2007 – 08 New York Rangers season The 2007 – 08 New York Rangers season began October 4 , 2007 . It was the New York Rangers ' 81st season in the National Hockey League . In 2006 – 07 , an impressive late season run brought the team from 12th to 6th place in the Eastern Conference , but the team ran out of steam in the Conference Semi - finals before losing in six games to the Buffalo Sabres . The off - season began in late June with the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus , Ohio . The Rangers had the 17th overall pick in the first round , yet came away with a steal as Russian superstar Alexei Cherepanov fell for the taking , despite being considered by many rankings to be a top 5 prospect , and the top European available in the draft . A variety of reasons have been postulated for Cherepanov ' s drop , most notably , the lack of a new transfer agreement between the National Hockey League and the International Ice Hockey Federation concerning players from Russia . In the second round , the Rangers selected goaltender Antoine Lafleur from the P . E . I . Rocket of the QMJHL . Lafleur was ranked # 3 among North American goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting . The Rangers made a tremendous splash on July 1 , the first day of free agency . Within a 30 – minute span on that Sunday evening , the Rangers announced the signings of two of the biggest center icemen available on the market , nabbing Scott Gomez from the rival New Jersey Devils and Chris Drury from the Buffalo Sabres . As both players had worn # 23 with their previous teams , general manager Glen Sather flipped a puck at their introductory press conference to determine who would wear # 23 on the Rangers ; the winner was Drury . After these signings , left out of the picture was center Michael Nylander , who had reportedly signed with the Edmonton Oilers , but then actually signed with the Washington Capitals . In addition , the Rangers also lost Jed Ortmeyer , Brad Isbister , Karel Rachunek , and Kevin Weekes to the free agency market , the latter two signing with the rival New Jersey Devils . The Rangers re - signed a number of their own free agents , including Jason Strudwick , Petr Prucha , and Brendan Shanahan . Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and forward Marcel Hossa had been designated for salary arbitration , but both signed contracts before reaching their respective hearings . Sean Avery did go through arbitration and was awarded a one - year deal worth $ 1 . 9 million . The multitude of high profile free agent signings in July left the Rangers dangerously close to the league ' s $ 50 . 3 million salary cap . This effectively forced the Rangers to deal Matt Cullen and his $ 2 . 875 million per year cap number back to the Carolina Hurricanes . At the start of the season , the Rangers total cap number was over the league maximum , but player bonuses can be deferred to the next season if it causes a team to exceed the upper limit of the salary cap , so the Rangers were in compliance . On April 3 , 2008 the New York Rangers clinched a playoff berth for the 3rd consecutive season in a 3 – 0 win against the rival Islanders . Playoffs . The New York Rangers ended the 2007 – 08 regular season as the Eastern Conference ' s fifth seed . The Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference Quarter - finals in five games . This was the fifth playoff meeting between the two clubs , with the Rangers having won four of those series . They were eventually eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semi - finals by the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games . Player stats . Skaters . " Note : GP = Games played ; G = Goals ; A = Assists ; Pts = Points ; + / - = Plus / Minus ; PIM = Penalty Minutes " Goaltenders . " Note : GP = Games Played ; W = Wins ; L = Losses ; OT = Overtime / Shootout Losses ; SA = Shots Against ; SV = Saves ; Sv % = Save Percentage ; GA = Goals Against ; GAA = Goals Against Average ; TOI = Time On Ice ; SO = Shutouts " Transactions . The Rangers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2007 – 08 season . Players re - signed . < nowiki > * < / nowiki > Sean Avery re - signed through salary arbitration . Draft picks . New York ' s picks at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus , Ohio . Farm teams . Hartford Wolf Pack ( AHL ) . The 2007 – 08 season was the 11th season of AHL hockey for the franchise . The team ' s status as the Rangers ' highest - level minor - league affiliate became questionable when Northland AEG LLC purchased the Hartford Civic Center from Madison Square Garden , L . P . ; however , on May 29 , 2007 , it was announced that the franchise will remain in Hartford and will remain affiliated with the Rangers . Hartford finished the regular season with a record of 50 – 20 – 2 – 8 for a total of 110 points , a franchise high . P . A . Parenteau led the team with 81 points in 75 games , and team captain Andrew Hutchinson won the Eddie Shore Award as the league ' s top defenseman . Portland eliminated Hartford from the playoffs in 5 games , marking two consecutive season ' s that the Wolf Pack failed to advance past the 1st round . Charlotte Checkers ( ECHL ) . The 2007 – 08 season was the 15th season of ECHL hockey for the franchise . Charlotte finished the regular season with a record of 34 – 31 – 1 – 6 for a total of 75 points . Gwinnett eliminated the Checkers from the playoffs in 3 games .