For as long as I have been a Rangers fan, Dan Girardi and Derek Stepan were Blueshirts. All my memories as a fan have always included these two guys in the picture; it’s all I’ve ever really known. But this familiarity was broken when significant changes were made to the roster just this past off-season. Now with the start of a new season, we as fans, are facing a very different situation; what is a team without Girardi or Stepan?

For many, it’s an exciting time to be watching as it means patching up the blue line, becoming a younger and faster team, or even freeing up cap space; and it’s true, many of these things cannot be denied. However, I would also be lying if I said bittersweet feelings weren’t lingering.

Although we have seen the Rangers undergo big roster shakeups before, Girardi and Stepan were always the constants alongside with guys like Marc Staal, Henrik Lundqvist, and Ryan McDonagh. Despite the ups and downs of these players in recent years, we have had the opportunity to watch them grow from the moment they stepped out onto the ice at Madison Square Garden.

Maybe you watched them fight through the system for a roster spot when everyone else told them no. Maybe you cheered for them when they played their first NHL game or scored their first NHL goal. Maybe you cried when you saw them band together during the darkest of times, despite battling through every imaginable mental, physical, and emotional injury. Or maybe you felt them lay their hearts and souls out, fighting for the chance to bring back Lord Stanley’s Cup to the streets of New York.

Maybe.

These guys were the guys that held the fort for nearly a decade. As a fan, this is all I could have ever asked for and is something I will be forever grateful for. However, the torch must now be passed on.


Turning Tides
 

Unfortunately, over the past few seasons, it was becoming more apparent that the foundation that these very players fought so hard to create was beginning to crack. They could no longer hold things together on their own – and by no means was this their fault either – rather, it is a testament to their time and dedication to the organization. For many teams, this can be a trying time as it may indicate an inevitable rebuild. In fact, this was something the Rangers experienced in the late 90s to early 2000s following the rush of the ’94 win. Fortunately for the Rangers this time around, the organization did their due diligence in ensuring the aging core players would not have to keep the foundation together on their own for very long.

Numerous changes were made to the team in the 2016-17 season with many fans and media praising Jeff Gorton’s ability to re-tool ‘on the fly’. However, thinking about the acquisitions and moves made then and even during this past-off-season, you realize it becomes more than just about picking up free agents, shedding cap space, or injecting speed and youth into the team. While these things are certainly necessary for success, the biggest impact of the re-tool has been, and will be, in finally handing the team keys over to the younger players. It’s one thing to have young and sprightly guys on your team, but it’s an entirely different story to have enough patience and faith in them to become the leaders they can be.

In this upcoming season, Mika Zibanejad is projected to be slotted into a first line role. Players like Kevin Hayes and J.T. Miller, whom only have a few years of full NHL experience under their belt, will be given the opportunity to take on top 6 forward responsibilities. The organization was willing to trade away their two top centers of the past few years to gamble on two incredibly talented kids. We saw this talent in the pre-season, while also seeing new leaders emerge. Take J.T. Miller for example – following the Tony DeAngelo and Casey Bailey fight, Miller, who was wearing an A in that game, skated over to the penalty box to give the kid a fist bump. Further, we have only begun to scratch the surface with electrifying players like Jimmy Vesey, Brady Skjei, and Pavel Buchnevich.

Coming full circle

Over the summer, I didn’t really understand, or maybe I didn’t want to understand, what Gorton had in mind (hey, I really loved Stepan). But I think I have finally accepted it with an open mind and do look forward to what this team can and will be.

Once again, like the many years ago when we saw a young Rangers core come in, we find ourselves in a similar position. Here we are, at the cusp of a new era of Rangers hockey, to cheer our boys on together.

Let’s Go Rangers.

Author: Jay Keets

Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
When I’m not watching hockey, I enjoy making futile attempts at practicing the lost art of sleep.