After starting to turn things around in the 2006-07 season, the New York Rangers transformed the hockey club into one that made fans at Madison Square Garden proud. The series of moves pushed the team closer and closer to the salary cap, but also fielded an impressive roster with Jaromir Jagr, Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, and Brendan Shanahan.

The massive player movement motivated hockey fans to give the ice another shot after the lockout season a few years back and  sold plenty of Rangers tickets to see the team fight in the deepest, most competitive division in the NHL. A third place finish got them into the playoffs and pushed them past the New Jersey Devils before falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

All that momentum is teetering on the edge of being lost. Jaromir Jagr has decided to sign with a team in Russia. Shanahan, despite yes being old and on the downswing of his career, will probably not be signed as the Rangers are simply too close to the cap.

The Rangers next season will depend upon Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, and Nikolai Zherdev living up to their contracts. The Rangers have been embroiled in controversy with the front office over the web site. The Rangers upswing from the dismal years before the lockout may be short lived.

The ultra-competitive nature of the Atlantic Division is not the best place for a team to rebuild. Fans can just as easily get New Jersey Devils tickets across the river and see a team ready to compete. New York took some risks and is hoping they pay off as the hockey team prepares for next season.

The Rangers may be a far way from Detroit Red Wings-style domination, but they should at least be able to keep the Islanders out of their hair and keep the New York fan base.