Rangers’ window to contend remains wide open

The much-maligned defense does have reasons for hope

Despite some shrewd acquisitions by GM Jeff Gorton this offseason, most fans and critics believe the Rangers have failed to make the necessary improvements required to propel them back into contention in 2016-2017.

That criticism is based largely on the sorry state of the defense where the Blueshirts appear poised to trot a unit that is no better than the group that was so porous a year ago. And despite improved depth up front and a radically improved penalty kill, that makes it hard to envision success, at least at the level that would meet lofty expectations for a club that had been knocking on the door of the Stanley Cup.

The roster is not perfect – far from it. Dan Girardi and Marc Staal remain the biggest problems and still stand to occupy $11.2 million of cap space for the next four seasons.

But despite their presence, all the gloom and doom surrounding the franchise is a bit ridiculous.

Though the Rangers don’t have a franchise young forward like Connor McDavid – Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes and Pavel Buchnevich are all 26 years old or younger and all possess at least 50-point potential as they enter their prime years.

On defense, captain Ryan McDonagh has endured a series of significant injuries, but remains a top-pairing blueliner on an extremely affordable contract for three more seasons. And young pup Brady Skjei appears ready to join him as the building blocks for the blueline going forward.

In goal Henrik Lundqvist remains at the top of his game despite spreading fears that he might begin to decline at age 34.

It’s OK to be frustrated that the Rangers have failed to seal the deal in winning that elusive championship. And in New York, we certainly tend to be more dramatic about those failures than elsewhere.

But even though there’s work still to be done and some glaring reasons for concern, the notion that the Blueshirts should be in full rebuild is a bit silly. The aforementioned players comprise an outstanding core that is the envy of a huge percentage of the league’s clubs.

If the organization can add another major forward piece like Jimmy Vesey this summer, improve the defense with addition by subtraction by losing Girardi or Staal, or add Kevin Shattenkirk – who is also only 27 years old – over the next calendar year, then that on the fly retool the Blueshirts needed will have indeed happened.

Maybe not all at once in the month between the 2016 entry draft and the opening period of free agency when everyone was hyper-focused on the club’s transformation – but the process is indeed underway. Whether or not it is completed fast enough to position New York among the game’s elite again in time for the 2017 postseason is somewhat irrelevant.

Obviously that’s the ideal scenario, but the larger goal is to extend the window of contention for multiple seasons. And given the youth, growth potential and existing talent on the roster, the Rangers are well on their way to doing just that.