There is of course the small matter of the off-season to navigate for the New York Rangers who face arguably their most pivotal summer in decades with the second overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft and over $20 million in cap space.
Signing a marquee free agent has certainly divided the Rangersphere, with the naysayers adamant that committing big dollars to just one player on a long-term basis would be an unwanted return to the past of the Blueshirts spending freely and would, ultimately, derail the rebuild.
While that argument may make sense when looking at an aging superstar like Erik Karrlsson, players like Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene and Jeff Skinner are young enough to make a lengthy contract a smart investment.