When the final horn blow at Amalie Arena, the crowd erupted into cheers as their Tampa Bay Lightning won yet another Eastern Conference finals, defeating the young, worn-down New York Rangers 4-2 in the series. Now, Rangers fans may be disappointed with how the season ended as the Rangers did blow a 2-0 series lead. But the truth is that the future of Blueshirts is quite bright.
Yes, it is true that the Rangers burnt out over the last three games as the Lightning grinded them down with championship-wining defense and clinical offense. But that was to be expected. There was nobody (apart from diehard Rangers fans) who really predicted this New York team to knock out the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.
New York was just too inexperienced for this moment.
Out of the 20 players who played in Game 6, only Andrew Copp, Artemi Panarin, Justin Braun, Chris Kreider, Barclay Goodrow, Jacob Trouba, and Ryan Reaves had ever experienced Conference finals hockey before. And only Chris Kreider had ever experienced finals hockey as a member of the New York Rangers prior to this season.
That is only 7/20 guys. This team is young…but now experienced. That is what sets them apart from everyone else in the Eastern Conference. The Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, and New York Islanders are old, brittle teams that will soon be the ones playing for the 1st overall pick in the draft lottery, not the Cup.
The Rangers days of mediocrity is over as now the acquisition of guys like Artemi Panarin (from free agency), Jacob Trouba (trade), Mikia Zibanejad (trade), Barclay Goodrow (free agency), and Ryan Reaves (trade) has turned this team into true contenders in the East.
But, like I said earlier, what sets apart the Rangers from everyone else is their youth. Their 2021 Norris Trophy defenseman, Adam Fox, is only 24 and now has not only found regular season success, but also the playoff experience of a deep run. That is invaluable.
Alexis Lafreniere (their 1# overall pick two years ago) now has a foundation of what winning hockey looks like and I think will strive in a breakout junior season next year. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him play top line minutes regularly. Hopefully, he is putting up at least 60 points next year.
K’andre Miller is progressing nicely into a solid, defensive defenseman (with the potential up putting 30-35 points/seasons), while Filip Chytil looks to have finally shown that first round pick potential during the playoffs. If he can continue to play like he did this postseason, he should be a mainstay in the Rangers starting lineup.
Igor Shesterkin is Igor Shesterkin. .935 SV%, 2.07 GAA, 6 shutouts, Vezina finalist, Hart finalist. There really is nothing else to say here.
With an addition of a top six center (Filip Forsberg if he leaves Nashville and they have the cap space for him), they should be right back in the Eastern Conference finals next year. They could even do with another top six winger (Rickard Rakell if he can stay healthy or Reilly Smith on a cheap deal?). The future is definitely bright in New York.
Now, the only question left is what to do with Kaapo Kakko and Ryan Strome? Hmph, that can be another story for another day.
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