-18, only four others (Colorado, Florida and Chicago) are in a similar situation as the Blueshirts when it comes to playoff potential. That’s a positive reflection on the rebuild and how it is being managed.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt when one of the 10 best players in the NHL wants to come to New York s a free agent and is willing to do take less money than he could get elsewhere. And winning the draft lottery in two straight years doesn’t hurt either.