In 2017-18, the New York Rangers decided to blow up the core that brought them to three Eastern Conference Finals appearances and one Stanley Cup Final appearance over the past decade.
It started with the long overdue buyout of Dan Girardi’s contract. Then the team dealt Derek Stepan on a Draft Night 2017 trade that sent the fan favorite forward to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for the pick that would become Lias Anderson and defenseman Tony DeAngelo.
The team decided to go into the regular season with the rest of their core in tact, ready for one last run.