The Presidents’ Trophy is a nice feather in Alain Vigneault’s cap and deserved recognition for the remarkable regular season the Rangers are about to complete. But is it really worth anything?

All the trophy does is extend the home-ice advantage earned by winning the conference for one more round, and of course that only matters if the team actually reaches the Stanley Cup Final.

The power of home-ice advantage in the postseason has dwindled in recent years. Its value is considered to be greatest in pivotal Game Sevens, but since the 2004-2005 lockout the road team is actually 21-19 in those deciding games.

Only eight Presidents’ Trophy winners have also won the Cup in the 28 years it has been awarded, and three more made it to the Final only to fall short. However, out of the 11 times the Presidents’ Trophy winner actually reached the final round, home-ice advantage in the form of Game Seven only came in to play four times (Vigneault’s 2010-2011 Canucks were the lone team to lose the deciding game in their own building).

But while the trophy makes home-ice advantage in the Final a certainty, the Rangers were almost surely going to get it with or without last night’s victory since they were going to end up with a better record than any team in the West other than Anaheim. That would have given them home-ice in seven of eight potential Final matchups, so while the award sounds nice, it really doesn’t change anything other than the slim chance of a date with the Ducks.

Still, while many fans look at anything other than a Cup as a failed season, the Rangers and their fans should be proud of this achievement.

It’s very impressive that the team was able to keep rolling despite the two-month absence of its franchise goaltender; has been on a ridiculous run since December that saw them overtake their divisional foes, then leave them in the dust; and has proven the unique ability to play poorly and still steal victories.

You don’t need this trophy to understand it has been a special season, but it’s a nice little hallmark nonetheless. And if having that final milestone locked up allows Vigneault to rest a couple of tired players in the season’s final two games as he did with Mats Zuccarello last night, then all the better.

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