Better Luck Next Year: New York Rangers edition

As NHL teams are officially eliminated from Stanley Cup contention, theScore NHL freelance writer Katie Brown looks back at the highs and lows of their seasons, along with the biggest questions ahead of 2018-19. The 11th edition focuses on the New York Rangers.

The Good

The next wave is coming. The Rangers might not be in the playoffs, but now that the rebuild is in full swing, they can see what they have in some younger players before the season ends. Brady Skjei has two seasons under his belt and is a veteran compared to some of his counterparts, but he's embraced a leadership role, especially post-trade deadline. Neal Pionk has done well despite the situation on the Rangers' blue line. Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil were recalled from Hartford in late March, and their performances now could very well determine how they'll fit into the lineup next season.

Big trades have yielded top assets. When the Rangers said they were going full steam ahead into a roster overhaul, like several other teams did, they were one of the few who actually took steps to make it happen. That included trading Rick Nash, Ryan McDonagh, Nick Holden, Michael Grabner, and J.T. Miller. Now they have seven picks in the first three rounds of the draft, including three in the first round. That could be a huge win for the Rangers.

Henrik Lundqvist is in on a rebuild. Lundqvist was forced to do something this season he's rarely had to: play NHL games with no chance of making the playoffs. He had some rough stretches but still managed to put up a .915 save percentage, which is above league average. But he's on board with the Rangers rebuild, as he told reporters in March, so he's not going anywhere - at least, not for the remaining three years of his contract.

The Bad

That quick pull of the plug. Once it was clear the Rangers wouldn't be a contender this year, a rebuild or "refresh" was promised immediately. The unfortunate thing is that it should've started with trading Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta in June. Sure, they got Anthony DeAngelo out of it, but could they have gotten more?

The defense. Ranked fifth-worst in the league in goals against, the Rangers are on track to allow more than 250 goals. They've also allowed the third-most five-on-five attempts against and the third-most shots against. Losing Kevin Shattenkirk in mid-January didn't help, and things got worse once McDonagh was traded at the deadline, forcing the Rangers to rely on young players that were often not deployed in the most effective ways.

Lundqvist's workload. Lundqvist has appeared in 50 or more games in four of the last five years. He's been able to withstand the workload, but this year he didn't have the benefit of a reliable backup. Ondrej Pavelec missed significant time with injury, and even when he was healthy, he performed below average and was pulled more than any other season in his career. make no mistake, Lundqvist is still good, but he'll need more rest moving forward. That means having a capable No. 2 behind him.

The Questions

Will Alain Vigneault stick around? Many have called for Vigneault's head this season. The argument is that his voice has grown stale and there needs to be someone else at the helm for the rebuild. The complaints aren't without merit. Players were often used in ways that led to disastrous results, and he's been criticized for his handling of young players. Is this someone GM Jeff Gorton and president Glen Sather want behind the bench of a team that's expected to get an even larger influx of young talent next year? Everyone's frustrated. But it's the first time in a decade Vigneault won't be coaching in the playoffs, and it wasn't that long ago that he led the Rangers to a Stanley Cup Final and Eastern Conference Final in back-to-back years.

Who's the next to go? There will likely be more players sold off before this is over. No one on the roster should feel safe outside of Mats Zuccarello, Lundqvist, Chris Kreider, Shattenkirk, Marc Staal, Ryan Spooner, and Skjei, who will be key to the team's success moving forward.

Other entries in this series:

• Arizona Coyotes
• Vancouver Canucks
• Buffalo Sabres
• Chicago Blackhawks
• Montreal Canadiens
• Edmonton Oilers
• Ottawa Senators
• Detroit Red Wings
• Calgary Flames
• New York Islanders

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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