It’s important to remember the Rangers are still rebuilding

For the New York Rangers, the start to this season could have gone a lot better. Currently with a 10-8-4 record. the Rangers sit outside of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Naturally, they would be in a divisional spot out west but that isn’t the point. The teams the Blueshirts are up against to try and make the dance for Lord Stanley’s mug are incredibly strong. Perhaps expectations were heaped upon the team before they were ready.

If you look at the roster as it is currently constructed, 6 of the players on it are 22 or younger. Only 4 of the roster are over the age of 30. This team is not the finished article yet. After a bitter loss to the Edmonton Oilers in a game that the Rangers lead 3-0 entering the third period, there have been a ton of questions asked about coaching, management, and the roster itself. Fans want answers to questions on the struggles of New York.

Coming into the season, New York was expected to be a cup contender. They were expected to be contending for the Metropolitan Division title and they were supposed to cement themselves as an elite team in this league. Right now, the Blueshirts are 12 points off the division-leading New Jersey Devils. There is almost no chance their dreams of winning the Metropolitan come to fruition.

When fans ask me why the team hasn’t lived up to expectations this year, I give the same answer. Last year, this team was powered by a Chris Kreider scoring basically whenever he wanted, and an Igor Shesterkin that let nothing through. Making the Eastern Conference Finals was not expected in the slightest and it is why the Rangers’ deep run was so impressive. It went against everything we thought about the team.

This season, Shesterkin has been really good, but he’s not setting the league records he was last season. Kreider has been hot and cold, but it looks like the 50-goal mark is off the table for the Rangers forward. That is going to bring any team back down to earth. Expectations seemed to shift last season, and it isn’t fair to think the Rangers can sustain that kind of run.

With young talent in the form of Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere, Vitali Kravtsov, Zac Jones, K’Andre Miller, and Braden Schneider, there is a lot to be excited about. All of these players have incredibly high upside and potential. These players will be difference-makers for the Rangers if they are developed properly. It will take time to ensure that they are not forced into a role bigger than they are ready for, but it requires patience.

A lot of people took last season to be the year the Rangers broke out of the rebuild, which is fine. But it isn’t complete yet. The organization has two 1st round picks this year, and they’re going to be looking to continue to add to the prospect pool. This hockey club is far from complete. Defensive stability is sporadic during the best of days and the offense is driven entirely by 4 guys. Going in hard at the deadline right now seems pointless.

Whether or not the team should look to sell parts of the roster at the deadline is a different question. As for now, it is looking less and less likely that this is a team that should be moving multiple future assets to bring in a player. Now, obviously, if that player is a young guy that will help fill the needs of the roster for many years to come, that is a different conversation. But rentals aren’t going to fix this team right now.