In order to create a championship around the cadre of talented young men the Rangers have painstakingly assembled since embarking on their rebuild program 20 months ago, the team is going to require more than a paper-mache foundation.
The responsibility in forming a sturdy base for contention falls to the veterans, a group that club president John Davidson fairly extolled after the Blueshirts went through their medicals during Thursday’s opening of training camp.
“You kind of want to take the guys’ temperature. And when you talk to people like Chris Kreider — Chris stopped into my office this morning — you can tell there’s tremendous excitement here,” Davidson said.