The New York Rangers are embarking on one of their least predictable seasons yet. After a decent first few games of the season, we can reflect a bit on preseason expectations. Most have the Rangers returning to the playoffs as a six, seven, or eighth seed, which seems to be in line with the most reasonable expectations for the Rangers this season. Some have the Rangers going all the way to the Conference Finals, but very few if any have the Rangers making (or winning) the Stanley Cup.

For the first time in a few years, reasonable expectations for the Rangers are lower. Despite bringing in a new coach with a championship pedigree, the Rangers missing the playoffs last season and icing mostly the same roster this season has fans chilling a bit.

Still, it’s fair to wonder: what would actually make fans happy this year?

To answer that question, it’s important to think about everything that went wrong last season. Igor Shesterkin was Igor Shesterkin whether or not the stats displayed that, so he wasn’t the problem. Everyone else? Part of the problem. Artemi Panarin may have been excellent, but far too often he didn’t look quite like himself. Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad looked slower and snake-bitten. Adam Fox played hurt and didn’t play up to his usual level of play. We could go on and on. 

Almost every player on the roster this year wants to have a better season than the last, and almost every player on the roster will need to for this team to look better than last year’s team. But if the individual statistics improve, will the fans be happy? I don’t think so.

You’d likely think the next step is making the playoffs. Fans were greatly disappointed in missing the postseason last year, especially coming after a year in which the Rangers made it to the Conference Finals and held a 2-1 series lead over the eventual Stanley Cup Final champions. But I don’t think fans will ooh and ahh about a Rangers season that ends with the team getting the 7th seed and losing in the first round in five or six games. 

This brings reasonable expectations for the Rangers. Statistical improvements and the playoffs are a start, but more than anything it’s how the Rangers play. Last season the team looked putrid night in and night out. The defense was non-existent, players didn’t have each other’s backs, far too many players looked visibly disinterested. The Rangers let themselves get knocked down, then soiled their pants rather than getting back up. It was disheartening to watch from a team that was so close the year before.

This isn’t about grit, throwing punches, or anything like that. It’s about a team playing like a team, playing their hardest, and playing like the games matter to them.

So if the Rangers show far-improved team defense and a commitment to actually performing to the best of their abilities, you can sure believe that the fans will take notice and be louder and prouder than last season.

The Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal, but the approach to getting their matters too. All Rangers fans are asking for right now is for a team that cares to do what’s necessary to get there. 

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