Going into the 2009-10 season, the Rangers were looking to improve on the previous season’s come from ahead loss to the Washington Capitals in the first round. Offense had been a challenge in the 2008-09 season, with the Rangers finishing 25th out of 30 teams in the NHL and relying heavily on Henrik Lundqvist to carry them into the post season as the final seed with the 7th best record in the East.

General manager Glen Sather pulled off a blockbuster addition ahead of the season by signing sniper Marian Gaborík as a free agent. The 27-year-old Slovakian signed a five-year contract after having spent his first eight seasons with the expansion Minnesota Wild. In another move late in the Summer, Sather signed 34-year-old winger Vinny Prospal to a one-year deal worth just $1.1M.

Gaborík put on an absolute offensive masterclass on Broadway, single-handedly carrying the team’s primary offensive load. He lit the lamp with dazzling speed and skill, racking up a team-leading 42 goals, 44 assists, and 86 points, instantly becoming a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden and giving the Rangers a legitimate elite game-breaker up front. He scored an impressive 20% of the Rangers goals and was double that when you factored his overall contribution to the offense.

His fellow free agent signing (Prospal) contributed too, finishing second on the team with 58 points, including 20 goals.

ARBITRARY DECISIONS

After signing Gaborik, the Rangers were faced with a decision on Nikolay Zherdev. The 24-year-old Ukrainian had been acquired the previous season – along with Dan Fritsche, in exchange for defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman. After failing to get a contract offer of his liking, he filed for arbitration to try and force the Rangers hand.

In what is now a relatively rare occurrence, the decision went to an arbiter, who split the difference between the Rangers $3M offer and the $4.75M that the player was seeking. Having signed Gaborik earlier in the Summer, Sather elected to walk away from the settlement, making Zherdev an unrestricted free agent.

He soon signed on with the rival Philadelphia Flyers in what would be his last season in the NHL.

TORTS BLACK AND BLUE

Playing under John Tortorella meant an uncompromising demand for blocked shots, gritty forechecking, and relentless two-way accountability. A stark contrast from the easy-going Tom Renney whom he’d replaced midway through the previous season. The Rangers experienced their fair share of turbulence trying to master the system while dealing with inconsistent secondary scoring and tight divisional matchups.

They started well though, reeling off seven straight wins following an opening night loss in Pittsburgh. They also put up an 8-1-3 streak that spanned December-January, but then went 4-8-0 in their next twelve to fall back into the pack.

The squad closed out the regular season by going 7-1-2 in their last 10 games, to end with a respectable 38–33–11 record totaling 87 points. It placed them 4th in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division and left them fighting tooth and nail for survival in a congested Eastern Conference playoff bubble.

As always, star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was the rock of the franchise. “King Henrik” started 73 games, anchoring the defensive structure with 35 wins, a stellar 2.41 goals-against average, and a .912 save percentage, keeping the Rangers competitive on nights when the offense completely dried up.

THE JOKE’S ON OLLI

The drama of the 2009–10 season came down to a literal photo finish on the final day of the regular season.

The stage was set for a dramatic, winner-take-all showdown against the rival Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center. Entering the last game of the calendar, both teams were deadlocked in the standings, with the winner clinching the final 8th seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and the loser immediately eliminated.

Unlikely scorer Jody Shelley got things started early in the first, with just his second goal in his 57th game of the season – split between San Jose and the Rangers. Lundqvist helped the lead hold up, carrying the 1-0 advantage into the third period.

Then PA Parenteau got called for interference and Matt Carle leveled the scores on the PP, ultimately sending the game into overtime. Five minutes of 4 on 4 overtime could not add to the scoring, and so the fate of both teams would be decided in the shootout.

Goals by Daniel Briere and Claude Giroux as well as Parenteau for the Rangers meant that Olli Jokinen would need to score in order to keep the shootout going. Brought in before the February Olympic break – along with Brandon Prust, the former third overall pick had the season on the line.

I won’t leave you hanging, he got stopped, and the Flyers progressed to the postseason ahead of the Blueshirts.

INDIVIDUAL STANDOUTS AND PERFORMANCES

While missing the postseason by a razor-thin margin stung, several individual players turned in standout campaigns:

• The Offensive Catalyst: Marian Gaborík’s 86 points marked one of the finest individual offensive seasons by a Ranger in the post-lockout era.
• The Defensive Backbone: Henrik Lundqvist shouldered an immense workload, proving once again why he was among the league’s elite netminders.
• The Physical Presence: Fiery forward Sean Avery paced the team with 160 penalty minutes while chipping in vital secondary grit.
• Team Defense: The team surrendered 218 goals against (ranking 10th-stingiest in the 30-team NHL), showcasing Tortorella’s defensive identity even if the overall goal differential (+4) left them agonizingly short of the cutline.

SIGN OF THE TIMES

Aside from Gaborik and Prospal, Sather had a busy Summer, bringing in a bunch of depth players and potential prospects. Most notable were 37 year-old rugged winger Donald Brashear and 30-year-old Tyler Arnason. Brashear would end his career with the Rangers, recording just one assist in 37 games and averaging just 6:01 of ice time.

Arnason had struggled to build upon a promising start to his NHL career with the Blackhawks, and ultimately got reassigned to Hartford in camp. Unhappy with the prospect of playing in the AHL, he asked for, and was granted a release, allowing him to play in Europe. He never played another NHL game.

More interesting perhaps are two players that the Rangers signed after their season had ended. Cam Talbot became the only graduate of the Alabama-Huntsville college team to ever make it to the NHL, including a solid stint when Henrik Lundqvist got injured. Norwegian star Mats Zuccarello drew attention after an impressive Olympics performance, accepting a free agent contract that began a long and storied NHL career

MOVING DAY

After just one season, former first round pick Lauri Korpikoski got traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for 22 year-old winger Enver Lisin. Lisin would play just the one season for New York before returning to Russia, while Korpikoski would find some moderate success in the desert before later joining the Oilers, Stars and finally the Blue Jackets before heading back to Europe.

In February GM Glen Sather made his most consequential move ahead of the break for the Olympics, and a month before the deadline. He shipped out forwards Chris Higgins and Ales Kotalik – signed as a free agent in the Summer, to Calgary in return for Jokinen and gritty winger Brandon Prust. While Jokinen didn’t stick around, Prust played parts of three seasons, and helped in the run to the conference finals in 2011-12.

FINAL VERDICT

The 2009–10 New York Rangers season remains a fascinating bittersweet memory for the faithful. It featured an elite, highlight-reel individual performance from Marian Gaborík, solid support from Vinny Prospal and vintage goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. It ended abruptly with a heart-stopping, high-stakes conclusion that left everything on the ice. Though it ended in the heartbreak of a Game 82 elimination, it served as the gritty foundation for the powerhouse Rangers squads that would follow shortly after.