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This story is part of ESPN The Magazine's Oct. 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today! New York Rangers Overall: 92
Title track: 44
Ownership: 76
Coaching: 68
Players: 77
Fan relations: 61
Affordability: 120
Stadium experience: 79
Bang for the buck: 104
Change from last year: -17 The past decade has been kind to Rangers fans. The Blueshirts have reached the conference finals three times since 2012, narrowly missing out on the Stanley Cup in 2014. They've made the playoffs in 10 of the past 11 seasons. Now, though, there's a notion -- one reflected here -- that the window of opportunity is closing on Alain Vigneault's aging squad, which lost to the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round last spring.
What's goodThe core of the team that made those deep postseason runs remains mostly intact. As a result, the Rangers still have an enviable title track (44th overall), which slipped just three places from a year ago. The face of the franchise remains all-world goaltender Henrik Lundqvist who, at 34, is still among the NHL's best. The blue line is still anchored by All-Star Ryan McDonagh, just entering his prime. Even the loss of free-agent defenseman Keith Yandle (to Florida) was somewhat offset by landing coveted Harvard center Jimmy Vesey, who chose Broadway over a host of Eastern Conference suitors. No wonder Blueshirt backers are mostly happy, even if fan relations fell 23 spots.
What's badConsidering what they pay to watch games at Madison Square Garden, Rangers fans ought to be bathing in champagne. No hockey team in America costs more to support (only the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks are less affordable), and prices went up over the summer despite the extended offseason. In fact, the only U.S.-based NHL team offering less bang for the Buck is the Boston Bruins, who won the Stanley Cup as recently as 2011. The Rangers' one title in the last 76 years came way back in 1994.
What's goodThe knock on Vigneault is that he can't win the big one. Fair or not, the affable French-Canadian's Rangers have exited the playoffs earlier than they did the season before in each of the past two years, a worrying trend that helps to explain a 40-position drop in coaching. The roster has also stagnated -- players plummeted a whopping 44 spots -- under second-year general manager Jeff Gorton, who's been handcuffed by salary-cap constraints. Getting Vesey was a coup, but only because underperforming veterans Rick Nash, Dan Girardi and Marc Staal are inked to rich long-term pacts that made bigger moves (like retaining Yandle) impossible. Next: Ottawa Senators | Full rankings
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