Forgotten Rangers: Markus Naslund

After Jaromir Jagr bolted New York for Russia, the Rangers were looking for a veteran to fill the spot vacated by the soon-to-be hall-of-fame Czech forward. A team in transition, they opted to dish out cash for a Vancouver Canuck great, and no, I’m not talking about Mark Messier. On this edition of Forgotten Rangers, we’re going to look at the brief Rangers tenure of Markus Naslund and his short but somewhat productive season in New York.

Leaving Pittsburgh and Becoming a Canuck

In the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, Markus Naslund was chosen as the 16th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins, with the team’s general manager considering him one of the draft’s top prospects. Naslund continued to play in Sweden for two more years before joining the Penguins. However, contract disputes led to a legal battle, which he won, and he signed with the Penguins in 1993. His early NHL career was challenging, involving demotions and struggles. In his third training camp, Näslund showed promise but faced ups and downs during the 1995-96 season.

In the final year of his contract with Pittsburgh, Naslund was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for Alek Stojanov in 1996, a trade that would later be recognized as one of the most lopsided in NHL history. Näslund made an immediate impact with the Canucks, scoring a hat-trick in the last game of the regular season, helping the team qualify for the playoffs.

Naslund went on to become a key player for the Canucks, leading the team in goals and points and earning All-Star honors. He formed the famous “West Coast Express” line, and in the 2002-03 season, he had a career-high 48 goals and 104 points, leading the league in several categories. His success marked a turning point for the Canucks, who had struggled in the late 90s.

In the 2002–03 season, Naslund and the Canucks narrowly missed the Northwest Division title, despite his strong performance. The team made the playoffs, but their journey was cut short. In the following season, Naslund received several awards, but his scoring began to decline. Injuries and changes in the team’s lineup had an impact.

The 2004-05 NHL lockout saw Naslund briefly return to play for Modo Hockey. He rejoined the Canucks in 2005 and remained a top scorer. However, the team’s performance dipped, and they missed the playoffs in 2005-06. Naslund set records in the 2007-08 season but expressed frustration with the team’s style of play, leaving his future with the Canucks uncertain.

Joining the Rangers

Having seen his lethal wrist shot and elite puckhandling skills for years, the New York Rangers saw him as a perfect fit to mind the gap between Jagr and the future.

On July 3, 2008, Naslund signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the New York Rangers, including a $1 million signing bonus. He had expressed New York as his preferred destination in free agency. His departure from the Canucks marked the end of his tenure as team captain, which had matched Stan Smyl’s record as the longest captaincy in franchise history. The Canucks organization, including general manager Mike Gillis, praised Naslund as one of the greatest athletes to represent the team both on and off the ice.

Naslund wore the number 91 with the Rangers because his preferred number, 19, was already taken by Scott Gomez. In his only season with the Rangers, Naslund led the team in scoring with 24 goals and was fourth in points with 46. He also contributed three points in the playoffs, but the Rangers were eliminated in the first round by the Washington Capitals.

After the playoff exit, on May 4, 2009, Naslund announced his retirement from the NHL at the age of 35. At the time of his retirement, he ranked second among all-time Swedish players in goals, with 395 (behind Mats Sundin), and his 869 points ranked fifth, while his 1,117 games played ranked fourth.

As a young hockey fan during that time, seeing Markus Naslund’s leave Vancouver to sign with the New York Rangers was a really cool moment for me as a Rangers fan. I was a teenager, and my passion for hockey was growing stronger. Naslund quickly became one of my favorite players and with the Rangers gaining relevance in the previous seasons, my connection to the sport deepened. When one of my favorite players who wasn’t a Ranger joined the team, it marked a pivotal moment in shaping my current fandom.

Even though Naslund’s stint with the Rangers was brief, he had a productive season, and I was hopeful we would see more from him. While it didn’t match the spectacular seasons he had with the Canucks in the past, he still had skill and passion. However, the team’s makeup wasn’t ideal for sustained playoff success, ultimately concluding the Markus Naslund Rangers experiment.