Even though this current version of the New York Rangers is not much different than the team that lost in the Eastern Conference Final last season, it wasn’t too long ago that there were multiple changes and players that were here for years sent away in trades or let go in free agency. When the Rangers entered their rebuild, the idea was to strip the team down and only keep around players that were seen as part of the future.
Of all the players that played with the Rangers during the 2017-18 season (the first season of the rebuild), only three are on the team today and one of them got traded before coming back years later. Now, we are going to look at the five longest-tenured Rangers and what to expect from them as this season gets closer to beginning.
#5: Adam Fox: 2019-2024
There were a multitude of different players to choose from for this spot as many of them debuted for the Rangers during the 2019-20 season. However, Adam Fox is probably the most important out of them all as he is their number one defenseman and he is amazing on both sides of the puck. He was brought over in a trade from the Carolina Hurricanes and from the moment he arrived, he was a superstar. He even won his first Norris Trophy in only his second season with the team.
Last season was terrific for Fox even though he did miss 10 games with an injury. He scored 17 goals and 73 points in 72 games played. Even though he didn’t produce as well in the playoffs, he was playing through an injury and now, he is healthy and ready to go for this season. If he can replicate those points and stay healthy, he has another shot of winning the Norris Trophy and the Rangers need him to remain healthy as he is their number one defenseman in every situation. He is the backbone of the Rangers’ defense.
#4: Ryan Lindgren: 2018-2024
Ryan Lindgren was the big prospect the Rangers got from the Boston Bruins in the Rick Nash trade at the 2018 Trade Deadline. While he didn’t play in the 2017-18 season, he did make his NHL debut and played five games with the team the following season. He became an established part of the Rangers’ defense in the 2019-20 season and alongside Fox, they have been the team’s best defensive pair over the past few seasons.
After coming off a pretty disappointing season by his standards, he signed a one-year deal this offseason and now, he is going to have to prove why he deserves to be here long term. There will always be concerns about his play due to him getting injured frequently, but he is a warrior and a beloved member of the locker room. Lindgren has to have a massive bounce-back season and he needs to go back to being a hard-hitting, shutdown defenseman that can be relied on in close games and can be used to nullify the other team’s top talent.
#3: Filip Chytil: 2017-2024
It is crazy to think that Filip Chytil is the third longest-tenured Ranger, as he was drafted in 2017 and he made his debut in the 2017-18 season after the Rangers traded away multiple veteran players. He has had a very up-and-down career with the team and it wasn’t until the 2022 Playoffs that he truly found himself and showed the kind of player he can be. He had his career season the following year, scoring 22 goals and 45 points in 74 games played. He signed a four-year contract and was poised to be even better last season, but injuries got the better of him.
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He played only 10 games last season and everyone thought his season was over. However, he was able to make a comeback and played in six playoff games, but did not look the same and was not effective at all. Now, that he has had a summer to rest and train, he is coming back looking to prove that he can still be a great offensive player for the Rangers. While he did lose out on getting to be the second-line center and play on a line with Artemi Panrin and Alexis Lafreniere, he is going to be an amazing third-line center this season. He is going to bring the offense that was missing from the bottom six last season and he will show that he is still an effective player at the NHL level.
#2: Mika Zibanejad: 2016-2024
It has been almost 10 years since the Rangers traded for Mika Zibanejad from the Ottawa Senators and many say that it was one of, if not the best trade in franchise history. He blossomed into a number-one center over the years and has provided the fans with so many memorable moments. He scored 41 goals in the 2019-20 season and has a five-goal game on his resume. Now, entering his ninth season with the Rangers, he is going to have to prove that last season was just an outlier.
His offensive production dropped, as he scored only 26 goals and 72 points in 81 games played. This was down from 39 goals and 91 points the season prior. He did not look like his usual self and it didn’t get any better in the playoffs where he only scored three goals and went the final 10 games without a goal. All eyes will be on him to see if he can get back to being a bigger offensive threat that he has proven he can be. The pressure is on and now, we have to wait and see if Zibanejad will rise to the occasion, or whether last season was the start of a decline in play.
#1: Chris Kreider: 2012-2024
Chris Kreider started his Rangers career by playing in 18 playoff games during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs and he showed that he belonged right from the start. While the beginning of his career was inconsistent, he has become a reliable leader and is the current longest-tenured Ranger. Many thought he would have been traded during the rebuild, but he instead signed a long-term extension and has become an even better player the older he has gotten.
He scored 52 goals during the 2021-22 season and has scored over 35 goals every season since. His previous career high was 28 goals. Now, he has become the best net-front player in the NHL, is lethal on the power play and uses his deflection skills to help the Rangers win games on a regular basis. He also scores big goals in the playoffs, evidenced by his third-period hat trick against the Carolina Hurricanes last season. As this season gets going, he will continue to grow his Rangers legacy and will hit some very cool milestones along the way. He is a Rangers legend in the making and his number will be up in the Madison Square Garden rafters once his career is all said and done.
The Rangers went through very big changes all those years ago during the rebuild and now, they are entering another season in which the goal is to win the Stanley Cup. These five players have been here the longest and they have gone through many successes and failures together. Now, it is time to see if they have learned from past mistakes and can use them to help bring a Stanley Cup back to New York.
