page_title: History of the New York Rangers
section_title: 2014–present
hierarchical_section_title: History of the New York Rangers / Modern era (1993–present) / 2014–present
caption_attribution_description: Talbot as a Ranger in October 2014.
context_page_description: The history of the New York Rangers hockey team began in 1926 when the National Hockey League granted a franchise to Tex Rickard, the founder of the team. The New York Rangers experienced early success, winning the Stanley Cup in only their second season of existence, and would go on to win two more in the next 12 years.
  After their Stanley Cup win in 1940, the Rangers then suffered through one of the longest championship droughts in NHL history, which became known as the Curse of 1940. The 54-year drought ended with a Stanley Cup win in 1994 by a team led by captain Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Adam Graves and Mike Richter, all of whose numbers have since been retired by the team.
context_section_description: On October 6, 2014, defenseman Ryan McDonagh was named the Rangers' 27th captain in team history, with Derek Stepan, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Martin St. Louis serving as alternates. In the 2014–15 season, the Rangers won the Presidents' Trophy for the third time in franchise history and their seventh division title by finishing with the best record in the NHL at 53–22–7. The 53 wins and 113 points both set franchise records. The division title was the Rangers' first in the Metropolitan Division, which was created during the NHL's realignment in the 2013 off-season. The team won 28 road games in the regular season, breaking the franchise record set the previous season. Over the course of the season, the Rangers agreed to terms on a contract extension with goaltender Cam Talbot, Marc Staal and Mats Zuccarello. In the playoffs, the Rangers dispatched the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games in the first round. The Rangers then came back from a 3–1 series deficit to win their second-round series against the Capitals in seven games, becoming the first team in NHL history to battle back from a 3–1 deficit in back-to-back seasons and sending the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final for the third time in four years. However, after winning the first game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Rangers lost Game 2 by four goals. The two teams split the first four games of the series, but the Rangers lost Game 5 2–0 at home, which gave the Lightning an opportunity to clinch the Conference Finals in Tampa Bay. However, this did not happen in Game 6, as Derick Brassard scored a hat-trick and assisted on two other goals in an emphatic 7–3 Rangers victory to force a Game 7 in New York. There, the Lightning shutout the Rangers 2–0, ending the Rangers' season and marking the first occasion the Rangers had ever lost a Game 7 at home in franchise history and the first time they lost an elimination game at home since they lost to Buffalo in 2007.
  On June 27, 2015 the Rangers traded Carl Hagelin and a pair of draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Emerson Etem and a draft pick, Cam Talbot and a draft pick to the Edmonton Oilers for three draft picks, and prospect Ryan Haggerty to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Antti Raanta, who was to become the backup goaltender to Lundqvist. Subsequently, on July 1, 2015, Glen Sather resigned as GM, with Jeff Gorton taking his place to become the 11th general manager in team history. On July 2, 2015, Martin St. Louis announced his retirement from professional hockey. The team then signed Emerson Etem and re-signed Oscar Lindberg, Jesper Fast, J. T. Miller and Derek Stepan. 
  The Rangers started off the 2015–16 season well. After 18 games, they had a 14–2–2 record and a nine-game winning streak, which was eventually halted by Tampa Bay. However, the organization soon went downhill in the winter, losing three-straight games against the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers. They eventually posted a 4–7–2 record in December for only ten points. In January, the Rangers started playing more efficiently, posting a fair 6–4–1 record, and improved in February by going on a 10–3–1 run without any back-to-back losses. On January 8, 2016, the Rangers traded Emerson Etem to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Nicklas Jensen and a sixth-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. On February 28, the Rangers traded prospect Aleksi Saarela, a 2016 second-round draft pick and a 2017 second-round draft pick for Carolina Hurricanes' captain Eric Staal, who later left the team after the season. The Rangers finished the season third in the division with 101 points for back-to-back 100+ point seasons. Despite high hopes, the Rangers were eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the 2016 playoffs in five games. On May 2, the Rangers agreed to terms with Antti Raanta on a contract extension, and on May 13, signed Pavel Buchnevich to an entry-level contract.
  On June 25, 2016, the Rangers acquired Nick Holden from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a 2017 fourth-round draft
caption: Cam Talbot with the Rangers during the 2014–15 NHL season. The Rangers signed Talbot to a contract extension during that season.
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