Ten Reasons NY Rangers’ Fans Should Applaud This Year’s Team
This weekend, the "Cinderella" run of the New York Rangers came to an end.
Up 2-0 in their Eastern Conference Final series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Rangers seemingly ran out of gas, and the veteran Lightning took the next four games, winning the series in Game 6 in Tampa Bay.
While the Rangers' season has come to an end, this team drastically out-performed preseason expectations, and that's something that I think more fans should be focusing on.
When you consider how many changes have been made in the organization in recent months and years, this year's playoff run is nothing short of miraculous. Three major architects of the "new-age" Rangers were all dismissed following the 2020-21 season. The team appointed Chris Drury as the new General Manager, and shortly after that, hired Gerard Gallant as the new head coach.
Drury began wheeling and dealing, and made a number of moves in the offseason, all geared toward improving the team's character and toughness. Ryan Reaves was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights, and Barclay Goodrow was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sammy Blais was brought in from St. Louis, and promising young player Pavel Buchnevich was shipped out the door.
The team came in with a mix of youth and experience, and expectations were tempered for what the group could accomplish in their first season together. Those expectations were largely scrapped as the season went on, as career-defining performances from key players caused excitement throughout the Rangers' faithful.
Now, the season has officially come to a close, but as we look back on a successful campaign from the Blue Shirts, here are ten reasons why fans should be applauding the New York Rangers, rather than looking back on the year negatively.