by Erik M. Dell

Created on: April 21, 2008

2008 could see the Stanley Cup end up in the big apple fourteen years after its last trip there. The New York Rangers are finally becoming the team they paid to be. The Rangers easily handled the tough to beat New Jersey Devils. The Devils may not have the best team but they certainly aren't a pushover with the best goalie in the game giving them a chance every night. Yet here were the Rangers making the Devils look like an amateur hockey team. So what's in store for the Rangers during the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs.

A little after the all-star break the Rangers were sitting outside of the playoff bubble looking in. A good second half of the season thrust them into the playoffs. The jump into the playoffs may have seemed surprising but this team is one of the few in the playoffs built to win the cup. After the 1994 Stanley Cup victory the Rangers kind of faded away into obscurity. Then a few signings and a few trades later brought the New York Rangers back into the limelight.

The first round of trades and signings involved a few Pittsburgh Penguins outcasts. The Rangers traded for Jaromir Jagr in a fantastic deal that had the Washington Capitals paying the majority of Jagr's salary. Other former Penguins that followed their Czechoslovakian teammate include Martin Straka and Michal Rozsival. These three players provided a good base to work on.

Then came the 2007 off-season. Here the New York Rangers shored up their offensive line with the two best players on the free agent market, paying big money for Scott Gomez and Chris Drury. Next they gave their outstanding goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, a long-term contract during the 2008 regular season. The New Rangers sport all of the above players and have an excellent cast of young up-and-coming players such as Mark Staal and Blair Betts.

The Rangers next stop was versus the New Jersey Devils in this year's postseason. Each game saw them improving and making easy work of one of the elite, albeit low scoring, teams in the east. Despite Martin Brodeur, the Rangers advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Depending on how the other teams fair the Rangers could face the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Montreal Canadiens.

The New York Rangers are looking good in the Eastern Conference and are in the top 2-3 teams in the contention for the Stanley Cup. The Rangers will do good unless they face the Pittsburgh Penguins. Their one weakness is a shaky defense that may not be able to handle the firepower that the Penguins bring to the ice. The puck stops in Pittsburgh for the Rangers, a good team that needs an addition to its blue-liners. One other note: Will Jaromir Jagr be returning or heading to Russia?

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