New York Rangers

New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller is paying homage to another former Big Apple superstar athlete with his new hairstyle.

Speaking to Larry Brooks of the New York Post (h/t B/R Open Ice), Miller said his curly, blond hairdo is "fully inspired" by wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.'s look during his time with the New York Giants:

Key told the NY Post that his new flow was “fully inspired” by OBJ’s hair during his time with the Giants 💈

(via @NYP_Brooksie) pic.twitter.com/AeGL8AL6kY

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 20, 2024

Beckham, who is currently with the Miami Dolphins, was one of the NFL's biggest names while he was a member of the Giants for five seasons from 2014 to 2018, earning three Pro Bowl selections during that time.

OBJ took the NFL by storm as a rookie in 2014 with 92 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns en route to being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Beckham averaged 96 grabs for 1,374 yards and nearly 12 touchdowns over his first three seasons, and while his play was likely the biggest reason for his popularity, his personality and look were part of the package as well.

He has never quite been the same player since suffering a broken leg in 2017 and a torn ACL in 2020, but he was a key part of the Los Angeles Rams winning the Super Bowl in 2021 after they acquired him from the Cleveland Browns.

Beckham also tore his ACL for a second time in the Super Bowl, causing him to miss all of 2022 before playing for the Baltimore Ravens last season.

He has yet to make his debut for the Dolphins and is currently on the physically unable to perform list, and while Beckham may be reaching the twilight of his career, perhaps Miller can take the torch from him in terms of sports superstardom in New York City.

Miller, 24, is preparing to enter his fifth NHL season after the Rangers selected him 22nd overall in the first round of the 2018 NHL draft.

The 6'5", 210-pound rearguard has been a menacing presence on the Rangers' blueline, and a chore to play against for opposing forwards.

Miller set career highs in 2022-23 with nine goals and 34 assists for 43 points, but he is primarily known as a defensive-minded defenseman, and that has been on full display the past couple of years.

In addition to racking up eight goals and 22 assists for 30 points to go along with a plus-5 rating last season, Miller had over 100 hits and 100 blocked shots for a second consecutive campaign.

The Rangers have made three consecutive playoff appearances, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals twice during that time. If they are going to get over the hump this season and play for the Stanley Cup, Miller's steady play may be a big reason why.

Few fanbases in NHL history are more spoiled when it comes to goaltending than the New York Rangers, and that excellent level of play figures to continue with Igor Shesterkin during the 2024-25 season.

Just ask the last legend who was between the pipes for New York.

"He's been so steady ever since he entered the league," Henrik Lundqvist told Bleacher Report.

"His ability to read the plays and be very efficient in the way he plays goaltender and the way he moves upright in his stance allows him to move pretty quickly on his feet. I expect him to be one of the best goaltenders again. He's up there every year and challenging the top guys in the league with the way he plays and his ability to come up big when it matters."

Going from 15 years of an all-time great and Hall of Famer in Lundqvist to Shesterkin almost seems unfair for the rest of the league, and the 28-year-old is successfully following his predecessor's footsteps as a star in the Big Apple.

The two-time All-Star won the 2021-22 Vezina Award as league's top goalie when he led the NHL in save percentage (.935) and goals against average (2.07) and was impressive once again last season with a .912 save percentage and 2.58 goals against average.

Shesterkin almost delivered the Rangers their first Stanley Cup since 1994, but they lost in the Eastern Conference Final to the eventual-champion Florida Panthers. It was the second time in three years New York lost in the Eastern Conference Final, which is a similar issue that has plagued the team since reaching the sport's mountaintop 30 years ago.

Lundqvist led the Original Six club to the playoffs in 12 of his 15 seasons from 2005 to 2020, including when he reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. Still, they were unable to lift the trophy, continuing quite the drought for one of the league's most iconic franchises.

But they might have the talent to finally get over the hump in 2024-25 with Artemi Panarin, Shesterkin and Co. leading the way.

"Anytime you're close, you know there's not a lot of changes that need to be made," Lundqvist said. "A lot of times, it's maybe just one role player away from taking that step. If you look at the Rangers, they have the big core with great defensemen and forwards and obviously goaltending with Igor and [Jonathan] Quick as a backup. I think the important roles there are set.

"It comes down sometimes to that perfect role player on the third or fourth line who can be that extra spark in a long playoff run. Looking how close they came last year, it's more about continuing what they did and improving small things here or there. Their ability last year to come back in games is what impressed me the most, and that's a good sign of a resilient team and good leadership."

While Lundqvist will spend time this winter rooting for his former team, he took advantage of the offseason by partnering with the Swedish outdoor brand RevolutionRace.

He and his brother, Joel, became ambassadors for the brand to help them rediscover their roots and embrace their love of the outdoors and activities such as hiking, skiing and mountain biking:

Revolution Race. #backtotheroots pic.twitter.com/j60oN232JT

— Henrik Lundqvist (@HLundqvist) August 25, 2024

"It's been great," Lundqvist said of the partnership. "I grew up in a ski town, skied a lot and spent a lot of time outdoors. And then hockey took over for 20 years, five years in Sweden and 15 in New York. I didn't really have the opportunity to go skiing or spend time outside and in nature.

"As soon as I retired, the one thing I really wanted to pick up again was skiing. It's been awesome. I really enjoy being in the mountains. I love that contrast in life, living in New York City with the energy that's here and then the flip side to go somewhere totally quiet up in the mountains. ... It felt like a great fit where I'm at in life right now, and it was an opportunity to do something with my brother, Joel."

It is one of the opportunities that comes with being a hockey icon, which Lundqvist was throughout his career.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the 2023 class with a resume that includes the 2011-12 NHL Vezina Trophy winner as league's top goalie and five All-Star selections. He never finished a season with a save percentage below .905 and ended his career with a total save percentage of .918 and a goals against average of 2.43.

Lundqvist is better positioned than almost anyone in history when it comes to evaluating the goaltender position, and he will have his eye on Shesterkin and Quick with the Rangers, as well as Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, during the upcoming season.

"I love watching Vasilevskiy," he said. "He's really good, and he's powerful on his feet. With Igor, it's a different style but I just love how effortless he makes it look sometimes. And I have to say, not because Quick is a Ranger now, but I've always loved watching Jonathan and playing against him. He's very acrobatic out there and creative with how he's making saves. And I love that there's different ways to come up with saves, and he's really good at that."

It is a testament to New York's history of goaltending that it has an all-time great in Quick as its No. 2 option. Quick is a two-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time William M. Jennings Trophy winner for the fewest goals scored against and will look to add to his resume when filling in for Shesterkin.

New York may have to go through the Lightning in the Eastern Conference, though, which is easier said than done with Vasilevskiy spearheading the efforts.

Like Lundqvist with the Rangers, Vasilevskiy has become a legend with one team in Tampa Bay since debuting during the 2014-15 season and is a two-time Stanley Cup winner, five-time All-Star and the owner of the 2018-19 Vezina Trophy.

Lundqvist will be following Vasilevskiy, the Rangers and the other goalies this season as a media member after he was part of NHL on TNT's coverage of last season's playoffs.

One non-goalie storyline that stands out to him is the Edmonton Oilers' quest to bounce back from their difficult loss to the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. Edmonton reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006 but proceeded to lose the first three games before it came storming back with three consecutive wins to force a Game 7.

It seemed like that final contest would be a defining and crowning moment for Connor McDavid's career, but Florida won 2-1.

The Oilers responded this offseason by making Leon Draisaitl the league's highest-paid player with an eight-year contract that pays him an average annual value of $14 million. Now they turn their attention to trying to do exactly what the Panthers just did after Florida lost the 2023 Stanley Cup Final to the Vegas Golden Knights and then came back to win it all.

"It will be interesting to see how the Oilers respond after that tough Game 7," Lundqvist said. "They just locked up Draisaitl, that's a huge piece. I think they will be dangerous again. You saw what Florida did losing the one year and coming back the next year with that experience and so much motivation to make it happen. I could see the Oilers having a similar feeling going into this year."

Perhaps Lundqvist's Rangers will be waiting for them in the Stanley Cup Final this time.

The New York Rangers won the Presidents' Trophy for the best regular-season win-loss record and were the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed.

The team as we know it, though, may look different next season.

Emily Kaplan of ESPN reported that New York is shopping captain Jacob Trouba and winger Kaapo Kakko.

Larry Brooks of the New York Post seconded the report on Kakko, adding that the team is "aggressively shopping" him. He added that there is movement on a trade to send Trouba to the Detroit Red Wings.

Arthur Staple and Peter Baugh of The Athletic reported that the Rangers' motivation for the moves is to free up cap space to make a splash at the start of free agency Monday. They noted that the team is high on winger Jake Guentzel. To add him, the organization will have to free up extra cap space to go along with the $12 million-plus it already has.

In doing so, the team risks stunting what made it a Cup contender this season.

Trouba played in just 69 games and tallied only 19 points, but he brought a steadiness to the defensive side of the puck. He is a physical presence on the ice, someone who can send a message with one hit and set the tone for the rest of the team.

More importantly, he is the captain and if the team is ready to send him packing just two years after giving him that title, it sends a questionable message to the rest of the locker room.

Kakko just signed a one-year qualifying offer with the team, but that does not secure his place on the roster for next season. He played 21 games less than a season ago and scored 21 fewer points. He did, however, finish with a plus-6 rating.

The Finnish player brought depth to the team at a key position and gave the Rangers 13:16 of ice time. Trouba is a locker room leader and the face of their defensive efforts.

Sending them packing while star-hunting in an attempt to load up for a championship push reflects the team's desire to hoist its first Stanley Cup since 1994, but it also threatens to mess with roster depth and team chemistry, two elements as important to winning a title as the number of stars any squad has on the ice at any given time.

The Rangers' success was one of the best stories in the league in 2023-24.

A roster upheaval may not behoove an organization that has made just about every other correct move over the last two seasons.

The New York Rangers are "exploring options" regarding a potential trade for defenseman Jacob Trouba two years after he was named team captain, ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported.

According to Kaplan, Rangers general manager Chris Drury recently met with Trouba "to discuss his future."

The Rangers have also "had conversations with other teams" about trading 2019 No. 2 pick Kaapo Kakko, Kaplan reported.

Although New York decided to keep Kakko at the 2024 trade deadline, "it sounds like both sides would welcome a change of scenery now," Kaplan wrote.

The New York Post's Larry Brooks similarly reported Monday that the Rangers are "aggressively shopping" Kakko.

Kakko will play next season on the one-year, $2.4 million deal he signed with the Rangers in June, while Trouba is under contract for two more seasons at a cap hit of $8 million per year.

Trouba's current no-move clause expires Monday, at which point he will submit a 15-team no trade list to the Rangers, per CapFriendly.

The veteran defenseman, who has skated more than 21 minutes per night for the Rangers for five seasons since his trade from the Winnipeg Jets in 2019, was sidelined for three weeks in March with a broken ankle.

After his return, he saw his defensive responsibilities decrease as the Rangers slotted him into a more sheltered role on the third pairing. At times his skating appeared visibly limited during the Rangers' run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Trouba still finished the season having ranked second on the team only to Will Cuylle with 191 hits as he remained a key part of the Rangers' trademark physicality. He also ranked second only to Ryan Lindgren in time spent on the 4v5 penalty kill, per Natural Stat Trick.

Kakko also had his season derailed by injury when he missed the entire month of December with a hurt knee.

The winger was never able to find scoring or linemate consistency after his return. While moving up and down the Rangers' lineup throughout the season, he was held to 13 goals and 19 points in 61 games.

Drafted in part because of his quick and accurate shot, the fact that Kakko has not yet topped 20 goals in any one of his five NHL seasons, and is not a key part of either power-play unit, has become a frustration for both the 23-year-old and the Rangers.

Given Kakko's affordable one-year deal, his age, and his projected ceiling, he could be appealing to teams looking to take a chance on a still-developing scorer. Meanwhile, if Trouba hits the trade market, he will draw interest from clubs looking to up their physicality and improve their penalty killing in 2024-25.

The New York Rangers pulled off the first big move of the offseason, offloading veteran forward Barclay Goodrow to the San Jose Sharks via waivers on Wednesday.

Welcome back, Barclay! 🦈

🔗: https://t.co/YxfB2tGP5t pic.twitter.com/MAmlPpZJa9

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) June 19, 2024

Goodrow is heading into year four of a six-year contract with a $3,641,667 cap hit. Though Goodrow owns a 15-team no-trade clause, such a clause does not apply to waivers. If Goodrow had the Sharks on his list, it's a brilliant workaround by Rangers general manager Chris Drury.

The Rangers' signing of Goodrow was ill-informed from the start. It is true that Goodrow was an important depth piece on two Stanley Cup wins in Tampa Bay, but context is key. Tampa had acquired Goodrow at a mere $925K cap hit and used him on the wing as the third-best player on a checking line.

The Rangers signed him to four times that cap hit and expected too much from him, often using him at second-line wing or bottom-six center. Even in his best moments, Goodrow could not and would never live up to that price.

What's worse is that Goodrow did not have a good season, totaling just four goals and 12 assists in 80 games. Unlike his predecessor Gerard Gallant, head coach Peter Laviolette did not show much trust in Goodrow at even strength. He used Nick Bonino and Jonny Brodzinski over Goodrow at third-line center during the team's most dire moments and only briefly elevated him to third-line status in the regular season or playoffs.

Goodrow promised that he was built for the playoffs. In a way, he did deliver this spring with six goals in 16 games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ-xR79l1_Y

But Goodrow shot an absurd 40 percent; considering that he had just six goals in his prior 81 playoff games. The Rangers got pounded during his minutes at even strength and had an expected goals percentage of 33.2 percent in the playoffs, per Evolving Hockey. The magic of Goodrow in Tampa Bay was not that he was some special player built for the playoffs but that he outperformed his cap hit in a role that suited him. The Rangers overpaid him with the hope of him playing a bigger role than he is capable of. The magic was gone.

At this stage of his career, Goodrow is a fourth-line winger who can kill penalties. Those players have used but can be found in free agency at well under $2M per season. Frankly, the San Jose Sharks have done the Rangers a massive favor by taking Goodrow's contract off of the Blueshirts' books.

What's Next for the Rangers?

A first-line right winger to play alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider is at the top of the shopping list. Goodrow's departure may be enough to get the Rangers through the offseason. Evolving Hockey predicts a 6-year contract at a $4.89 million cap hit for Ryan Lindgren and 2 years at $2.14 million annually from Braden Schneider. With some give or take on either side of those numbers, the Rangers will have somewhere between $6.6 and 6.7 million remaining.

They will need to find a fourth-line center to replace Goodrow and add a seventh defenseman. A depth center could cost between $900K and $1.5 million depending on who the choice is, while a seventh defenseman should be in the range of an $800K cap hit.

With some cushion for injuries and accruing trade deadline cap space, the Rangers can currently expect to have somewhere between $4 million and $4.75 million to find their new first-liner. That's definitely enough to get a capable top-six forward. That could be enough to land them free agents such as Vladimir Tarasenko, Anthony Duclair, or Viktor Arvidsson.

Those options pale in comparison to the bevy of premium options available. Jake Guentzel, Sam Reinhart, Jonathan Marchessault, Tyler Toffoli, Jake Debrusk, and Teuvo Teravainen will all be free agents on July 1 while the trade market theoretically offers players such as Mitch Marner, Martin Necas, and Brady Tkachuk. If the Rangers want to be in the mix for a major difference-maker, they still have work to do.

The toughest but most obvious candidate for extraction is Jacob Trouba. It would be awkward because he is captain, on his best days he is a good third-pairing defenseman and the Rangers rarely even got that during the playoffs. If Drury can find a way to move some or all of his $8 million cap hit then the Rangers would be swimming in cap space to upgrade at both forward and defense.

The Rangers do have a big decision looming with Ryan Lindgren, who has historically been a great shutdown defenseman but just endured the worst season of his career and leaves questions about his long-term health and availability given his destructive style of play. Trading him would open up more cap space, though the Rangers would likely have to reinvest that in the defense.

Finally, though the Rangers did sign Kaapo Kakko to a one-year, $2.4 million contract extension, he could still be traded. A healthy and confident Kakko is more than worth that money, but his long-term future in New York is uncertain given the need for a first-line winger and some top prospects coming up the ranks at wing.

Whether Goodrow's departure represents the full extent of the gutting of the roster remains to be seen. For now, a clever way out of that ugly contract gives the team enough room to improve the roster.

New York Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko agreed to a one-year contract extension with the team worth $2.4 million on Thursday, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic.

Kakko was originally a pending restricted free agent prior to the deal. The 23-year-old recorded 13 goals and six assists in 61 games with New York throughout the 2023-24 season.

He struggled during the Rangers' loss to the Florida Panthers in the 2024 NHL Eastern Conference Finals, as he failed to record a point in each of his five appearances.

He didn't play in all six games of the series, as he was a healthy scratch in Game 2.

After setting career-high marks in 2023 with 18 goals and 40 points, his 2024 production was a bit of a letdown. He missed 21 games early in the season due to a lower-body injury after racking up just two goals and one assist in his first 20 appearances of the year.

Kaapo put some heat on that one. pic.twitter.com/hacMWMxL8P

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 2, 2024

TSN's Darren Dreger reported that Rangers general manager Chris Drury was "taking calls" on Kakko ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, although a deal never materialized.

Despite his recent struggles and his involvement in trade rumors, the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry draft still enjoyed his time with New York and expressed his desire to remain with the team when speaking to reporters on June 4.

"We'll see, but I like all the things here," Kakko said, per Larry Brooks of the New York Post. "The team's great, everyone wants to win, I feel there's a chance to win. It is going to be the same thing next season, so I like it here."

While his one-year extension doesn't completely rule out a trade moving forward, Kakko will have a chance to make it through the 2024-25 season without any injury issues and build upon his promising 2022-23 campaign with the Blueshirts.

The New York Rangers' lethargic Game 6 loss on Saturday ended a brilliant season with a demoralizing thud.

There is no simple way to frame this season. The Rangers were as good as they have been in 30 years. They won the Presidents' Trophy and set several franchise records. And that's despite some major injuries to key players.

The Blueshirts made it through the first two rounds of the playoffs with just two losses and ensured nostalgic longevity thanks to four overtime winners and Chris Kreider's career-defining Game 6 Hat Trick to advance past Carolina.

They did not win the Stanley Cup, nor did they even make it to the final round. This was not a meltdown against a lesser team. There's no shame in losing to this Panthers team that finished with 110 points and is headed to the Final for the second straight season.

More concerning is that this failure looked a lot like the previous two eliminations. The Rangers were unable to move the puck out of their zone and past the opponent's neutral-zone setup. Rush offensive completely evaporated and, when the Rangers were able to retrieve the puck in the offensive zone, they couldn't penetrate the Panthers' interior. In truth, the story wasn't so different against Carolina, but this time, the power play dried up and could not bail the team out.

It's not merely that the Rangers scored fewer than two goals for the third-straight eliminating game. They didn't look like they going to generate anything offensively yet again. Panarin's last-gasp effort to pull the Rangers within one came with the goalie pulled, meaning that the Rangers did not score a single five-on-five goal in Games 5 and 6.

General Manager Chris Drury barely touched the roster last offseason and bet that new hire Peter Laviolette could get something different from this group in the playoffs. In some sense, he did. In the greatest sense, the same problems persisted. With all the lifelines spent on this locker room makeup, changes now have to come.

On the other hand, this team did win the Presidents' Trophy and came within two games of the Stanley Cup Final. There are a few ways the Rangers can be a better team next season and many ways they can be worse. This is not a scenario where the team must blow up the core. Nor does it help the Rangers to banish players out of frustration as a matter of therapy for the undesired playoff outcome. Change is coming, but those changes must be based on reason rather than emotion.

Dissecting the Defense

Laviolette's teams in the past have, if nothing else, moved the puck out of their end and into the offensive zone.

Though the Rangers did improve in that respect under his tutelage, they still struggled compared to the rest of the league in this respect. And while playoff hockey has a reputation for favoring brutes, it's hard to miss the heavy presence of puck-movers atop the Panthers' blue line in Gustav Forsling, Aaron Ekblad, Brandon Montour, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. All doubt is removed regarding coaching. This is a personnel issue.

The discussion can only start with Jacob Trouba. Yes, because he is captain.

More importantly, he hasn't played great hockey. Nobody is doubting his work ethic, his attitude, or his character. But Laviolette is the third head coach for whom Trouba has played in New York and his output doesn't come even close to matching his $8 million cap hit. His three goals and 19 assists in 68 games would be acceptable for a second-pairing defenseman who does other things at a capable level.

But big hits aside, Trouba is the Rangers' worst defenseman at preventing zone entries. He does not move the puck well from his own end. His bad footwork results in poorly timed pinches and opponents beating him down the ice. Trouba took 11 penalties this postseason. No other defenseman for a Conference Finalist has been tagged with more than six.

It's hard to imagine many teams wanting Trouba at an $8 million cap hit for the next two seasons. If any do, his 15-team no-trade clause makes trading him all the more difficult. If the Rangers decide to pull the plug on their captain, it may have to be done via a buyout.

Ryan Lindgren is at an inflection point. The 26-year-old is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. Though he has been a tremendous shutdown defenseman alongside Adam Fox for years, he played the worst hockey of his career this season. To be fair, he dealt with injuries throughout the season and that likely hampered him.

Of course, the Minnesota native is known for his warrior-like playing style and willingness to endure pain to make a play. While incredibly admirable, this type of player does not usually age well. The Rangers have to weigh his value should he return to form versus the risk of giving a big contract extension to a player who may become a liability.

Zibanejad Takes the Center of Attention

The Rangers also have major questions to answer at center. Mika Zibanejad had good and bad moments during the playoffs, but the bad moments were in line with a truly disappointing regular season. The former 91-point producer had just 26 goals and 46 assists this season, with cratering even-strength play to blame. The Swede registered a pitiful eight goals and 17 assists at five-on-five all season. Laviolette tried several different wingers alongside him and Kreider all season and in the playoffs with no answers.

It's fair to question whether Zibanejad is a true first-line center for an elite team. Even at his best, he's not Sasha Barkov or Jack Hughes. If the Rangers did move his $8.5 million cap hit, it would open up room for maneuvering. But Zibanejad has a full no-movement clause and is a caliber of player that's very hard to find.

The best centers who may be available to the Rangers via trade or free agency — Trevor Zegras, Elias Lindholm, Matt Duchene — represent downgrades. All options must be explored, but most likely Zibanejad is sticking around. He and the coaching staff need to have some tough conversations and find a way to get him back to offensive-driving, point-per-game form next season.

Finding More Depth at Right Wing

It wouldn't hurt to find a real, permanent solution at first-line right wing. Cap problems and an uncooperative trade market mean that the Rangers were searching on the fringes for solutions. Laviolette's usage of center Alex Wennberg on the right side of that line in the Game 6 defeat is indicative of how desperate he was to find an option that worked. There will be options available to the Rangers, but that will require cap space.

Kaapo Kakko seems to be a likely casualty in that regard. There is plenty of blame to go around for his inability to live up to his second-overall billing. Despite this, the 23-year-old is a good possession driver and an injury derailed his season. If he has peaked as a player, then he is a solid third-line winger who can bounce up the lineup.

But Laviolette scratched the winger once during the playoffs and the restricted free agent is due for a raise from his $2.1 million cap hit. Highly regarded prospect Brennan Othmann will be pushing hard for a roster spot next training camp and would be a natural fit on the third line. There is a place for Kakko on a winning NHL team, but the Rangers may be better off allocating that money for a true first-line wing.

Barclay Goodrow should also be heavily considered for departure. The two-time Cup winner saved face with an impressive six goals in the playoffs, including an overtime winner. Shooting 40 percent is a fluke, though, and in truth, his line got buried most nights. He totaled just 12 points in the regular season. Even considering the most generous interpretation of Goodrow's game, the team simply cannot afford a $3.6 million cap hit on the fourth line.

There will be other decisions to make. Braden Schneider is also a restricted free agent, though he was a bright spot all season long and will be locked up. Will Zac Jones replace Erik Gustafsson on the third pairing? Is it wrong to assume that all of Panarin, Kreider, or Miller are locked to stay?

The Rangers are on the precipice of a Stanley Cup. The trick is that the answers for how to get over the hump don't lie in the margins. Management will have to fix this team's identity at even strength. Doing so will require a few intrusive changes to the roster.

The New York Rangers' three-decade long Stanley Cup drought will last another year.

The Rangers were shut out 2-0 Saturday night in a Game 6 Eastern Conference Finals elimination loss to the Florida Panthers.

The Panthers will advance to face either the Dallas Stars or Edmonton Oilers as they earn a ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight season.

HERE COME THE RATS 🐀 pic.twitter.com/BNpBIgg4Da

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 2, 2024

The Rangers' inability to push the ECF to seven games and force a deciding winner-takes-all contest at Madison Square Game frustrated fans, especially after New York opened the playoffs with a dominant seven-game win streak.

The Rangers ran out of gas and picked the worst time to play their worst hockey. So tough after the great regular season and 7-0 start to the playoffs. #NYR

— tony (@tonyarnoldine) June 2, 2024

https://twitter.com/Storakatten/status/1797096306420191495

Every single year, the Rangers are the third or fourth best team in the NHL.

Every single year, in a sport that everyone tells me is dominated by luck and allows anyone to prosper, the Rangers finish third or fourth and can’t overcome a better team.

Boring.

— Adam Weinrib (@AdamWeinrib) June 2, 2024

The Panthers' opened the scoring with less than one minute remaining in the first period, when Evan Rodrigues' back pass to Sam Bennett put Florida on the board:

SAM BENNETT SCORES WITH LESS THAN A MINUTE LEFT IN THE FIRST 🚀 pic.twitter.com/skPEdzUtM2

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 2, 2024

Former Ranger Vladimir Tarasenko added to the deficit with another strike midway through the second period:

THE TARASENKSHOW 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Npcf7cIcxk

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 2, 2024

The Rangers made a final push by pulling Igor Shesterkin, which sparked a late goal from Artemi Panarin:

THE RANGERS BREAK THE SHUTOUT pic.twitter.com/QuPnzpsH7U

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 2, 2024

The Rangers had three shots in the third period before they pulled the goalie.

— David Wilson (@DBWilson2) June 2, 2024

The push was too little, too late as the Rangers were unable to find the tying goal in the final minute.

The Panthers defense blocked 23 shots, while Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves to backstop Florida to the win.

Shesterkin made 32 stops in the loss, bringing back memories of the years New York was unable to win a Cup with Henrik Lundqvist in net:

First Lundqvist and now Shesterkin….legit tried to carry the Rangers to a Stanley Cup. Lundqvist at least got there but what a waste.

— Jimmy R (@jimmyr0223) June 2, 2024

truly impressive how the rangers keep drafting and perpetually disappointing goalies who are generational talents

— fourth overall pick (@fourthoverall) June 2, 2024

Henrik Shesterkin

— Pikachu_Rangers (@Pikachu_Rangers) June 2, 2024

The loss led disappointed Rangers fans to call for major changes this offseason.

At this point it feels futile criticizing Panarin, Mika, Kreider, Fox, etc. I think they’re trying. I think they want to win. Elite regular season players. Lovable Rangers. But they’re not good enough to win a Cup. Nothing deep about it.

— The Garden Faithful (@GardenFaithful) June 2, 2024

https://twitter.com/blueJACKc1ty/status/1797096303953846426

In the 5 years since Panarin chose the Rangers over the Islanders in free agency, the Rangers won fewer playoff games (23) than the less talented Islanders (24). That’s shaping to be Panarin’s unfortunate Rangers legacy.

— John Flynn (@JohnFlynn97) June 2, 2024

Others gave credit to the Panthers for their ability to take control of Game 6 and repeat as Eastern Conference champions:

As bad as the Rangers played, this Florida team is really good. This was a nightmare matchup from the start of the season

— Dan Trent (@danimaltrent) June 2, 2024

The Panthers were just too much for the Rangers and the better team won.

— The Original Burnsie (@burnsieoriginal) June 2, 2024

The Rangers were fighting to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2014, and to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1994.

Now the fans will have to wait at least another year to see the trophy return to New York.

The Rangers will have another shot…

In 2054.

— SeanJoseph19 (@SeanJoseph1978) June 2, 2024

The Panthers, seeking redemption after losing in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights in last year's Stanley Cup Final, will meanwhile wait for their opponent. The Oilers currently hold a 3-2 Western Conference Finals series lead over the Stars and could earn their Final ticket with a win when the puck drops for Game 6 Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET.