Unfortunately it feels like the Rangers are very far away from their next true contention window. Chris Drury wants us to believe otherwise, and maybe some of you believe him, but I certainly do not. Since Mark Messier and the 1994 Rangers hoisted the cup last, the Rangers have had some close calls to a Canyon of Heroes parade, but that elusive Stanley Cup has not returned to Manhattan since. They got close though, and it felt like we were robbed in at least one year since that 1994 run. So which years were the Rangers closest to the Cup?
5. 2007
Could this team have stood a chance of winning the whole thing? Probably not. But some postseason has to go in the five spot, and I actually fully believe the 2007 New York Rangers were better equipped than the 2012 Rangers, despite the 2012 Rangers finishing first in the Eastern Conference. The 2012 Rangers were wildly top-heavy, while also missing some sorely needed firepower. Those Rangers also would have needed to take down the red-hot Los Angeles Kings once they made the Finals if they made it.
Meanwhile, the 2007 Rangers were by no means a perfect team, but they had what I believe was an easier path through the Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks. I wouldn’t call the 2007 Rangers “close” but again, someone needed to fill the fifth spot here.
4. 2022
While I believe the 2022 Rangers were slightly better than the 2024 Rangers (despite the 2024 Rangers winning the Presidents Trophy), the 2022 Rangers would have needed to go through the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final. Honestly, I think that series would have been a gentleman’s sweep in favor of the Avalanche at best for the Rangers.
Before everyone calls me crazy for saying the 2022 Rangers were better, that team had a healthier defense that was actually playing some decent hockey, and at no point was Blake Wheeler needed on the ice. My case rests.
3. 2024
The 2024 Rangers would have stood a chance against the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final. In fact, I almost put them ahead of the 2014 Rangers, despite the 2014 Rangers literally getting to the Cup. Unfortunately, the 2024 Rangers couldn’t get past the superior Florida Panthers. Still, we forget that the Rangers were an OT goal away from being up 3-1 going into a Game 5 at Madison Square Garden.
I will never forgive Blake Wheeler and I will never forgive Peter Laviolette for playing Blake Wheeler.
2. 2014
You may think I’m insane for putting this group at #2 and not #1, but the Rangers were just simply not as good as the Los Angeles Kings this year. Yes, they had a shot at it. Yes, they were a couple of bounces away from the series looking a whole lot different. But they lost in five. Once game three ended, it never felt like they had a chance again.
1. 2015
We were all 100% sure the Rangers were winning the Stanley Cup in 2015. There were no doubts, even when the Rangers were down 3-1 against the Washington Capitals in the second round. Even when the Rangers fell behind against Tampa, we were confident they’d come back and advance. The Rangers were winning that series, then they were going to beat the depth-lacking Chicago Blackhawks playing 53 year-old Kimmo Timmonen 47 minutes a night.
Then, the Rangers lost Game 7. In my mind, they were never closer. There’s another universe where Mats Zuccarello doesn’t take a Ryan McDonagh shot to the skull, and they win it all. This is when the Rangers were closest to the Cup, and haven’t really matched this quality since.
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