BY: Justin Tasch
The notion that winning games down the stretch can somehow help the Rangers heading into next season is a fallacy, A) Because training camp will open roughly five months after their season ends and B) The team could be much different then than it is now. Winning meaningless games with this stripped-down roster won’t help their psyche or culture in 2018-19.
Still, Henrik Lundqvist believes it’s important for the Rangers to play well for the benefit of younger players trying to plant their NHL roots, guys like Neal Pionk, John Gilmour, Rob O’Gara and Alexandar Georgiev; Tony DeAngelo is in that group, but a high-ankle sprain may keep him out the rest of the season.
“It’s important for them to get a good start in their careers,” Lundqvist, who has backed up Georgiev the last three games, said during the week. “Obviously we’re focusing on the here and now, but at the same time, part of what happened here is to make things better for the future, and this is a part of that. So it’s important for these new guys to get used to everything and to understand the game and what needs to be done to have success. We’re all just trying to make the most of it here every day.”
