Guest Post: Rangers future looks bright

The below is a guest post by Jake Weingarten (@TheJakeWeinz). He’s also got a good idea going, called Blueshirt Faithful, where anyone who wants to write a post about the Rangers is welcome to write on what they want, as often as they want. It gives a voice to people who don’t have/want a blog, but want to write here and there. His post below is a reminder that despite the slide, there is a bright future in New York.

The New York Rangers have become one of the NHL’s youngest forward corps. Most of the core group is under the age of 30, with the majority under the age of 25. They have also grown their minor league teams and have players from all around the world, which will help keep the youth infusion coming for years to come.

The Rangers have one of the oldest goalies in the league in Henrik Lundqvist, but they have some outstanding goalie prospects. Over the past few months, Rangers fans have gotten the attention of Russian goalie prospect Igor Shestyorkin. Shestyorkin, 20, has been playing for SKA of the KHL and has played some outstanding hockey. He was named KHL player of the month in October, he recorded 13 wins, 6 shutouts, and had a .950 SV%, and is the heir-apparent to The King. With college goalie prospects Tyler Wall (UMass-Howell) and Adam Huska (UConn) to add to Brandon Halverson and Mackenzie Skapski, goaltending is a major source of strength.

The Hartford Wolf Pack stinks, but that doesn’t stop their players from playing well. Martin Hrvik, Nicklas Jensen, and Ryan Graves have shined this season, combining for 34 points in 17 games. Hrivik and Jensen have already been injury call ups ahead of Tanner Glass, indicative of their solid play. Graves likely doesn’t get a call this season, but he may compete for a spot next season.

Beyond the farm, the Rangers added a trio of youngsters as regulars this season: Brady Skjei, Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich. All three kids are playing significant minutes –when healthy– and should continue to for the long haul.

This is a healthy reminder that as the Rangers are forced to make decisions with fan favorites (veterans) that may not be popular, there are kids ready and waiting to take their places in the lineup. A steady stream of talent is what keeps the good teams up top, and the Rangers appear to have that talent stream built.