There's been a bit more pep in the step for the New York Rangers since the calendar year transitioned to 2025.
The Rangers have acquired at least one point in their last five games and have only lost once in regulation in the seven they've played since Jan. 1.
But New York still has a lofty journey ahead if it intends on climbing back into the playoff picture; it is five points outside the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with just less than half of the season to play.
It's more likely than not that the Rangers will miss the playoffs after reaching the Eastern Conference Final in two of the last three seasons and being the defending Presidents' Trophy winners.
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Given this is the New York market, imminent questions will always circulate about what needs to be done to achieve the ultimate goal. Do the Rangers need to tear it down and rebuild?
Multiple anonymous NHL coaches and executives told The Athletic a resounding no.
With Igor Shesterkin locked in for eight years as the highest-paid goaltender in the game's history, a franchise cornerstone defenseman in Adam Fox and a bright young Alexis Lafreniere growing into stardom, the core of this team has plenty of mileage.
"They've got some good young players, they have a goalie. Maybe a retool, but no way you need to rebuild that. They've got a good team that lost their confidence because of what went on around them. They didn't all turn into bad players overnight," one coach said.
Even if general manager Chris Drury did want to rebuild, there are too many contract hoops to jump through with no-movement clauses in place for several trade assets.
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"First, I'm not sure how you do a full rebuild with so many no-trade clauses and so much term left on guys' deals. It's difficult to do and way more difficult to build back up. When you've got Igor Shesterkin for eight more years, you're not doing a rebuild," an executive told The Athletic.
If anyone remembers "the letter" that was issued by Rangers management in 2018, stating that they would be heading into a full-on rebuild and fan favorites would be moved, it wasn't long after that they went and signed Artemi Panarin in free agency. In fact, it was about 15 months later to be exact.
The New York sports market is impatient and initiating a rebuild the way it's supposed to be executed takes years. For some teams, the finish line never comes, so there's no guarantee.
"There are organizations out there who have been on a full rebuild for a long, long time, and they've never finished the build," another NHL executive said. "Anybody can tear down a team. That's not hard. What's hard is to build, and building a roster is an art form. You look at (some teams) — you don't just tear it down and rebuild it. You have to get the right pieces. You have to be fortunate, too."
The sky may feel like it's been falling on Madison Square Garden, but not hard enough to blow up a foundation that's proved it can win. It's now a matter of taking one step back to take two steps forward by retooling.
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