Key Moments - 2020 Offseason

What was in store for the Rangers?

All signs point to the New York Rangers trying to compete right away. After a first round exit and a tough season, Rangers are not ready to break it all up. The team's front office did not take this last season lightly. 

At breakup day, the general manager said “I don’t think you should be playing in the EHE if it’s not about winning.” Further, Auzins said that “everyone in that room should be about winning.” The Rangers will not become the Buffalo Sabres under Auzin’s watch.

"We have to go through this process to try to learn how to win." Martin Auzins on the Rangers playoff struggles.

This is certainly Rangerstown’s most depressing time of year. The long, dull months of every year's summer trickling into the hundreds of fast-and-furious hours of hockey during the winter, culminating with an all-too-brief stint in the springtime postseason tournament. Another year invested, another year lost. Heartbreaking, as always.

"I had to take some time to gather my thoughts after this playoffs. It was an incredibly disappointing ending to a season with a lot of positives and also some growing pains. I know it was disappointing for all of us but I know we will come back stronger and better! We will do this together! Rest up, get ready and keep staying safe! See you soon!" Mika Zibanejad speaking with a lot of heart.

So -  What Exactly is the Plan for the Rangers Next Season?

"Being with an Original Six Team always brings a different dimension to the job - so much history, so much tradition. The entire roster gets me excided." David Quinn on the upcoming season and the future of the Rangers.

The Rangers have made several tangible improvements to the main roster for the 2020-21 season before annual draft and free agency. The 2020-21 season may not be do-or-die, Cup-or-bust for the Rangers, but it’s not a season worth wasting and Auzins knows that and made moves that improves the team on most ends.

2020-08-04 15:11:47

New York Rangers trade Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Andersson and 2020 2nd round pick to the Calgary Flames for Jaccob Slavin, Anthony Duclair and Kole Lind.

Welcome back, Jaccob. Originally drafted by the Rangers, Slavin spent his first two seasons with New York before spending another two in Calgary. He has grown into one of the top defenseman in the league and will be relied on heavily.

2020-08-08 10:37:49

New York Rangers trade Chris Kreider, Tristan Jarry, 2020 1st round pick and 2021 4th round pick to the Anaheim Ducks for Dylan Larkin and Tage Thompson.

Welcome Back, Dylan. A day before Rangers traded Tavares, tehey acquired Larkin. Must be a coincidence. John Tavares was definitely our top player last year but we wanted to get younger in the middle and this trade helped that. Rangers will rely on Zibanejad/Larkin duo to produce offense from down the middle in the upcoming season. 

2020-08-09 06:16:32

New York Rangers trade John Tavares, Jesper Fast and Robert Hagg to the Florida Panthers for Max Domi, Hampus Lindholm, Pierre-Oliver Joseph, Jason Robertson, Daniil Tarasov, Marcus Karlberg and 2020 5th round pick.

Another familiar face is back. Max Domi was the main player in the John Tavares trade so the pressure will be put on Max to produce, just where he fits in is not entirely sure? On wing? Center? It will be an interesting situation to monitor. Don't sleep on two world class prospects in PO Joseph and Jason Robertson either. They will be looking to make a difference in 2021 for sure. 

2020-09-16 17:56:34

New York Rangers trade Alec Martinez, Johan Larsson, Sean Durzi and 2020 1st round pick for Blake Wheeler.

After trading John Tavares Rangers wanted to adress a situation where a real leader is presented. In comes Blake Wheeler who shares a wealth of experience and is a really solid player - also expeceted to be named captain for the 2020-2021 season.

2020-09-17 09:15:46

Three way trade that leads Rangers getting Erik Karlsson.

Karlsson joins one of the top defensive groups in the league alongside tone of the best defense man in the league Seth Jones and the shutdown defenseman Jaccob Slavin. With the trade that saw Rangers ship John Carlson to Colorado the need for offense from the back was there and Karlsson is a perfect fit. He will be relied on to bring offense from the backend. “It’s  rare that players of this caliber become available,” Auzins said. “The word ‘elite’ is often thrown around casually, but Erik’s skill set and abilities fit that description like few other players in today’s game. With Erik, Seth Jones and Jaccob Slavin, we feel we have three of the EHE's top defensemen and stand as a better team today than we were yesterday.”

Rangers are getting ready for the Entry Draft on 24th of October, 2020.

See you all there folks!

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With the 13th overall pick in this year entry draft, the New York Rangers are proud to select....