When the New York Rangers defeated the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the 2015 second round, it was Derek Stepan who scored the overtime winner. In the 2016 playoffs, Derek Stepan stepped up when others did not. However, fans have short memories, and Derek Stepan was terrible in the 2017 playoffs.
Luckily, Jeff Gorton likely has a longer memory. Unluckily, the Rangers will likely need to move a forward in exchange for a defenseman this off-season. It’s an unfortunate truth, as is that one of Rick Nash or Derek Stepan will likely be the player to go.