It's a nice video and good to be positive. The last core of Rangers ended up being pretty darn good. I believe this group will be good and even very good, but before we start anointing them a reincarnation of the mid-late 70s Canadians, quite a few things have to happen. And you want to know what those are? Well here we go.
1. Health: Always the most important thing. Rangers have a healthy Ratelle in 72, Davidson in 81, Leetch in 90, half the team in 97, and Zuc in 15...they have at least 1-3 more Cups.
2. Defensive system change: Ruff has to go is cliche' by this point but this team isn't going anywhere until they stop having goalies peppered by 46-50 shots and 100 shot attempts every night. We've seen how ugly it can get if Igor isn't Superman or Georgiev went through one of his average spells.
3. Settling down Trouba: I think Smith (who everyone knows I really dislike) did a fine job as a stopgap partner for Trouba but he needs a stable longterm one. He's now free of his bff Skjeikspeare who for whatever reason became a low IQ player. Would TDA work? Maybe for next year. K. Miller is physically and attribute wise a good fit but he's not going to play 22-25 minutes a night against the best in the world next season. That's not fair to him. Maybe Nils Lundkvist can switch to his offside, or here's a name to keep an eye on...Tarmo Raunannen?
4. Managing the cap better-We all know Sather put himself in a corner when some of the guys he got rid of like Hagelin, Stralman were the wrong ones to go. Every team has to pick the right guys to trade and get the right value for them.
5. Mid-late round draft pick Home Run-Every team that wins the Cup has a player from the mid-late rounds as a major contributor or a star. Look at the Penguins with Letang. Parayko with the Blues. The last time the Rangers won the Cup, they had a 5th rounder they got as comp for letting LaFleur go to Quebec lead them in scoring and be in on every important play in Sergei Zubov.
6. Effective bottom sixer-The Rangers need some jack of all trades bottom six players who can move up and down the lineup and have defined roles plus pop in some offense here and there. All championship teams have it. Lemeiux and Gauthier are good starts. Is Howden a longterm answer? Will Barron be one of those guys who is a third liner because of depth but plays like a second liner?
7. More Physicality-Mike Keenan had a point. You can't be the Broad Street Bullies anymore and you don't have to be, but the need some gritty players to do the dirty work, provide energy, and set the tone. This doesn't mean trade you skilled guys for third liners but have guys in the lineup who can add that element and play.
8. Veteran Leadership/Different Type of Personalities In The Room-This team needs a Cup winner brought in. It doesn't even have to be a big name or a well known guy. Look what Fedotenko did for the last group. They also need (and I know this is a controversial and "dangerous" term) an alpha male in the room. Someone to stir the pot who hates losing, who leads by example. This team doesn't have one yet. The last group never did.
And finally........
9. The Clutch Gene-The reason the last group of Rangers got close but never won the Cup is they didn't have the clutch gene. Every series other than 2015 Round 1 vs. Pittsburgh was a drawn out agonizing six or seven game saga. Yes they won a lot of those, but they had no killer instinct. This group needs to hate their opponents and clothesline them. Also, how many guys on that squad became better performers in the playoffs? Not many. This group needs to manage themselves for the Marathon of the NHL playoffs and save their best for the Tournament.