The New York Rangers and new GM Jeff Gorton remain hopeful that the same core that brought the Rangers deep into the NHL playoffs each of the last four seasons, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2013-14, can make another run through the NHL season's brutal second act. Other than the addition of Marc Staal's brother, Eric, Gorton remained conspicuously quiet at the trade deadline, holding onto pieces like Keith Yandle and signaling a clear belief that Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein are capable of winning the Cup, despite their close-but-no-cigar attempts.
But with the Rangers again headed to the postseason, a significant injury has struck that may well hinder their chances of going on that hoped-for run. Captain and steady blueliner Ryan McDonagh suffered an injury during New York's playoff-clinching game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday while blocking a shot.
The team announced that McDonagh would be sidelined for the remainder of the 2015-16 regular season - or for two more games - which, considering they're already locked into a postseason spot, doesn't really mean much.
But a report then emerged on Wednesday indicating that McDonagh actually suffered a "small break" of the metacarpal bones in his right hand, meaning he will miss "at least the early games" of the Rangers' first-round playoff series.
With the way things stand, the Rangers would square off against the Pittsburgh Penguins in round one, though with Detroit, Philadelphia and Boston still jockeying for position and one of the Eastern Conference's two wild card spots, that is certainly subject to change.
But there's no denying how harmful McDonagh's loss could be to the Rangers' hopes of emerging victorious from that first-round bout, especially if they draw the suddenly red-hot Penguins. Through 73 games this season for the Blueshirts, McDonagh had collected 9 goals and 34 points, while average 22:21 minutes of ice time per night.
His possession metrics were actually mediocre - 47.7 Corsi For - but there's no downplaying the importance of his presence for Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault, especially considering the state of the rest of the Rangers blueliners not named Marc Staal. Vigneault was already forced to bench the rapidly aging Girardi - who may be dealing with a head injury of his own - earlier this season, and no one is going to confuse Yandle for a shutdown defenseman anytime soon.
In fact, first-year pro Brady Skjei is likely to be the man asked to step up in McDonagh's absence and while he overcome a couple of iffy moments and played relatively well during the Ranger's Tuesday night victory over the also-reeling Lightning, it's a big ask for Vigneault to put that kind of pressure on the 22-year-old.
In the end, the Rangers may well be able to overcome the loss of McDonagh, assuming it's only for a small handful of games. But should the New York captain miss a significant portion of the Rangers' first-round series, it's hard to see how they could find their way past even the lowliest Eastern Conference opponent.
