It appears that the window for Stanley Cup contention has shut for the New York Rangers. After years of regressing following their Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2014, they are not currently in a playoff spot. Recently, they have struggled to get wins against beatable teams such as the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes. A team that struggles to win against last place teams has no business playing playoff hockey.
And so begins the end of an era. The team can no longer get away with Henrik Lundqvist bailing them out every game. The team needs star power, both on the offensive end and the defensive end.