It's stretch time, and with the way the Eastern Conference standings are loooking, the New York Rangers need every win and point they can get. Sunday night marks the start of a back-to-back at Madison Square Garden, the opponent being the Nashville Predators.
On Saturday, the Rangers made another trade, sending longtime players Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to the Colorado Avalanche for a second rounder, fourth rounder, Jusso Parssinen and Calvin de Haan. While it is sad to see the two go, New York is not in the position to keep players on expiring contracts.
Sunday night against a Nashville team (21-31-7) that is not in its respective playoff race, New York has a chance to inch up in the Eastern Conference standings. Here's a few storylines to follow.
1. Does New York have more moves in them?
For Sunday night's game against Nashville, the Rangers will be holding out forward Reilly Smith due to roster management reasons. Smith is on a one-year deal after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the summer, and he will likely be on the move before the NHL trade deadline on March 7.
With Smith likely being traded, there is also the question of whether other Rangers players will be on the move.
2. Can the young guns prove themselves?
As New York continues to make roster changes and get rid of players on expiring contracts, there is more room for younger players to prove they can be in the lineup every night. This includes Zac Jones, Brennan Othmann (who has only played two games so far), Johnny Brodzinski and others.
Throughout the season, Peter Laviolette has stuck to a lot of the same, but with the departures of Lindgren, Vesey, Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil and Jacob Trouba this season he has been forced to make changes. Now, players such as Jones, Othmann and Brodzinski could be in the lineup for every game down the stretch.
Moreover, Chris Kreider was placed on the injured reserve, making more room for the young guns to prove themselves. Maybe Brett Berard gets some time down the stretch, along with Arthur Kaliyev, who has been in-and-out of the lineup since arriving in New York.
3. Do the Rangers have a run in them?
Plain and simple: are the Rangers a playoff contender or not?
New York has 23 games remaining starting with this back-to-back at Madison Square Garden in a prime opportunity to pick up four points. While it is a game-by-game approach, if the Rangers are able to get the job done it would go a long way for their playoff aspirations.
Since December, it was known that New York dug a hole for themselves and now they find themselves trying to climb out of it. It's up to core members - Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, J.T. Miller, Alexis Lafreniere, to name a few - to lead the Blueshirts down the stretch.
So, let's end with a question: How will the 2024-25 New York Rangers be remembered?
It's time to find out.