The New York Rangers have had a ton of great teams pass through the doors of Madison Square Garden over the past 100 seasons. Four teams have lifted the Stanley Cup, and four teams have won the Presidents' Trophy.
But, what is the one team that could not get it done, but should have? Which team was destined to win it all, but did not get the most sought-after trophy in the hockey world?
Let's discuss it.
One of the Presidents' Trophy winners?
An argument for the 2014-15 Rangers team can be made as the team that had the biggest failure. After winning the Presidents' Trophy with a 53-22-7 record, they made it all the way to the Eastern Conference final. In heartbreaking fashion, they were eliminated by the Stanley Cup runner-ups, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in game seven, 2-0.
There is also an argument for the 2023-24 team that set a franchise record for wins and points with a record of 55-23-4 for 114 points. They made it to the Eastern Conference finals, once again, losing in six games to the Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers.
Both teams were fantastic, and in an alternate universe, one of them was walking away with the Stanley Cup in their respective season.
Which one failed worse?
Even though the 2023-24 team set records, the 2014-15 team was one game away from destiny. The Rangers were led by a complete roster with Rick Nash, Martin St. Louis, Derick Brassard, Derek Stepan, and Ryan McDonagh among others. Plus, it was the prime of Henrik Lundqvist's career, and one of the best chances he had to win the only trophy he ever truly deserved. A freak injury to Mats Zuccarello presented an unexpected challenge, but the team was built to prevail and failed to do so.
In hindsight, the Rangers of 2014-15 would have an easier time against the Chicago Blackhawks than the 2023-24 team would have had against the Edmonton Oilers. Each team had such great seasons, there is a chance that both of them could have flipped the script on both of their opponents.