If there is one word that describes the Henrik Lundqvist era for the New York Rangers, it would be disappointing. Despite being one of the best teams year in and year out, they constantly fell short of lifting the Stanley Cup. The closest the Rangers came to winning it was in 2014, when they lost in five games to the Kings in the Cup Final. But what if things were different? What if in an alternate timeline, the Rangers beat the Kings and win the Stanley Cup in 2014?
The legacy of the Rangers, Kings and several players is completly different
The Rangers winning the Cup in 2014 would give them the recognition that era truly deserved. During the late 2000s and 2010s, there was no more consistent team than the Rangers. From 2005-06 to 2016-17, they only missed the playoffs once. That's ten times in eleven years. An impressive stretch, however, it does not get the recitation it deserves, because it did not produce a Stanley Cup. A Cup win gives this span the defining moment and something for casual hockey fans to remember.
It also cements Lundqvist as the best goaltender of the 2000s. Now, this is an argument one can make when examining his statistics and awards. Over his 15 years in the net, he had a .918 save percentage and a 2.43 goals against average, with a Vezina Trophy in 2011-12. The only thing missing is having his name on the Stanley Cup. If the Rangers win in 2014, that missing piece of his resume isn't there, making it hard to argue against him being the best.
There would also be more numbers hanging in the rafters at MSG. There are a few players on that team who can make an argument that their numbers should be retired. However, they're missing that defining moment that guys like Mark Messier and Brian Leetch had. Players like Ryan Callahan, Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, Chris Kreider, and Mats Zuccarello have the statistics and accolades to merit their numbers being retired. Having a Cup, the first one in 20 years, could tip the scales towards those player getting their numbers retired.
The rebuild the Rangers underwent starting in 2017-18 was much more complicated. Instead of trading players from a core that always came up short, trade players who help the Rangers win it all. It's a tough sell to fans to trade players like McDonagh, Nash, and Zuccarello, as they would be key pieces in the Rangers' first Stanley Cup win since 1994 and only the second Cup win in the past 80 years.
If the 2014 Stanley Cup ended with a Rangers win, it would also change the way we view the early 2010s Kings. With two Stanley Cups between 2010 and 2015, many but them in the same class as the early 2010s Blackhawks. However with them only winnig on Stanley Cup, they're no longer viewed as a dynasty. They are seen as a good team, but not one of the dominant teams of the era. Of course this is just one possible scenario.