Ranking the New York Rangers potential playoff opponents

Including the New York Rangers, there are still 23 teams contending for 16 playoff spots.  As we look ahead to the Blueshirts’ second straight postseason appearance, each potential opponent brings intangibles if they were to meet the Rangers.  Let’s rank the “it” factor for teams we would be potentially facing in the playoffs.

There are three teams still in contention we didn’t include in the list.  The Washington Capitals, Detroit  Red Wings, and the Ottawa Senators are all on the verge of elimination.  We included the Buffalo Sabres because they have more games left in their season (7) than any other team in the playoff bubble,  but would need a miracle to make it.  Sure, that means we are avoiding hyping a rematch with the Capitals and Tom Wilson, but the simple fact is that Washington is toast.

Of the other teams already eliminated, the series with Montreal and Philadelphia would have brought back many playoff memories.  Elimination means no reunion with Pavel Buchnevich, Sammy Blais, Ryan Strome, Frank Vatrano, J.T. Miller, or Vitali Kravtsov.  It also means no opportunity to face former coaches David Quinn and John Tortorella.

We will be ranking the 19 potential opponents, but those rankings will be based on intangibles specifically when it comes to the New York Rangers, not which team is the best.

There are no set criteria for ranking opponents.  It could be recent or ancient history.  It could be the presence of a specific player on the opposing team.  It could also simply be geography.  Of course, any team from the Western Conference would have to be playing the Blueshirts in the Stanley Cup Final, and that brings a whole new dimension to any rivalry.

Any true Ranger fan can already guess who will be the top two opponents, but all possible opponents have something to get excited about.  So, in reverse order, here is our ranking of the top playoff opponents for the Broadway Blueshirts.