The Rangers are in a playoff race now. And that changes some things.
The biggest focus for the Blueshirts last season was to make sure that their young prospects got everything they needed to develop into the best players they could be, and that meant, most of all, they needed to play. They needed to play responsibly, of course, and work hard all the time, and take nothing for granted. But if they did those things, then coach David Quinn was going to make sure to find playing time for them.
But entering play Tuesday, the Rangers were three points out of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.