Does the New York Rangers rebuild stack up in the cap era?

The New York Rangers rebuild is officially over. This was the season the organization had the team penciled in to making  the playoffs. To simply gain a berth in the tournament as a stepping stone to greater achievements. This New York Rangers team has had bigger and brighter ideas.

The 2021-22 New York Rangers team has done nothing but exceed all of the expectations laid before them. They were to make the playoffs as a bubble team, check. But instead did so as the second seed in the division having challenged for first place into the final few games of the season. They were to be competitive in their first playoff action, check. They’ve been beyond competitive, winning not one, but two rounds to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2014-15.

The New York Rangers, not who you thought they were

It’s been said that the Rangers were pretenders, not contenders. That they were too young and inexperienced to withstand the pressures of playoff hockey. That their dependence on the power play and Igor Shesterkin would come back to bite them. That they lucked their way to two playoff round wins.

The Rangers have just skated passed this commentary as they have skated passed the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes. They have taken everything in stride, learned, adapted and overcome. The teams stars are shining and the young guns are beginning to blaze their own trail. Most impressive, and lost in the current excitement of current events is the quick turnaround of the Rangers fortunes.