Did any of us predict a worldwide pandemic for 2020? Maybe Elon Musk. But for the rest of us -not in a million years. None of us expected a ‘March Madnessesque’ 24-team tournament to cap off the season. The New York Rangers were essentially gifted a slot in the postseason. Had the season carried on there was a chance the boys in blue wouldn’t have earned a wild card slot.
Going into the trade deadline the Rangers had some of the most coveted players, but instead of dealing away the likes of Chris Kreider, Jesper Fast and others, they opted to double-down for a potential postseason birth.