"When the Rangers front office decided to release the now famous letter during the 2017-2018 NHL season, it signaled the beginning of the end of that current core of players. Fans said goodbye to Ryan McDonagh, Mats Zucarello, JT Miller, Rick Nash, and others as the Rangers began their transition to a rebuilding team after years of regular season success. With some luck, the rebuild led the Rangers to the first overall pick in 2020, selecting Alexis Lafreniere."
"But after five seasons and a slow start to his sixth year, many are calling Lafreniere a bust. That may be hyperbole, but it's clear Lafreniere hasn't turned into the elite talent many hoped he would be. When NHL organizations make the decision to bottom out and reset their teams, the expectation is that they will at some point land one of the top five picks in the NHL entry draft."
The Rangers transitioned to a rebuilding team after the 2017-18 roster reset, trading away core players like Ryan McDonagh, Mats Zucarello, JT Miller, and Rick Nash. The rebuild produced the 2020 first overall pick, Alexis Lafreniere, who after five seasons and a slow start to his sixth year has not developed into an elite talent. NHL teams that bottom out expect to land a top-five draft pick to build a new core. Drafting elite talent has become crucial in the salary cap era. Recent number-one picks include Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, Nathan MacKinnon, and Aaron Ekblad.
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