Predicting New York Rangers quarter century team from 2000-2025
With each NHL team rolling out its quarter century team, there’s much speculation over which players will be selected to the New York Rangers squad.
Competition to be selected to either the First Team or Second team is high with the Rangers. Not just because we’re talking about a 25-year period of different players. But because the Rangers have had some very good success this current quarter century, including five times reaching the Eastern Conference Final and a 2014 trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
Of course, none of the players on their First or Second Team will have won a Stanley Cup title with the Rangers since, well, you know. They haven’t won the Cup since 1994. And that’s the only championship in the past 84 years for the Rangers.
But you know that.
Anyway, getting back on point. Here’s a detailed breakdown of who should make the Rangers quarter century team.
Related: Mark Messier believes Rangers core “is fractured”
New York Rangers quarter century First Team prediction
Goalie: Henrik Lundqvist
The Rangers are uniquely blessed to have Henrik Lundqvist and Igor Shesterkin be their No. 1 goalies for the past two decades, since The King made his NHL debut in October of 2005. Some will argue that Shesterkin deserves to be on the First Team, but Lundqvist is the Rangers all-time leader with 459 wins, most among European-born NHL goalies and sixth-most in League history. He led the Rangers to three conference finals and their only Stanley Cup Final since 1994. His No. 30 hangs in the rafters at Madison Square Garden and he’s already inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Lundqvist is your first-team goalie.
Center: Mika Zibanejad
This may anger some fans, who are furious with Mika Zibanejad’s play this season and during the 2024 postseason. But looking at it objectively, Zibanejad is far and away the best all-around center the Rangers had in this quarter century. His 551 points in 606 games are second most among all Rangers players in the past 25 years, and he’s second in goals (238), power-play goals (103) and assists (313), and tied for first with 11 short-handed goals.
Forward: Artemi Panarin
This is an absolute no brainer. No player reached 500 points quicker in Rangers history than Artemi Panarin (384 games), and he’s averaging 1.29 points per game since signing with them in 2019. His 336 assists top all Rangers this past quarter century and his 501 points are third most. Last season Panarin recorded 120 points, second most in franchise history.
Forward: Chris Kreider
Here’s the most difficult decision to make on the First Team, choosing Chris Kreider over Jaromir Jagr. Kreider is an all-time Rangers player, and has their most goals (317), power-play goals (115), short-handed goals (11) and points (567) the past 25 years. He’s scored 20+ goals in nine seasons, including 52 in 2021-22. But Jagr averaged 1.15 points per game with the Rangers over three-plus seasons. If he’d played in New York longer, Jagr likely would be in this spot. But he didn’t, so Kreider deserves his place on the First Team.
Defenseman: Adam Fox
There’s no questioning Adam Fox’s selection to the First Team. His 338 points top all Rangers defenseman in the past 25 years, and his 284 assists are third among all Blueshirts in that span. He won the Norris Trophy in 2020-21 and has drawn comparisons to Rangers legend Brian Leetch. Enough said.
Defenseman: Ryan McDonagh
The best two-way defenseman for the Rangers in this quarter century is Ryan McDonagh. He produced offensively (238 points, second among Rangers defensemen) and was an absolute work-horse as a shut-down defender. The former Rangers captain was plus-141 over eight seasons with the Rangers, best among all Blueshirts the past 25 years. One can only dream of how great a McDonagh-Fox pairing would have been in their primes together.
New York Rangers quarter century Second Team prediction
Goalie: Igor Shesterkin
The highest-paid goalie in NHL history when his contract extension kicks in next season, Igor Shesterkin would’ve been a cinch to land on the First Team if not for Henrik Lundqvist standing in the way. Shesterkin’s brilliance really stands out in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where he’s led the Rangers to the conference final two of the past three seasons. Like Lundqvist, he’s got a Vezina Trophy on his resume, from 2021-22. And at age 29, there’s plenty of runway for Shesterkin to prove his all-time worth.
Center: Derek Stepan
Vincent Trocheck, Derick Brassard and even Ryan Strome got some consideration here. But Derek Stepan earns the spot on the Second Team. He was a very good two-way center for many years, forced into a top-line role because there was never a true No. 1 center on the Rangers teams he played on. But Stepan did produce. His 360 points are fourth most for all Rangers the past 25 years, and he had some huge playoff goals along the way too, helping the Blueshirts reach the conference final three times and Cup Final once during his tenure. Stepan was also a plus-109, third best on the Rangers, often playing against other team’s top offensive players.
Forward: Jaromir Jagr
Jaromir Jagr set the Rangers records with 54 goals and 123 points in 2005-06, and should’ve been the Hart Trophy winner as NHL MVP. He had 96 and 71 points the next two seasons. At a time when the Rangers were emerging from their “Dark Ages” if you will, Jagr was their focal point offensively. In just three-plus seasons with them, Jagr still has the seventh most points (319) over the past 25 years.
Forward: Marian Gaborik
This was almost a coin flip choice. Martin Straka, Ryan Callahan and Rick Nash received varying levels of consideration, but it really came down to Marian Gaborik or Mats Zucarello. Likely the sentimental choice would be choosing the extremely popular Zuccarello, who had 352 points with the Rangers, fifth most over the past 25 years. He certainly could be worthy of a spot on the Second Team. But the pick here is Gaborik, who twice scored 40+ goals with the Rangers in three-plus seasons (42 in 2009-10 and 41 in 2011-12) and averaged 0.90 points over 255 games wearing the Blueshirt. Yes, he played half the amount of games Zuccarello did with the Rangers, and wasn’t nearly as loveable as the scrappy forward from Norway, but Gaborik was one of the most dynamic Rangers players this quarter century.
Defenseman: Marc Staal
No skater appeared in more games with the Rangers this quarter century than Marc Staal (892). For 13 seasons on Broadway, Staal was a top-four defenseman, and often was on the top pair, despite battling several major injuries, including after his vision was permanently impaired when he was struck by a puck in the eye. His game wasn’t always pretty, and he was no Brian Leetch offensively, but Staal was steady, reliable and effective as a stay-at-home defender.
Defenseman: Dan Girardi
When you mention Marc Staal, you must also mention his long-time partner Dan Girardi. As tough as they come, Girardi was another defensive-minded defenseman, known for blocking shots and his rugged style of play. Girardi played 788 games for the Rangers the past 25 years, third among all skaters. Surprisingly, his 230 points are 11th most for the Rangers in that span.
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