The New York Rangers, who were defeated by their neighbors across the Hudson in the first round of the previous season, have had an amazing comeback season. They have 100 points as of 3/27, three ahead of the Hurricanes in second place in the Metropolitan Division, and they have just secured a postseason berth. Everything is looking good for the Rangers, especially with Igor Shesterkin’s incredible comeback from a rough start, as he currently has a sub-2.7 GAA and a.911 save % since the All-Star break.

backup goalie, former Stanley Cup winner Jonathan Quick, has also proven to be an excellent goalie, with a 2.44 GAA and a.916 save percentage. This pair of goalies has been a major factor in the success of the Rangers, and perhaps their strongest combination since Georgiev joined the Avalanche a few years back.

This season, the Rangers’ forward core has also been playing at a high level. With Panarin, Trocheck, and Lafreniere as the new line pairing, the top 6 has been virtually unstoppable. With 100 points already this season, Panarin might tie for second place all-time among Rangers single-season point leaders, behind only 2005–06. Jaromir Jagr: a really special group. After a difficult first two to three years of play, Lafreniere has realized his full potential on this line and is now a 20-goal scorer, with Trocheck providing a strong foundation down the center. After the previous season, I would have assumed that losing Tarasenko and Kane would have caused significant harm to this core, but in actuality, it had almost the opposite effect. With Roslovic, who has also been a valuable addition to the team, Zibenijad’s deft hands, and Krieder’s net-front presence, the top line has also been impressive. Matt Rempe stands out among the Rangers’ bottom six players. The 6’7 enforcer Rempe has nearly accrued more penalty minutes than hockey time in his insane debut season. Despite receiving a four-game ban for an illegal elbow and a few other infractions, he has added a tremendous deal of physicality to this club, which is especially helpful given that Trouba has played fewer games in the closing stages. This, in my opinion, is precisely what the Rangers required for an extra physical advantage heading into the postseason, which will be very beneficial. 

With a strong offensive, outstanding goalies, and an elite defenseman, you might be asking yourself, “Why not the Rangers this year?” My response to you is the past. Although they have occasionally converted to them, the Rangers have been in these situations in the past. With four Stanley Cups, they are the least successful of the original six teams, and they have only won one after World War II, in 1994. For Rangers supporters, it has been a difficult 30 years to see their club lose in a crucial game, such as game 6 of the 2014 Stanley Cup when Adam Henrique of the 2012 Eastern Conference Final scored the Series-winning goal in overtime to send the Rangers packing, or when Alec Martinez of the LA Kings scored the series-winning goal in double overtime. After all this time, will their luck finally turn around? 

But without a doubt, the most significant component of the Rangers’ success this season has been the D-Core. With 63 points this season, American defenseman Adam Fox leads this D-Core and has been one of the league’s top 3 offensive defensemen (Makar and Hughes ahead of him). Fox has been playing like a Norris champion the whole season.

without Trouba, I had no idea who would rise up to give this team more in his absence. Individuals such as Erik Gustafsson and K’andre Miller have been helpful, dependable, and an additional strong D-Core in order to qualify for the playoffs, but it has been difficult to mount significant scoring runs against the Rangers due to the defensemen’s recent play. 

I believe this team is incredible. They have had a fantastic season, but the Rangers always tend to fold when the pressure matter the most. Some of the greatest hockey fans are Rangers supporters; they travel to every arena to cheer on the team and consistently load MSG. But even after multiple incredible regular seasons, the Rangers have persistently fallen short of hoisting the Stanley Cup. Players who dedicated their lives to the Rangers for years, such as Henrik Lundqvist who did it for 15, never were able to raise a cup with the honor of repping the red, white, and blue. Shesterkin has been the new Lundqvist thus far. He has been the only Ranger player to play with consistency during the regular season and to give the team his all during the last two playoffs.

squad finished with a franchise record of 55 wins, resulting in their fourth President’s Cup, tied for most of any team. There is known to be a curse for the teams to have won the President’s Cup, as the most recent teams to win it in the past decade have all fallen short. Will the Rangers break that curse this year, we shall have to wait and see.