The Rangers were the one team that fell off after only five postseason games that really shouldn’t have.

But they did. And like the Red Wings, their window is only shrinking if they continue on with their current core.

It’s getting hard to see Henrik Lundqvist ever hoisting the cup in New York. He’s one of the best goalies in the league still, and while Carey Price is still relatively young, Lundqvist doesn’t have a ton of years left in him.

There’s a lot going wrong in New York. Let’s address it.

1. Re-Routing

The Rangers have come to a fork in the road. Before them lay two very different paths.

One, the less traveled, and the one the Rangers see Robert Frost hitchhiking on, is to continue on, to try and fix the problems they currently have, getting rid of players that are of no use to them anymore (Dan Girardi), replacing players they have lost – Dan Boyle, Martin St. Louis, Yandle – with what remains of their farm system, and continue pushing for the playoffs as their best players get older and older and the Cup gets farther and farther away, each playoff becoming more and more empty.

Or they can say “screw it”, trade their core members, and start all over again, drafting high for a few years, having a bit of pain for their fans, and then try to come back stronger in about five years with a fresh, revamped, youthful, energetic team. One that could win the Cup in a very shaky and unpredictable future where Sidney Crosby is in his mid-30s. Where Ovechkin has long ago left for Russia after being unable to win the Cup. Where the Islanders remain the Rangers’ stingiest and deadliest rival.

If I was Jeff Gorton, I’m asking upper management to take the second route and have faith in me. The Rangers are not winning the cup any time soon if they continue to languor with their current core, instead of being willing to trade what are still excellent players for excellent players of the future.

Oh, BTW, this is not a happy article. I’ve had a fondness for the Rangers ever since I discovered Henrik Lundqvist. It pains me to say this about them. This has not been an optimistic back-to-back between the Red Wings and New York. I can’t promise the Kings will be any more hopeful, but I appreciate your patience. When we reach the Florida Panthers, I promise I’ll be much more happy.

2. Regicide

Again, it may be time for Henrik Lundqvist’s reign with the New York Rangers to come to an end. Moving him to a team in need of a goaltender, where someone like King Henry will make the difference, putting a team over the edge for the Cup, could bring the Rangers a hefty return and some aspect of me believes that this is what the Rangers brought in Antii Raanta for, and why they re-signed him – he’s the replacement. He showed better than King did in the playoffs, and played in three games. He had a better GAA, and only one point off King’s SV – .919 vs. .920. Raanta can lead this team into the future, and in Igor Shestyorkin you have Raanta’s backup.

But that’s just one of the many trades that may need to happen for the Rangers. Also needed to be gone are Dan Girardi, as aforementioned, New York’s worst contract, and if they are able to unload it that means that Jeff Gorton is one of the best GMs in hockey, no matter the return.

The Rangers are apparently listening to offers on nearly everybody this year, excluding King. And that’s cruel. If the right offer for Henrik Lundqvist came in from the Dallas Stars, are you really going to turn it down?

The team needs to enter re-build mode, and that won’t be hard because…

3. Re-Sign and Explore

The Free Agency market will be huge for the New York Rangers. After the next two years, only four forwards from the Rangers will be on contracts from the 2015-2016 season. One of them is Rick Nash, unlikely to re-sign with the team (becoming a free agent in 2018-2019), and likely to be traded to a team in need of veteran forward presence and a talented second-line wing.

Those bound to become free agents this year include – Viktor Stalberg, Eric Staal, Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, Dominic Moore, Kevin Hayes, Keith Yandle, and Dylan McIlrath. Next year’s class includes Tanner Glass, Jasper Fast, and Oscar Lindberg.

These are two classes that will be parsed through for the best talent, the youngest players, and the most likely to contribute to future success. However, it should be noted that some of these players have contributed heavily to getting the Rangers to the Finals two years ago, including Kreider, Miller, Moore, and Fast. While one of these player is definitely leaving, in Dom Moore, the other three remain significant players for the Rangers. Kreider is 25 and one of the fastest guys on the Rangers, and posted a 21/22/43 stat line for NYR. Miller is 23, 22/21/43. Fast is 24, and from the bottom 6 posted 10/20/30. It would not be surprising to see each of these guys return, and since they are still within restricted free agency, it should be beyond possible to bring each of them back.

And since a large amount of Rangers players will be popular in the trade market, including Zuccarello (28, 26/35/61 while on a 4.5 mil contract for the next three seasons), Brassard (28, 27/31/58 while on 5 mil contract for next three years), and Stepan (25, 22/31/53 while on 6.5×5). The Rangers will need to be hunting for veteran replacements.

4. Reflecting on Alain Vigneault

Alain Vigneault led the Rangers to the Cup Finals his first year with the team. They lost to the non-dynasty LA Kings, who were one of the best teams in the league until this year. It was a hard fought series with a lot of OT losses. And then the Rangers couldn’t make it back. They lost to the eventual ECF champion both years, in the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins, and while they looked like they still had it against Tampa, they were overwhelmed by Pittsburgh.

Now that the Rangers have proven to not be successful, is it time to consider a move from Vigneault? He’s gotten them to the playoffs three consecutive years, but how much of that is the currently assembled roster? Will Vigneault be able to work with a re-building team, as the Rangers look to be over the next few years?

Not that long ago I was really upset with Joel Quenneville – the article recently was an exercising of my demons, and a critique that Q rightly deserves – and said AV was the only coach I would take over him. That’s not true anymore, and it’s because AV has never delivered the Rangers a Cup. Say what you will, but he was given a roster who could conceivably do it a few times – against the Kings and against the Lightning – but he was outcoached. And maybe that’s because that’s who he is – a good coach who will be outcoached by better ones eventually. If that’s true, and the Rangers build a team with him at the helm, will he cost the rebuilt NYR another Cup?

That’s something Gorton has to consider.

There’s a lot Gorton has to consider.