Artemi Panarin, Henrik Lundqvist highlight Rangers’ NHL quarter-century team

On Sunday, the NHL revealed the New York Rangers’ quarter-century team.

The first team features many stars from the team’s recent history. Forwards Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad – all on the active roster – are in front of defensemen Adam Fox and Ryan McDonagh and Hall of Fame goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

Panarin is the player behind the Rangers speeding up the “rebuild” they planned about a half-decade ago. When it looked like the team was heading for some dark years, the Russian sniper came to the team and has been a firecracker ever since. Since joining the team, Panarin has 500 points in 384 games, including another 35 points in 46 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Kreider is the longest-tenured Ranger and has been one of the team’s most consistent scorers since joining the team during the 2012 playoffs. The Massachusetts native leads all Rangers with 548 points this century, doing so in 847 games. Kreider is also the franchise’s all-time leader in playoff games played (123) and goals (48).

Zibanejad has come alive over the past few seasons, becoming one of the Rangers’ most dangerous weapons on the power play. Only Kreider has more points this millennium than Zibanejad, who has notched 548 points in 603 games.

Adam Fox’s path to the Rangers might be shrouded with controversy, but the dynamic blueliner has been one of the team’s top players over the past several years. The Harvard product won the Norris Trophy in 2021, totaling 336 points in 393 appearances.

McDonagh played 516 games for the Blueshirts from 2010 to 2018, posting 238 points in 516 games. Not known as the most offensive defenseman, his two-way play made him a reliable figure on the back end.

Regarded by some as one of the best netminders to have never won the Stanley Cup, Lundqvist retired from the game as the best goaltender in Rangers history. King Henrik broke into the NHL during the 2005-06 season and went on to become the all-time leader in wins (459) among European-born backstops, which is sixth among all goaltenders.

The second team has a few older faces, including forwards Jaromir Jagr, Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello. Defenseman Dan Girardi and Marc Staal are listed alongside current Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin.

Jagr is on his way to the Hall of Fame…whenever he finally retires. The Czech star might’ve only played a few seasons in Manhattan, but he certainly left his mark. Jagr scored a franchise record 123 points during the 2005-06 season, a mark that still stands today. The two-time Stanley Cup champ scored 319 points in 277 games with the Rangers.

Stepan scored the fourth-most points by a Ranger over the past 25 years, scoring 360 points in 515 games with the club. He was the team’s No. 1 center during the team’s runs in the early 2010s, which included a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. Zuccarello was a heart-and-soul player with a scoring touch with whom Rangers fans fell in love. Prior to being traded in 2019. The Norwegian scored 352 points in 509 games with the team.

While his tenure might’ve left Rangers fans sour, no player donned the team’s sweater more in this century than Marc Staal. The Thunder Bay native played 892 games with the Blueshirts, including another 107 in the playoffs. Girardi was in many of those runs with Staal. In 788 games with the team, the hard-hitting defensive defenseman played in 122 postseason games over his tenure.

Shesterkin is one of the best goaltenders in the game today. In just over four seasons, the Russian backstop has already won the Vezina Trophy, accomplishing the feat during the 2021-22 campaign. His success has led to him becoming the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history, signing an eight-year, $11.5 million contract extension last month.