Are the Rangers a serious playoff contender?

KirkAlbuquerque

#WeNeverGetAGoodCoach
Mar 12, 2014
31,640
36,370
New York
Can we make a push for the playoffs? Yes maybe. Still a year or 2 a way tho IMO, some are relying way too much on rookies to carry the team forward. Will be looking good soon though.
 

Squarp

Ranger for Life
Feb 19, 2012
369
290
There is a Winston Wolf saying that applies to Ranger fans and their newly minted Stanley Cup.
Mind pointing out which Ranger fans are celebrating their "newly minted Stanley Cup"? Will probably be pretty hard considering most of our fans don't think we'll even make the playoffs, let alone winning the cup. We're excited about our future, who wouldn't be? But this baseless, lazy statement is just here to take a dig at Ranger fans and has no basis in reality.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Holocene

BrindamoursNose

Registered User
Oct 14, 2008
20,032
14,090
Mind pointing out which Ranger fans are celebrating their "newly minted Stanley Cup"? Will probably be pretty hard considering most of our fans don't think we'll even make the playoffs, let alone winning the cup. We're excited about our future, who wouldn't be? But this baseless, lazy statement is just here to take a dig at Ranger fans and has no basis in reality.

Not the NYR fans I've been talking to. At this point, NYR and NJD fans are ready to face each other in the Stanley Cup Finals.

You heard me right. 2 EC teams. That's how bad it's gotten.

It's been so bad that the TML fans have been drowned out somehow, and they're the ones with a legitimate reason to be excited about next year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kuzy92

Squarp

Ranger for Life
Feb 19, 2012
369
290
Not the NYR fans I've been talking to. At this point, NYR and NJD fans are ready to face each other in the Stanley Cup Finals.

You heard me right. 2 EC teams. That's how bad it's gotten.

It's been so bad that the TML fans have been drowned out somehow, and they're the ones with a legitimate reason to be excited about next year.
Obviously I don't know what the people you're talking to have said. But if you look at this entire thread I don't see a single instance of this. Some fans, mostly non-Ranger fans, saying they can see us making the playoffs at most. Obviously there will be some crazy fans that see shiny new toys and go overboard with what they say and their expectations but every fan base has those. If you want to take that and apply it to our entire fan base... then I don't know what to tell ya.
 

Chimpradamus

Registered User
Feb 16, 2006
16,634
5,249
Northern Sweden
I don't think so. Too many holes on the roster and too much dead waste, still. They have some talent now, but that doesn't look like it's enough.
 

Uncle Scrooge

Hockey Bettor
Nov 14, 2011
13,479
8,022
Helsinki
Shiny new toys will help them win games they couldn't otherwise, but i think consistency will be a major issue.

As a team they're mediocre. Unless Chytil steps up, down the middle they're looking like bottom tier in the league. Bunch of young guys who haven't done much at the NHL level yet relied upon to fill regular roles. Skjei - Trouba looks like a fine pairing but other than that their defense doesn't impress unless a guy like Fox plays like Skjei did in his first year.

And Lundqvist at the age of 37 is trending down for sure.

I guess you could say the Rangers are a mystery box for next year since a lot of their success depends on how the young guys can perform, but i would say their max potential for next year is a WC spot. A lot could go wrong though, it's likely not all the young guys people pencil in are going to do as well as hoped right away.
 

Name Nameless

Don't go more than 10 seconds back on challenges
Apr 12, 2017
6,548
3,004
What have they won to be deemed successful?

You guys watch the draft-lottery?

Yeah. Good job by the Rangers.

Honestly, I don't think anyone should be praised for being lucky, though. Even if they pushed their odds up by some blatant tank-moves.
 

SML2

Registered User
Jan 1, 2018
4,750
6,790
Two years. When Staal, Shatty, Smith, and Lundqvist are off the books, all Gorton has to do is not spend like a drunken sailor on shore leave and this team should be in good shape.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ICanMotteBelieveIt

Maximus

Registered User
Dec 23, 2003
8,502
3,140
Doylestown, PA
Longtime Ranger fan going on 45 years and I'm going to be on an island here compared to my other Ranger brothers but now that we have Panarin, I'll be pissed off if we don't make the playoffs as something likely didn't go as planned...maybe some injuries hit some key players.

Before the news of Panarin coming to MSG just after we got Trouba I started to think that if alot of things not everything but alot of things go right with our new shiny very talented toys that we will be giving important minutes combined with the hopeful bump in performances of the Chytl's,Howdens,ADA's,Andersson's...etc, now that Trouba was in town to help our defense which in turn would help our goaltending, I thought we could possibly sniff a bubble playoff spot.

Now that we have added Panarin which no question will have a domino effect across the entire roster, I don't see any reason why we can't either be the 3rd seed in the Metro or take one of the two WC spots in the East.

And there is NO DOUBT in my mind the edict being sent by JD and Gorton to Quinn is to somehow someway with this very talented but raw roster we've now given you, you figure out a way to get this team to the playoffs as that is the goal this season don't kid yourself. The playoffs might not have been the goal before Panarin well that has changed tenfold. Playoffs are the goal while the rebuild continues.

Keep in mind this as well other than the Caps, Bruins, Lightning, Leafs and probably now the Panthers, I don't see any other team in the East that is unequivocally better than us as alot of these other teams have just as many question marks if not more than the Rangers do. So I don't see why we can't be competing for those final 3 playoff spots.

Best case scenario? Rangers get the 3rd seed in the Metro

Worst case scenario? Rangers don't make the playoffs

Realistic scenario? Rangers snag the 8th seed in the East

The realistic scenario is the one I'll be putting some money on in some futures betting when I head to Vegas next month.

Bottome line: 2021-2022 is when we'll be ready to compete for a Cup but for now, being a playoff team will do just fine not even a year and half after rebuild started....incredible the warp speed of it.
 

Baxterman

Registered User
Aug 27, 2017
6,939
1,499
That defense and 2nd line look way below play-off quality. obvious questons about Hank as he ages and the top line isn't good enough to carry them unless Kakko is an excellent rookie and adapts no problem which is unlikely.

They had some good pieces but far from saying what a success their rebuild is.
 

DudeWhereIsMakar

Bergevin sent me an offer sheet
Apr 25, 2014
15,596
6,618
Winnipeg
Their defense is the only bad thing, Trouba is overrated, but I think they make a return to the playoffs.

The Devils have a 1C 1LW 1D and a starter, don't know who will take the reigns but it'll either be Schneider or Blackwood. Key ingredients are 1C 1D and a starter.
 

wingnutks

Registered User
Nov 17, 2011
6,737
2,517
The Isles were predicted by everyone to be the worst team in the league last season and finished 5th best in the league... who the hell knows anymore in this league. I am pretty confident they will be much better. Also think Lundqvist will still be bad (and still get pulled everytime they play the Isles lol)
 

justafan22

Registered User
Jun 22, 2014
11,629
6,249
Could they pull a 2016-17 leaf and shock the world as a wild card?

Unlikely, but with Lundqvist, it's ossible.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->