Blueshirts in the Rearview: How Former Rangers Are Fueling Cup Runs

With the New York Rangers missing the playoffs, we thought it'd be fun—albeit a little painful—to keep track of former Rangers and their playoff performances with their shiny new teams. This will be the first entry as we'll follow the players' progress throughout the postseason after each round.

Carolina Hurricanes

Jack Roslovic

Roslovic was a 2024 deadline addition for the Rangers who provided some depth scoring for the team as the regular season wound down. His offense, however, dried up as the postseason continued on and the team played more challenging opponents. This year, Roslovic started off scoring in bunches for the Hurricanes. Very early in the season he was among the leaders in goals scored. Since then his shooting percentage has come down to earth but he still chipped in a respectable 21 goals.

Colorado Avalanche

Ryan Lindgren

Lindgren was a warrior on the ice for the Blueshirts, but his game sagged as the injuries piled up. As the team was staring down the possibility of missing the playoffs, they offloaded Lindgren to the Avalanche at the deadline. He's played close to, if not more, than twenty minutes a night for Colorado and was able to chip in three points in his time there making the 2024-25 season a career best with 22 points.

Jimmy Vesey

Vesey's ice time was scarce in New York, and he was was vocal about his situation and lack of play time when with the Rangers. Not much has changed for the depth forward as the Avalanche are deploying him as a backup player as they gear up for the meat grinder that is the Western Conference postseason.

Dallas Stars

Colin Blackwell

It feels like a lifetime ago when we were all complaining about David Quinn's usage of Blackwell. His time in New York was brief, and he's played for four different organizations since his time on Broadway. This past season, he laced up the skates in 63 games and chipped in 17 points for the Dallas Stars.

Brendan Smith

Smith's tenure in New York will forever be remembered for the bizarre experiment where he played forward. In Dallas he's either the sixth or seventh defenseman, depending on other players' injury status. This is a role he's much better suited for.

Nils Lundkvist

There was a time when Lundvkist was considered an A-tier prospect for the Blueshirts, but he requested a trade and the Rangers sent him to Dallas for a pair of draft picks, as the Rangers' crowded backend diminished his playing time and roster security in the NHL. He has never really taken off for the Stars, but the skills have always been there. This year he had season ending shoulder surgery in early February. But if Dallas makes a deep run, there's always a shot he could show up as a depth option for the team.

Florida Panthers

Niko Mikkola

Mikkola was acquired from the St. Louis Bues when the Rangers traded for Valdimir Tarasenko. He never got the credit he deserved while on Broadway. But realistically he never looked as good in New York as he does now for the Panthers, the team he signed with after his half season with the Rangers ended. He played a key role for the Panthers in their Stanley Cup win last season and will be sure to help the team make another deep run this year. In 2024-25, Mikkola scored a career best 22 points.

Minnesota Wild

Mats Zuccarello

Zuccarello was a fan favorite and a player many were conflicted on trading when the Rangers released The Letter and decided to rebuild. On one hand, he had always been a consistent producer and had previously led the team in scoring. But on the other hand, the trade equity he represented was too enticing for then-general manager Jeff Gorton to pass up. He was sent to the Dallas Stars for conditional draft picks that didn't hit because of bad luck. But he has since revived his career in Minnesota ,putting up a career best in points in 2021-22 with 79. That being said, getting to play alongside a young superstar like Kirill Kaprizov is not a common occurrence. Zuccarello will play a big role in whatever success Minnesota achieves this postseason.

St. Louis Blues

Pavel Buchnevich

This one hurts, so I won't dredge up too much here. We all know what happened and we all hate it. St. Louis sneaked into the postseason this year, winning a franchise-best 12 games in a row at one point, and Buchnevich's 20 goals and 57 points were a big contributor to that.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Ryan McDonagh

It's weird knowing that Ryan McDonagh has almost been with Tampa Bay as long as he was with the Rangers. The former Rangers captain had a brief stay in Nashville, but found his way back to the Lightning this season and chipped in 31 points while playing in all 82 games for them this year. He's still heavily leaned on for his defensive game, especially now in Tampa Bay. And while he is getting up there in age, his fluid skating has yet to betray him.

Brandon Halverson

This is more of a fun one as it's doubtful we'll ever see Halverson in the crease during the postseason. A former second round pick for the Blueshirts, Halverson found his way to Tampa's NHL squad and played in exactly one game for them this season. He was lit up by Utah and the Lightning lost that game 6-4 by the way.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Ryan Reaves

We all hated the cost and contract we gave Reaves when he was in Rangers blue, but he undeniably has charisma that helps pump up his team. The Leafs sent Reaves down to the Marlies before the trade deadline passed to create more cap space but there is a chance Reaves could be called up as long as the team finds a way to remain cap compliant.

Vegas Golden Knights

Brett Howden

That's 20-goal scorer and Stanley Cup champion Brett Howden to you. Oh, where did the Rangers go wrong? There is a lengthy answer to that, but that's not what this piece is about. Howden had, across the board, career-bests for the Golden Knights this year, and he will be supporting them in their bid to capture their second Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Reilly Smith

Smith was serviceable in his time in New York, but as the Rangers struggles continued to worsen, the writing was on the wall. He was bound to be dealt at the deadline for draft assets and that's just what the team did. Smith, an original member of the Golden Misfits, fits right in with the team he won the Cup with just a few years back.

Washington Capitals

Dylan McIlrath

The Undertaker, as his teammates know him, was an AHL journeyman after the Rangers went off the board and drafted him 10th overall in 2010. It never worked out in New York, and to be honest it hasn't exactly worked out at any NHL stop for for McIlrath either, including in Washington. He did play 17 games for the Capitals this year, but six of those were in April as the team was coasting to the best record in the Eastern Conference. We'll see just how large a role the big defender will play for them in actual playoff games.

Winnipeg Jets

Morgan Barron

There was a time when Barron was an example of the Rangers' draft prowess, after they sniped him in the sixth round. Then he was included as a throw in for the Jets when the Blueshirts traded for Andrew Copp, who ended up being a quite pricey deadline acquisition. Barron has since regularly featured for the Jets, playing a depth and shutdown role for the team.

Vladislav Namestnikov

Infamously part of the Ryan McDonagh trade to Tampa Bay, Namestnikov played in just three seasons for the Rangers. After his time in New York, he's played for six different teams and was traded for a fourth round pick four different times. He found a semi-permanent home in Winnipeg though, playing there the last three seasons and scoring 38 points for the Jets while featuring in a depth role this year.

Neal Pionk

Oh what could have been. There are so many trade trees you can look at from the Rangers' perspective and have an emotional breakdown, this is one of them. Pionk plus a first round pick was sent to Winnipeg at the draft for Trouba. In the time that has elapsed with their respective clubs, Pionk has scored more and was paid significantly less. He also just signed a big new contract that kicks in next year that is still less than what we paid Trouba. Pionk is a mainstay on the Jets' blueline, scoring 39 points in less than 70 games this season. If the Jets finally make a run, he will need to be a big part of it.