Henrik Lundqvist

BREAKING: The New York Rangers have bought out the contract of Henrik Lundqvist

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The New York Rangers have confirmed that they have bought out the contract of longtime goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. The long-expected move will end Lundqvist’s 15-year tenure with the team.

The Rangers released this statement on Wednesday morning:

“Few players have been as important to the Rangers franchise as Henrik Lundqvist, and we are incredibly grateful for all he has done for our organization,” said James L. Dolan, Executive Chairman, MSG Sports. “Over his 15-year tenure, he not only established himself as one of the best goaltenders to ever play the game, he has also been one of hockey’s fiercest competitors and most effective ambassadors. He will always be a part of the Rangers family.”

“We would like to thank Henrik for his immeasurable contributions to the New York Rangers,” Rangers President and Alternate Governor John Davidson said. “From the time I met Henrik when he first came to New York in 2005, he has been the consummate professional. His tireless work ethic, passion for the game, and love of the Rangers and New York City enabled him to become one of the greatest goaltenders in hockey and one of the best players in the history of our franchise. We all wish Henrik and his family the best going forward.”

It was not an unexpected move as the Rangers were not expected to carry three goaltenders into next season, so they will now go forward with an Igor Shesterkin–Alexandar Georgiev tandem in nets. The 38-year-old Lundqvist appeared in a career-low 30 games this season and went 10-12-3 with a 3.16 goals-against average and .905 save percentage. Rangers GM Jeff Gorton said very openly that the team will not go into next season with the three-goalie situation through which it struggled for the entire second half of last season,

The buyout of the final season of his seven-year, $59.5 million deal has created an additional $3 million of 2020-21 cap space for the Rangers, who are engulfed with just over $23 million of it in the aftermath of Marc Staal’s trade to the Red Wings. The buyout will add $1.5 million in dead space for 2021-22.

Last week, a report surfaced that defenseman Libor Hajek, who was inside the NHL bubble with the team but did not take part in any games, was asked in an interview in his home country of the Czech Republic what Henrik Lundqvist said to teammates following the team’s elimination in the qualifying round at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.

“It was very sad,” said Hajek. “After the last match with Carolina, he said goodbye, saying it was his last match. He said he didn’t know what would happen to him if the Rangers bought him out or he went somewhere else. It was hard for him. He is a great fighter, the best hockey player in terms of approach, training and humanity that I ever met. I even bought the same jeans he had to look like him.”

Over his 15 seasons with the Rangers, Lundqvist not only established himself as one of the greatest players in franchise history but also as an exceptional ambassador in the New York Metropolitan Area off the ice. In April of 2014, Henrik and his wife, Therese, founded the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation (HLF). Through its fundraising efforts and community outreach, HLF strives to create positive change in the lives of children and adults throughout the world through education and health services. Since its inception, HLF has directed more than $3.2 million to charitable partners in New York City, Sweden, and the Dominican Republic, as well as its own program, the HLF Young Ambassador Program. In addition, HLF has directly given grants and made commitments of over $1.5 million supporting children’s health and education.

So going into next season, the Rangers will be without Henrik Lundqvist since the 2005-06 season when the King ascended to the throne.

 

 

 

 

 

Report: The New York Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist will part ways

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New York Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist

As reported Tuesday night by multiple sources, the New York Rangers will buy out the contract of their longtime legendary goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

Since January, when Igor Shesterkin was promoted from Hartford, there was much speculation that the Rangers would not keep three goaltenders for long. In all, Lundqvist appeared in a career-low 30 games this season as the Rangers gave more time to Alexandar Georgiev and Shesterkin.

The long-expected move will end Lundqvist’s 15-year tenure with the team.

More details will follow when the Rangers confirm the buyout.

New York Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist will not be playing for Frolunda HC

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New York Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist

There has been plenty of speculation regarding the future of New York Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. One thing has been made perfectly clear, Hank will not be playing for Frolunda HC in the Swedish Hockey League.

The King’s twin brother Joel Lundqvist removed any doubt or suggestion that his brother would be heading back home to play with Hank’s former team should the Blueshirts buyout the final year of his contract.

Joel decided it was time to clear the air following his team’s 2-0 win over Djurgården at Hovet. Speaking to HockeyNews.se, Hank’s brother had this to say about the rumors,

No. That door is closed. I can say that. It will not be, There is a lot that comes into play in such a decision. But I get that question constantly and just to kill speculation and other things. That will not be the case.

The question of whether Hank would play with his brother has been ongoing since the Rangers were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Once the team returned home from the Toronto Hub, he and his family headed back to his home in Sweden. The Blueshirts and Lundqvist have said very little about what could happen once the playoffs conclude this season and his future becomes the front and center conversation in New York City.

When Septemeber arrived, Hank and his family returned back to New York so that his daughters could resume their education.

The buyout window opened on Sept. 25, but the Rangers made no announcements aside from the trade of defenseman Marc Staal, along with a 2021 second-round pick, to Detroit on Saturday night.

The business side of New York Rangers hockey is nearing it’s dreaded reveal

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Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Strome, Jesper Fast, New York Rangers

Despite the global pandemic that shut down the New York Rangers and a three-game sweep in the qualifying round to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Blueshirts had a positive season with plenty of good things to take into next year.

Unfortunately for Rangerstown, good news almost always seems to be followed by bad. Here is where our story turns ugly, the business side of hockey will change the landscape of the Blueshirts.

The grim reaper could make an appearance as early as Friday.

Friday, Sept. 25 is the first day of the NHL buyout period and will be open until Thursday, Oct.8.  The Rangers are looking to free up some space and the buyout process is one way to do that, but it comes with some risk.

Buyout Prospects

The most likely player to be bought out has been talked about since the team was knocked out of the qualifying rounds, Henrik Lundqvist.

Hank is in the final year of a seven-year contract that includes an $8.5 million cap hit. A buyout of his contract would pay the King $5.5 million this season, saving the club $3 million. The buyout doubles the remaining years left on a player’s contract meaning the team would have to pay him $1.5 million next season for a total of $7 million.

The Rangers already have their share of dead salary on the books with the team still paying out buyouts for Dan Girardi and Kevin Shattenkirk totaling a little over $2.5 million for the 2021 and 2022 seasons respectively.

Finances are a tough side of the game to manipulate, with a hard $81.5 million cap for the 2020-2021 season, the buyout is the best option for the Rangers to take should the two sides be unable to work out a trade of some kind which is very unlikely.

Other buyout options such as Marc Staal, in his last year of contract with a cap hit of $5.7 million, or Brendan Smith also in gis last year of his contract with a cap hit of $4.35 million.  The savings for the upcoming season dot seem to equal the cap space to help the club.

The buyout of Henrik is the best choice for the team but will cause some friction with the fan base.  The business side of the game is never pretty.

Free Agents

Free agency begins on Oct. 9 and will be a tough situation for the club to navigate through.

The team has five Restricted Free Agents, Philip Di Giuseppe, Ryan Strome, Alexandar Georgiev, Brendan Lemieux, and Anthony DeAngelo.  All five are arbitration-eligible (a contract negotiation method that uses a third party arbitrator to determine a fair contract term and length for an expiring RFA player) which will make it that much harder for Jeff Gorton to hold on to all of them.

Ryan Strome may be the toughest decision. He has had played well since he was put on the same line as Artemi Panarin. A hard skater, good set up player, Strome has been a great weapon on this team over the past two seasons.  2020-2021 was his best season in point production as he amassed 59 points in 70 games played. His highest point total prior to that was in  2018-2019 when he recorded 35 points splitting time with Edmonton and the Rangers.  His 18 goals were his second-highest total (19 2018-2019) in his seven-season career.

The 27-year-old forward has been very successful having Artemi Panarin on his line, yet the contract that he may be seeking and could be awarded by an arbitrator if contract talks lean that way could be too rich for a club that has some depth in it.  It’s doubtful the Rangers would be willing to pony up a six or seven-year deal in the $6.5 or $7 million dollar neighborhood.

Georgiev’s future with the club will be predetermined by the decision the team makes regarding Lundqvist. The idea of having Georgiev play with Igor Shesterkin is becoming more of a reality. He will be needed to be protected for the Seattle expansion draft at the end of next season, but Shesterkin is exempt from being drafted,  the club may have a long term goalie tandem if they can workout Geogeive’s contract status.  A Henrik buyout or trade would show the team is ready to lead with theses two Russian goalies.

John Davidson and Jeff Gorton will do all they can to sign Georgiev prior to an arbitration hearing.

Add to this equation three Unrestricted Free Agents, Jesper Fast, Michael Haley, and Gregg McKegg. Haley and McKegg are sure to walk away from the team.  Fast is a tough situation to handle.

Fast and the team has not been able to agree on a new contract and it is looking more like he will see what opportunities await him via free agency.  It’s tough to see a player like Fast leave as he brings so much to the rink every night.  With 9 games played, Fast scored 12 goals with 29 points.

His strong suit is as a  checking forward and penalty killer.  Fast will be on the ice at the end of close games or killing penalties when they are needed most. Head coach. David Quinn has had full confidence in him whenever he is needed on the ice.

He was the winner of the team’s Player Player Award this season, his fourth consecutive year that his fellow teammates have voted him for the award.  The award “best exemplifies what it means to be a team player.”  This award displays the respect the team has for Fast and why it will be hard to move on without him.

Despite the accolades from his teammates and the respect of his coaches, it does appear that he no longer has a spot on this team. His contract would be another issue that could see him elsewhere next season.

Future Business

The upcoming contracts are not the only thing the club must prepare for.  The Seattle expansion draft, and the contracts of Pavel Buchnevich, Brett Howden, Filip Chytil, Julien Gauthier, Ryan Lindgren, and Igor Shesterkin will be restricted free agents at the end of the 2020-2021 season. The financial decisions made in the upcoming month will have ramifications on those contracts too.

Let’s not forget the most important issue after Henrik Lundqvist. The status of center Mika Zibanejad.  The team’s most important player’s contract will expire following the 2021-2022 season where he would be an unrestricted free agent. He will be 29 -years old and looking for another big contract which he deserves if the past few seasons are any indication. J.D. and Gorton might want to lock him in earlier rather than waiting it out, though that is something the organization rarely does.

Predictions

Predictions can be amusing and a good topic of conversation among fans, bloggers, and beat reporters. They have little if no value, but here is what I think the club will do.

The Rangers will buyout Lundqvist not because they have to, but because he has earned the opportunity to play elsewhere without involving the pieces needed for some sought of trade. Yes, it adds more dead cap space next season, but Henrik has earned that for his play over the past 15 years.

  • Mckegg and Haley will walk away since they are no longer needed players with the depth the club has in Hartford and overseas on loan.
  • Jesper Fast will sign elsewhere, a decision that may have been already decided by this point.
  • Ryan Strome’s asking price will be too high and will be traded during the offseason.
  • Di Giuseppe, Lemieux, and Georgiev will be re-signed. They all have an important role on this team for the future.
  • Anthony DeAngelo will remain a defenseman on this team as the two sides will agree on a contract extension. Then they will lose him in the expansion draft next year.
  • Zibanejad will sign a contract extension in the next 18 months and sometime between now and then be names the next captain.

Predictions are a funny thing, it really has no weight to what the club does. The trues value of a team is what the team does on the ice.

Finances, salary caps, and long term contracts dictate the direction a hockey team goes towards. For the Rangers, that process is never-ending and the next month’s planning will hopefully lead towards the elusive Stanley Cup.

 

New York Rangers D Libor Hajek confirms what the hockey world has anticipated

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New York Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist

New York Rangers defenseman Libor Hajek detailed in an interview earlier this week what most have anticipated. Henrik Lundqvist believes he has played his last game wearing a Rangers sweater.

There has been little information made available with regard to the future of Henrik Lindqvist. He played in the first two qualifying round games against the Carolina Hurricanes, both losses, then backed up Igor Shesterkin when the Rangers were swept to end their pandemic extended season.

When the team traveled back home, Jeff Gorton reported that he advised Henrik Lundqvist the team would not go with a three goalie rotation next season. Henrik then departed for his home in Sweden with no further comment on the status of the 15-year veteran.

Hajek’s interview with Isport.CZ began with a discussion of his issues with insurance. Then the surprising comments were made about what the King said following the team’s last game played in the Toronto bubble.

Henrik Lundqvist
Photo via Isports.CZ

“He said he didn’t know what would happen to him if the Rangers bought him out or went somewhere else.”

Hajek went on to say,

“It was very sad. After the match with Carolina, he said goodbye, saying it was his last match.”

The young defenseman who struggled with a knee injury this past season was with the team when they played their qualifying round games.  He seemed to admire Henrik even admitting that he bought the same jeans that Hank wore in a personal comment in the interview.

Lundqvist has one year remaining on his seven-year, $59.5 million contract signed in 2013.  He started this season as the number one, but with the emergence of rookie Igor Shesterkin in January, the writing has been on the wall that this could be his last season on Broadway.

He hs a full no-trade clause and would have to approve any trade the team would like to make him part of. A buyout is more likely but regardless of how it happens, the face of the franchise and fan-favorite will not be in the future plans for the Blueshirts.

Frank Curto is on Twitter at @RangerProud

New York Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist no closer to a decision on future

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New York Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist

The future of New York Rangers franchise goaltender Henrik Lundqvist continues to be unclear as every day passes. He has not been seen or heard from since the team returned from Toronto after their three-game series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The only statement that has circulated regarding the 15-year veteran was made by the team’s general manager Jeff Gorton when he told NHL.com  that the club “would not be going with three goalies” whenever the 2020-2021 season begins.

Following a  conversation with team president John Davidson, Hank and his family headed back to his home in Sweden.

The team has three options available to them;

  • Work out a trade with Henrik. He has a no-trade clause in his contract so he would have to agree on any trade transaction the team would like to make.
  • The club could buy out his contract.
  • Lundqvist could retire at the end of this season.

Possible Trade Destinations

Should Henrik want to continue his career and the Rangers decide to keep Alexandar Georgiev to back up rookie Igor Shesterkin, there are a few places Hank could consider.

Boston- The Boston Bruins goalie situation turned upside down during the playoffs when starter Tukka Rask decided to leave his team and opt-out of the NHL Playoff bubble during their series against the Carolina Hurricanes. Jaroslav Halak played the rest of the series, but the goaltending issue remains a top priority in Beantown. Henrik could contend to be the starter on a one year deal with a team that has the Stanley Cup in their sights next season.

Calgary– The Flames lived and died with the success of former Rangers goalie Cam Talbot. His inconsistency in this year’s playoff displayed the inefficiencies in goal. Lundqvist could battle for the number one spot in Alberta.

Some other notable destinations could be Arizona, Las Vegas, Los Angelos Toronto, Washington, and Chicago.

The Buyout

The buyout period starts on either Sept. 25 or on the first day of the Stanley Cup final (whichever is later) and runs through either Oct. 8 or six days after the Cup clincher (whichever is later). Buying out the final year of Lundqvist’s contract would save the team $3 million under the cap for ’20-21, and add $1.5 million of dead money to the cap in ’21-22 per CapFriendly.com. The Rangers already have close to  $7.495 million in dead space into the 2020-21 offseason.

Retirement a long shot

The least possible option would be retirement. Henrik and his 459 victories rank sixth in NHL history and the Rangers would save most of his $8.5 million salary-cap hit if he decided to walk away from the club and the NHL. It is believed the entire $8.5 million would be wiped off the books.

Henrik would be leaving a lot of money on the table. There were some rumblings that Hank would play with his brother Joel in Sweden for Frolunda, but since he will be returning to New York to send his two children back to school, that option is pretty much eliminated.

Hank still believes he can play, and would most likely want to see what if any other options are available to him should the Rangers decide to go with the duo of Shestrekin and Georgiev.

Whenever a star player reaches the point when he and his team are no longer on the same page, things never seem to end well.  John Davison told Newsday’s Colin Stephenson last month,

“We will continue having our discussions to figure out what avenues we’re going to take as we move forward. We’ll handle things the right way and just move forward with this.’’

 

Fans can only hope that if this is indeed the end of Hanks’s tenure with New York, it ends with the same dignity and respect he has shown the organization and the great fans in Rangerstown.

 

NHL Salary Cap Hinders the New York Rangers Off-season Decisions

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New York Rangers

The off-season for the New York Rangers will consist of some easy choices and some very hard choices that will be impacted by the NHL salary cap. The easy choice came when the Rangers won the second phase of the draft lottery and won the first pick, which means they will either select young sensation Alexis Lafreniere or trade the pick if some team comes in with a trade offer that they cannot refuse.  The second issue is the effect the salary cap has on the rest of their off-season decisions.

The New York Rangers will not keep three goalies

“We won’t go into next year with three goalies,” General Manager Jeff Gorton said recently.

One of the issues in this decision is the flat cap that the NHL has next year. The Rangers were already going to have issues with the cap. Under the recently reached agreement,  the salary cap will remain flat at $81.5 million next season.

Since the Rangers have said that they will not keep three goalies, either Henrik Lundqvist or Alexandar Georgiev will have to be moved from the roster.

One option is to trade Georgiev and keep Lundqvist as Igor Shesterkin’s backup for the final year of his contract, allowing the King to finish out his contract, retire as a Ranger will all of the pomp and circumstance that he deserves. The issue with that is the Rangers are not going to let Georgiev go for less than what they think he is worth, which probably means a first-round pick. This is not likely to happen, so the next move is to find an amicable way to part with Lundqvist.

Ranger’s President John Davidson said that should happen.  “The Rangers are really going to have to and want to do the right thing with,” Davidson said last week “for a “future Hall of Famer.”

That means that the Rangers could trade him, which is unlikely. The most realistic option is to buy out Lundqvist, which comes with a cap hit of $5.5 million worth of dead space for ’20-21, a savings of $3 million, and a dead-space hit of $1.5 million in ’21-22.

There have been some rumors that Lundqvist might go back to Sweden and play with Frolunda, which also has his brother on their team. However, Frolunda has denied those rumors.

The New York Rangers also have a decision concerning other players

The current list of free agents includes Ryan Strome, Brendan Lemieux, Tony DeAngelo, and Georgiev, who are restricted, and Jesper Fast who is un-restricted. The decision to let Fast go might be easier if they draft Lafreniere, who should nicely slide into Fast’s line spot. The other ones must either be signed or traded or just let walk to another team.

In order to free up cap space, there will have to be buyouts, most likely of Brendan Smith and/or Marc Staal, and hope that the young defenseman in the system can step up and replace them.

It will be a busy off-season as the Rangers try to get over the quick and unexpected play-off exit and trying to keep the foundation of young talented players that can help the Blueshirts compete for a Stanley Cup in the near future.

 

 

New York Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist nominated for another award

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New York Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist

New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, along with P.K. Subban and Matt Dumba have been named finalists for the 2019-20 King Clancy Trophy, the NHL announced on Friday.

The award is presented to the player “who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”

The King Clancy Memorial Trophy was presented in 1988 by the NHL’s Board of Governors in honor of Frank “King” Clancy, a beloved figure in the League for decades as a player, referee, coach, manager and goodwill ambassador. A three-time Stanley Cup champion and 1958 inductee to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Clancy was voted as one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players during the League’s Centennial Celebration in 2017.

Lundqvist garnered the award because he and his wife Therese, have raised more than $3.2 million since the 2014 inception of the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation (HLF), which benefits Together for Better, New York-Presbyterian Children’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald Barnford in Sweden and the Garden of Dreams Foundation (GDF) as well as HLF’s own initiative – the HLF Young Ambassador Program. To date, HLF has directly given grants and made commitments of more than $1.5 million in support of children’s health and education. Lundqvist, who has served as a spokesperson for GDF since 2009, helped that organization raise $650,000 in 2019-20 alone. He also has been active in COVID-19 relief efforts, auctioning off a game-worn mask that raised $37,000 via the All-In Challenge and donating $100,000 through HLF to feed New Yorkers in need. That contribution provided approximately 68,000 meals and aided 8,000 children and their families.

The winner will be revealed during the 2020 Conference Finals, with the exact date, format and time to be determined. That player will receive a $25,000 donation from the National Hockey League Foundation to benefit a charity or charities of his choice. The two runners-up each will receive a $5,000 donation from the National Hockey League Foundation to benefit a charity or charities of their choice.

The New York Rangers Might Be Wise to Keep All Three Goalies Next Season

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When the New York Rangers were eliminated in the Stanley Cup playoffs, many thought that this was the last time we would see Henrik Lundqvist in a Rangers uniform. Conventional wisdom dictates that the Rangers would not keep three goaltenders on the active roster when the 2020-21 season commences.

However, we all know that we live in a time where conventional wisdom does not always apply.

That was evident when Igor Shesterkin was deemed “unfit to play” for the first two games of the playoffs, which allowed Henrik Lundqvist to start and play fairly well. While it was not the Lundqvist we had seen in the past or had hoped to see, either he or Shesterkin were the major factors in the Blueshirts exit in three games.

You will be hearing the words “unfit to play” quite a bit in the coming months, thanks to COVID-19. The NHL already allows teams to be cryptic about what that term means. Nowadays, it could mean an injury or a positive test for coronavirus, something that many were wondering what it meant for Shesterkin until it was later revealed he had a groin injury.

If you think the pesky coronavirus is going to go away soon, you are mistaken. While hopes of a vaccine reaching people in the next couple of months are possible, it is unlikely that it will make everything go away by the time the NHL hopes to start their next season around Dec. 1. That season may or may not be or start in a bubble.

This is why there are whispers that the NHL might rework their roster rules next year, allowing for more flexibility to help teams deal with the added concern of COVID-19. It seems to be working for the MLB and allowing players to back-and-forth to Hartford might be enough to give Alexandar Georgiev enough work to keep him sharp in case he is needed, or if Lundqvist decides to retire at the end of next season, join the expected Shesterkin-Georgiev tandem for 2021-22.

The Rangers would be wise to keep the King around. His leadership for such a talented young team would be of immense value. His teammates know it as well. “Consummate professional,” Chris Kreider said of Lundqvist after the Rangers were eliminated. “Unbelievable human being. Unbelievable competitor. The kind guy you want to be in the trenches with. Wants to win more than anyone I’ve ever met. I mean, it’s been an absolute honor and a pleasure to get to know him as a person and as a teammate. To play with him as long as I have and to see how he goes about his business on a daily basis, I have the utmost respect for Hank as a person and as a player.

The monkey wrench in all of this is the King’s contract, which will carry an $8.5 million salary-cap hit.

The second issue is, does Lundqvist really want to stay in New York and be a back-up?

Being the classy individual he is, Lundqvist does not generally air his laundry out in public, so we have no way of knowing what his feelings on this subject are. There had been some speculation that he may want to go back to Sweden and play with his brother Joel, on the Frolunda team where he started his wonderful career.

But we have a post-COVID wrinkle in the NHL timetable for buyouts. Under normal circumstances, an NHL player would be bought out and then have time to decide whether to sign in Europe. Not anymore. The NHL buyout period will be held after the Swedish Hockey League season begins.

Lundqvist could retire, but he would give up over $5 million dollars owed to him.

There are many things that could happen between now, the buyout period, and the targeted start of the season, as well as possible tweaks in roster rules. That is why the New York Rangers would be wise to at least give consideration to keeping three goaltenders, and allow one of New York’s marquee sports figures the exit he deserves.

 

Rangers disappointing playoffs cannot take away the success of 2019-2020

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New York Rangers

With the 2019-2020 New York Rangers season ending with a 4-1 series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday night in Toronto, there is still plenty to be excited for in Rangerstown.

This hockey club, who was not even supposed to see playoff hockey this season, was the hottest team in the NHL until the league was forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From Jan. 7 until the end of the regular season, the Rangers ranked fourth in the NHL in wins (18), ranked fifth in the NHL in points (37), were tied for third in the NHL in regulation wins (15), ranked second in the NHL in goals per game (3.45) and power-play efficiency (28.4%), and ranked fifth in the NHL in shots on goal per game (32.8).

Wins came on the road as much as at Madison Square Garden. The Blueshirts won 10 of its final 12 regular-season road games in 2019-20 (10-1-1 record), which included a franchise-record nine-game road winning streak from Jan. 16 to Feb. 27. The Rangers’ nine-game road winning streak was tied for the eighth-longest road winning streak in NHL history. From Jan. 16 until the end of the regular season, the Blueshirts led the NHL in points (21), tied for first in the NHL in wins (10) and points percentage (.875), ranked third in the NHL in goals against per game (2.25), and ranked fifth in the NHL in goals per game (3.50) on the road.

The club was two points away from a wild card playoff position when the NHL pulled the plug and a lot of credit for that success should be given to the younger players on the team. The Blueshirts were the only NHL team that had eight players 21 years old or younger play at least one game this season. In addition, the Rangers were one of three NHL teams that had two goaltenders, Alexandar Georgiev and Igor Shestrkin, 24- years -old or younger appear in at least one game this season (along with New Jersey and Vancouver).

A shortened season that exceeded past seasons

In 12 fewer regular-season games in 2019-20 compared to 2018-19, the Blueshirts earned five more wins and one more point (.564 points percentage in 2019-20; .476 points percentage in 2018-19). In addition, the Rangers earned 31 regulation wins in 2019-20 after registering 23 regulation wins in 2018-19. The Rangers’ 31 regulation wins this season were tied for the fifth-most in the NHL, tied for the third-most among Eastern Conference teams, and tied for the most among teams in the Metropolitan Division.

Led by Hart Finalist Artemi Panarin who led the team in points with 95 in his first season in New York, the Rangers began to gel as a hockey team in January.  The Breadman lived up to every expectation in his first season. His contagious smile, hard work on the ice, and an incredible knack at making everyone a better player around him is a main reason the team found success in the second half of the season.

Not to be undone Mika Zibanejad led the team in goals with 41. The Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award winner for this year ( his second win) was the unnamed captain of the squad. He took charge of a club in need of veteran leadership whether it was on the ice, in between shifts on the bench, or during practice sessions.

Seven different Rangers registered 40 or more points this season (Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Strome, Tony DeAngelo, Pavel Buchnevich, Chris Kreider, and Adam Fox). The Blueshirts were one of only three NHL teams that had seven players tally 40 or more points in 2019-20 (along with Tampa Bay and Washington). The Rangers had six players who registered at least 30 assists this season (Panarin, Strome, DeAngelo, Fox, Zibanejad, and Buchnevich), and the Blueshirts were one of only three NHL teams that had six players who recorded 30 or more assists in 2019-20 (along with St. Louis and Winnipeg). The Rangers also had nine players register 10 or more goals this season (Zibanejad, Panarin, Kreider, Strome, Buchnevich, DeAngelo, Filip Chytil, Jesper Fast, and Kaapo Kakko).

Promising Defenseman

The Rangers found a diamond in the ruff with defenseman Adam Fox. The rookie had an outstanding first season in New York played in all 70 regular-season games and the three playoff contests.  Along with his partner, fellow rookie Ryan Lindgren, the duo became the team’s most reliable tandem playing against the opposition’s top lines.  Fox netted 8 goals while recording 42 points. He was mention in the Calder Trophy conversation though he was not named a finalist. The team’s future lies in the success of the Jericho, N.Y. native.

There was also drama in the area of goaltending.

The 3 headed monsters took its toll

The season began with Henrik Lundqvist as the number one goaltender and Georgiev serving as the back-up. That rotation changed dramatically when Igor Shesterkin was called up from Hartford. He was eventually named the number one goaltender replacing Henrik in that role. The writing on the all became more evident that this would probably be the last season fans would see number 30 in a Rangers sweater.

Hank Served as a back-up for most of February and March until the league shut down. Fans did get to see Hank lead the team on the ice in the Qualifying Round for games 1 and 2 but he was unable to find the magic he once had in previous playoff seasons.

The back page of the New York Post on Thursday summed up what most have anticipated for most of this season. The end of an era is upon us.

Long live the King. His 459 wins in 887 games through his 15 seasons with the Blueshirts verified his determination in carrying the team all of these years.

A failed playoff

The Rangers were swept by the Hurricanes because of one simple fact. The ‘Canes were the better team in all areas. Their top players outperformed the Blueshirts top players.

It is hard to win a best -of -five series when your club scores four goals in three games. The power-play was horrid, managing just one goal in 14 opportunities.

The team only had a lead once, game three, and found themselves playing from behind against a team that made it to the eastern conference finals last season. The defense struggled mightily against the faster, skilled forwards the Hurricanes had on the ice.

The season ended on a bad note, but that shouldn’t take away from what the team achieved this season. The experienced players like Chytil, Kakko, Shestrkin, and Fox took away from this series will make them and the team better when they are in the same position next season.

It is now time to evaluate the club and prepare for the NHL Draft. There is plenty to improve on, but the foundation laid down this season is something the club will build on for seasons to come.