New York Rangers Quarter Century All Drafted Team

Editor's Note: The National Hockey League is honoring the best players of the last 25 years by presenting a Quarter Century Team for each NHL club. The New York Rangers Quarter Century Team is scheduled to be released on Saturday, January 26. Blueshirt Banter will be presenting our own Rangers Quarter Century Team later today. We've also presented a few other versions in a Rangers Quarter Century Team series, including an All Trade Deadline Team, and an All Free Agent Team.

It's no secret the New York Rangers have struggled at times when it comes to drafting and developing legitimate NHL talent. It's been a mixture of lousy luck and poor decision making that has plagued this franchise for decades. I already knew this was true, but compiling this list made me confront their struggles face-to-face for the first time in a long while. There is a severe lack of star power on the list below outside of the goaltending position that speaks volumes. And to be completely honest, those picks—Igor Shesterkin and Henrik Lundqvist—represent a lot of good luck. For this exercise, we looked at the best overall career and tenure as a New York Ranger and did our best to weigh these two factors, which explains why a couple of names may not be present.

Let's get to it.

First Team:

RW: Ryan Callahan
C: J.T. Miller
LW: Chris Kreider
D: Marc Staal
D:Brady Skjei
G: Henrik Lundqvist

Ryan Callahan

2004 4th Round Pick, 127th Overall

What Ryan Callahan lacked in skill, he made up for in heart. He was a homegrown Ranger, one of the first in a brand new generation born out of the early-2000s dark ages. He excelled in Hartford for a year and a half before making the jump to the NHL and never looked back. Callahan was quickly recognized for his effort level. He was given the "A" very early in his career and grew into the captaincy just a couple of years later. He was a fan favorite, and for good reason. His style of play and commitment made you realize he cared deeply about being a Ranger. He put it all on the line, every single shift in each of the eight seasons he spent in Rangers blue. Things don't always work out, and his most significant contribution to the team may have been his trade value (driven in part by his need for a new contract that would be more than the Rangers were comfortable with) in acquiring Martin St. Louis, but there was a time when the "black and blue Rangers" were revered. Callahan kicked off a trend of the Rangers captaincy being doomed, which was followed by Ryan McDonagh and Jacob Trouba being shipped out of New York, as well. Callahan went on to finish out his playing years in Tampa Bay and has since become a sports broadcaster.

J.T. Miller

2011 1st Round Pick, 15th Overall

As a New York Ranger, John Tiberius Mill...excuse me...Jonathan Tonathan Mill...okay (seriously now, I promise) Jonathan Tanner, or as we know him, J.T. Miller, was a bit of an enigma. He had the skill level to be dominant and the attitude to do something about it. His issue in New York City was a reported immaturity level. He was shipped back and forth between Hartford and Broadway due to effort concerns, but the flashes of highlight reel goals and clutch plays made him an intriguing and hopeful player for Rangers fans.

Miller was packaged along with Ryan McDonagh in a trade with Tampa Bay that will be near the top of most lists of worst trades in Rangers history. Still, Miller showed flashes of high-level skill, but sometimes lacked consistency and urgency. In Tampa he was running into the same issues he had in New York, which led to Miller being shipped off to Vancouver, where he blossomed and became the superstar forward many always thought he could be. These days, as you all know, Miller has been linked to trade rumors out of Vancouver, most recently to the Rangers. While he may not be the fit or solution the team needs now, it would certainly be something if Miller came back to where it all started.

Chris Kreider

2009 1st Round Pick, 19th Overall

Chris Kreider is the epitome of a homegrown Ranger. He's a player most would hope would be a career Blueshirt. His ascension up the Ranger's career goal list may have slowed this year, but it's still history in the making and something even the most curmudgeonly fan can get excited about. There have been so many big moments in Kreider's Rangers career, from his dramatic playoff debut three weeks out from playing for Boston College to his infamous moment at the Bell Centre with Carey Price, or even more recently, his hat trick to power the Rangers past the Hurricanes in last year's postseason.

Kreider took several seasons to find his place and niche in the NHL. He was always a big man who could skate like the wind, but the whole never seemed greater than the sum of it's parts. Then the 2020-21 season hit, and things clicked for Kreider. He became a power play specialist, deflecting goals like nobody's business, and for the first time in over a decade, someone threatened Jagr's single-season goals record. As you all know, he came up two goals short of tying that record. But the run was a fun one, and until this current year, it had seemed Kreider's production, or at least his goal-scoring, was operating at a higher clip.

This year, we're not sure what's going to happen. Chris Drury unceremoniously advertised Kreider's name to the NHL as trade bait earlier in the season, and the full effect of that on the team remains to be seen. But even if he's heartbreakingly moved this year at the deadline, Kreider has done more than enough to secure his spot on the Quarter Century Team.

Marc Staal

2005 1st Round Pick, 12th Overall

Marc Staal felt like the team's first surefire star draft pick in a long time. I say this because we weren't aware of what the Rangers had discovered buried in the 7th round of the draft in Henrik Lundqvist, but Staal's last name had clear brand value, and the team needed that kind of win. Staal, for a time, delivered on that promise. We weren't entirely sure what the ceiling was for Staal, and up until the end of the 2010-11 season, it felt he had offensive potential that was beginning to reveal itself. And then disaster struck. Staal got the first major concussion of his career from none other than his older brother, Eric. He missed a significant portion of the next season. And just when things were beginning to feel more normal, he was hit in the eye with a deflected shot and suffered what for many would have been a career-ending injury.

Staal worked his way back, and while some folks may point to the fact that he was never as effective a player post-concussion and eye injury, he was still a very good shut-down defender. He helped the Rangers eliminate the Penguins, Capitals, and others in playoff series by playing a physical, albeit dirty at times, in-your-face defense against Crosby, Ovechkin, and co. over the years.

Staal played more than ten seasons and close to 900 games as a New York Ranger. His jersey will never hang in the rafters, but he was a buoy out of the dark ages for the mid-2000s Rangers. He became a journeyman defenseman and retired at the start of this season. He has since joined the Rangers organization in a player development role.

Brady Skjei

2012 1st Round Pick, 28th Overall

Most of the fun surrounding Brady Skjei revolves around his surname, and there have been many takes on how it should be pronounced.

His time in Rangers blue was fairly brief—five seasons and over 300 games—but memorable for specific reasons. The thing I remember most is a game against the Canadiens, where Skjei was annoyed at a non-call. He turned toward the referee in protest, and the Canadiens went on to score and win the game. The fact is that when it comes to picking defensemen for a Rangers Quarter Century All Drafted Team, the pickings are rather slim.

Skjei's inclusion on the list most showcases the lack of other quality candidates. He was a serviceable defender and fluid skater who got a big contract due to a great first full season with the club. It was thought he would pair well with Jacob Trouba, whom he had a history playing with on the United States Development Team. However, Skjei ended up as a cap casualty and was sacrificed for a draft pick that turned into his shiny new alter ego, Braden Schneider.

Henrik Lundqvist

2000 7th Round Pick, 205th Overall

There isn't much to explain here. Henrik Lundqvist is a legend. The winningest European born goaltender in NHL history and an Olympic gold medal winner, the only thing he didn't accomplish was winning the Stanley Cup, and that will never be blamed on him. Henrik was the identity of the Rangers for a decade and a half, and he's not just Rangers royalty but league royalty. Even with Igor Shesterkin's quick rise to elite-level play, there will likely never be a player that matches Henrik's accomplishments for the New York Rangers.

It's a funny story about how the Blueshirts ended up with Lundqvist. Crister Rockstrom had Hank rated as his number-one European goalie, but Martin Madden, who was placed in charge of the draft just three weeks after Glen Sather was hired, vehemently disagreed. Finally, in the seventh round, Don Maloney noticed Rockstrom's list and chose to take Henrik 205th overall, a decision that would have a greater impact than anyone could have ever imagined.

Second Team:

RW: Jesper Fast
C: Derek Stepan
LW: Pavel Buchnevich
D: K'Andre Miller
D: Fedor Tyutin
G: Igor Shesterkin

Jesper Fast

2010 6th Round Pick, 157th Overall

Jesper Fast, known as Quickie to his teammates, was integral to a successful New York Rangers era. While he may never be known for his offense, Fast was the most diligent back-checking winger your team could have. He was the glue to many competent Rangers squads and was heavily relied upon to kill penalties and keep the other team honest. Not only this, but he also had the rare ability to play up and down the lineup but was often plugged into a top-six role, which at times would make fans delirious with anger that higher offensive ceiling players weren't being given the same opportunity. But this was no fault of Fast's. He always performed whatever was asked admirably and was defensively sound, hence his level of trust from coaches. Fast is the caliber of depth player a championship-winning team needs to have, and while the Rangers never got it done when he was here, his role was often filled with flying colors.

Derek Stepan

2008 2nd Round Pick, 51st Overall

Derek Stepan came onto the scene just as the Rangers began figuring out their identity under John Tortorella. He was never a true top-line center, but he was good enough to pretend, and that's what the Rangers often asked of him. With the Brad Richards experiment quickly failing, Stepan stepped up again and filled that pivotal role of their number one center. He was criticized for lacking footspeed, but he was a cerebral player and often thought his way out of issues. Some career highlights for Stepan were his NHL debut hat trick (fourth player in NHL history to do so), his series-clinching game 7 OT goal against the Capitals in 2015, and my personal favorite, the unbridled joy he showed and hug he gave Martin St. Louis after Marty finally notched his first Rangers goal.

Pavel Buchnevich

2013 3rd Round Pick, 75th Overall

We all know the story, we all know the pain. I won't dredge up too much here, but had things gone differently, it's possible at the end of Pavel Buchnevich's career, he'd have made a strong case to be on the first team of the Rangers Quarter Century squad. A skilled and feisty player, Buchnevich is someone the team could absolutely benefit from these days. Buchnevich had the most success when part of the KZB line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, something the team has been unable to match since he was traded at the NHL draft for what feels like less than pennies on the dollar. It was clear how much the locker room adored Buchnevich, and the players were genuinely displeased with the decision to trade him, especially since the general motive to do so backfired or was wasted on other resources that were shipped out or bought out. Gone are the days of his fun goal celebrations and aggressively sticking up for his linemates. Oh, Pavel, how we all miss you.

K'Andre Miller

2018 1st Round Pick, 22nd Overall

Miller, oh Miller, where art thou game Miller? I often find myself asking this, watching the Rangers play night in and night out. A player that has all of the tools and, at specific points of the game, looks to be as dominant a player can be to then only make a costly turnover that costs the team is one of the most frustrating experiences of being a sports fan. Watching most games, you will see K'Andre Miller make what could only be considered the perfect defensive stick check or use his skating ability to box and edge an opposing player wide of driving toward the net. Additionally, you get the occasional highlight reel end-to-end goal he is only capable of because of his unique skill set.

The other side of this are all the mistakes Miller makes with a careless pass or play that also cost his team night in and night out. I won't post those here to save you all the pain, but we see them and know them. Miller is 25 years old, and it's time he figures out the role he wants to play and commit to that. On top of that, it's time the Rangers put consistent expectations on him and stick to that. With all that being said, he has played 5 seasons and over 300 games for the Rangers and will likely be around a while longer than that unless the team makes a major decision this season, as he is up for a bigger payday this year and it's not one hundred percent certain he is entirely deserving of it.

Fedor Tyutin

2001 2nd Round Pick, 40th Overall

I included Fedor Tyutin here for a few different reasons. One, Michael Del Zotto seemed more trouble than he was worth. Two, Marek Zidlicky never played a single game for the Rangers. Third, Tyutin was a serviceable defender, and finally, in a black and sinister time, the prospective promise of Tyutin felt like a ray of sunshine in the darkness.

Many of you remember the dark ages when the Rangers weren't just bad, they were embarrassingly bad for years. Tyutin was a player who came in and felt as if he would live up to expectations and be someone the team could look forward to having on their roster. A defenseman that could, lo and behold, defend! You may think I'm exaggerating here, but the early 2000 Rangers were just that bad. Tyutin had racked up accolades before joining the NHL: multiple CHL awards, and several Junior Championship gold medals. The hype and anticipation for him were real! By the time Tyutin joined the team full-time, the Rangers had mainly turned the corner on their terrible years, and it felt as if he would be a good piece for their future. That sentiment didn't last long, and after four years and 250 games, he was shipped out as part of the package that brought back Nikolai Zherdev, the incredibly skilled player from whom the Rangers walked away in arbitration.

Igor Shesterkin

2014 4th Round Pick, 118th Overall

I'd say it's a travesty that Igor Shesterkin is essentially listed as a runner-up, except in this exercise, he happens to have a Rangers and NHL legend at the position ranked in front of him. Even still, it's not impossible that he could dethrone that Rangers King one day. In today's NHL, Igor is pretty much on a level of his own.

He's going to be paid the highest-paid goaltender in league history next season simply because he is the best goaltender in the league. He's been guilty of some bouts of inconsistent play, but he has had elite stats throughout his career, which is a primary reason the Rangers have had any playoff success recently. In the past few games, Igor has put the team on his back, and it's no surprise now that he has rediscovered his elite level that the Blueshirts are on a tear and advancing back towards playoff position. This team lives and dies with Igor. When he is his best, the Rangers are their best. Some say it's unfair that the Rangers have gone from one legend to another in the making, but with the rest of the team's inconsistent and often underwhelming play throughout the years, I think we deserve it.

Thoughts on our Quarter Century All-Drafted team? Let us know who you think belongs or who should go in the conversation in the comments!