For the longest time, the New York Rangers’ plan was to go as far as Henrik Lundqvist could drag the team in front of him. This is the first time in more than a decade that the team was expected to be bad enough that the Swede couldn’t bring them to the playoffs. There were flashes of a good team in November, but recent games are more accurate of the talent level for New York.
There’s nothing wrong with rebuilding, only the greatest of organizations can manage to construct a perpetual contender. The Detroit Red Wings made the playoffs 25 consecutive seasons through masterful drafting and wizardry on the free agent market.