Tonight when the New York Rangers take the ice at Madison Square Garden against the Ottawa Senators, they will have the opportunity to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2017. After five long years in the wilderness, the most loyal fanbase in the NHL will finally be rewarded for its patience. And thanks to a last-minute loss last night by the Carolina Hurricanes at home to the Islanders, the Rangers will also be playing for first place in the Metropolitan Division for the first time since January 26.
There's simply no denying it: the acquisitions Chris Drury made at and before the trade deadline have turned this group of resilient, but overachieving, players that relied way too much on the acrobatics of their Vezina trophy-caliber goalie Igor Shesterkin to save their bacon into one of the league's elite teams.
Consider the following: they are 27-17-4 against teams with winning records; 18-14-1 against teams currently in the playoffs; and, more importantly, 14-5 against Eastern conference playoff teams, including an astounding 3-0 and 3-1 record against the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins respectively, the latter their nemesis and likely playoff opponent. They lead the league with 25 come from behind wins.
It's time to admit that the "experts" who insisted this team wasn't for real and kept waiting for it to implode were wrong. Far from being a pretender, the Rangers are a bonafide contender. With Andrew Copp and Frank Vatrano filling out the top six, and Kaapo Kakko and Kevin Rooney returning from injury tonight, head coach Gerard Gallant will have arguably one of the deepest lineups of any coach heading into the postseason.
Can they win the Cup? Why the hell not? If the last couple of weeks are any indication, they are as good as any team in the East. And while Shesterkin hasn't had to play Houdini of late, I'd put him up against any goaltender out there with the possible exception of Andrei Vasilevskiy. Be honest, can you envision a team taking four out of seven games against the Rangers with Shesterkin between the pipes? Neither can I.
Look, I know what I'm saying sounds crazy. I mean, a year ago this team was finishing up yet another disappointing campaign. They were on year four of a rebuild that seemed like it would go on forever. Frustrated, owner James Dolan fired team president John Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton and gave the reigns to assistant GM Chris Drury. The prognosis did not look promising.
But Drury has done a magnificent job from day one. The hiring of Gallant was pure genius. He deserves serious consideration for the Jack Adams Award, that's how crucial Gallant has been behind the bench. The acquisitions of Sammy Blais, Ryan Reaves, Barclay Goodrow, Dryden Hunt and Patrik Nemeth and the calling up of Braden Schneider addressed the need for physicality that, fair or not, was ignored by the previous administration.
No longer are they the perennial doormats of the NHL, as evidenced by the way they responded after Tyler Motte was decked by Anthony Angelo in the Penguins game. You don't run this team anymore, not if you value your health. They stick up for each other like no Rangers team I've seen since, dare I say it, that '94 team.
Look, I'm not into making predictions, especially since they rarely pan out when I do. I will say this, though: I wouldn't dismiss this team's chances come May and June. I know, I know, it's pure fantasy for a team coming out of a rebuild to win the Stanley Cup in year one. It's never happened, right?
But with all we've gone through, a little fantasy might just be what the doctor ordered.
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