In October — back when two trips to the Eastern Conference final in three years were still fresh and the high of the 114-point, Presidents’ Trophy-winning campaign hadn’t faded — the Rangers were already staring down the possibility that this could be their final chance for a Stanley Cup run with their current core.
The need for an overhaul would likely overshadow desires to run it back yet again. The Blueshirts even received tastes of that during the year, when they dealt captain Jacob Trouba to the Ducks in December and Ryan Lindgren to the Avalanche in March. And once their regular season concludes Thursday night against the Lightning at the Garden, the change that could follow will come into focus. There could be a coaching change. There could be more tweaks to the nucleus.
And at the center of those conversations will be players such as Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider — who’ve spent nine and 13 seasons, respectively, with the Rangers. They both possess different types of no-move clauses — Zibanejad a full no-move clause, Kreider a modified 15-team one — but after being at the center of rumors throughout the season ahead of the trade deadline, they’ll almost certainly return to that spotlight once the offseason begins.
That means there’s at least a possibility Thursday marks the end of a Rangers era.
