The New York Rangers haven’t had a true identity since roughly the 2011-12 season, where the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 1996-1997 season. The team was known as a team that would be a pain to play against night in and night out.
The NHL has evolved from teams having enforcer type players to teams wanting to keep getting younger and faster. Yet teams that employ tough, no-nonsense forwards such as Vegas with Ryan Reaves and Washington with Tom Wilson still managed to find success and, in the case of this season, make the Stanley Cup finals.