The New York Rangers are at a crossroads, with a core group that brought them to a Cup Final and a Conference Final just a few years ago. But the trend has been going downhill, and if this team is going to win a Stanley Cup, that missing piece must be found.
If we look at the past Cup winners, going back to Detroit in 2007 (and even earlier), one thing is consistent: elite centers.
While Derek Stepan is a top-30 center in the NHL, nobody can reasonably argue that he’s on the elite level.