2020–21 New York Rangers season
The 2020–21 New York Rangers season was the franchise's 94th season of play and their 95th season overall. Following the buyout of his contract on September 30, 2020, Henrik Lundqvist was not on the roster for the first time since the 2005–06 season. Before the season, the Rangers received the first overall pick in the draft lottery of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. They drafted Alexis Lafreniere, who became only the second player to be drafted first overall by the Rangers, after Andre Veilleux in 1965. On December 20, 2020, the league temporarily realigned  into four divisions with no conferences due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing closure of the Canada–United States border. As a result of this realignment, the Rangers played this season in the East Division and only played games against the other teams in their new division during the regular season. Fan attendance in home games was prohibited until February 23, 2021, per an executive order from Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo. The Rangers reopened Madison Square Garden to spectators on February 26. On March 17, head coach David Quinn and his assistant coaches, Jacques Martin, David Oliver , and Greg Brown were unavailable to coach the Rangers' game against the Philadelphia Flyers because of COVID-19 protocols and health and safety guidelines. A temporary coaching staff was called in and the team was coached by head coach Kris Knoblauch and assistant coach Gord Murphy from the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, and the team's associate general manager Chris Drury. This was the first time in the NHL an entire coaching staff was not allowed to be in the arena to coach a game due to a pandemic. The Rangers won the game 9–0, which was the largest margin  of victory since March 31, 1986, when they won 9–0 against the New Jersey Devils. The Rangers scored the most hat tricks of any NHL team during the season. The players were – Mika Zibanejad (3), Chris Kreider (2), and Pavel Buchnevich (1). This was the most since the 1991–92 season when the team had eight. On May 3, the Rangers were eliminated from playoff contention after a 6–3 loss to the Washington Capitals. Two days later, Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton and president/alternative governor John Davidson were both relieved of their duties by the organization. They were replaced by  former Rangers captain Chris Drury who was named the new president and general manager. On May 12, the Rangers fired head coach David Quinn by team's president Chris Drury after the team failed to make the playoffs. Assistant coaches Jacques Martin, David Oliver and Greg Brown were also fired. Schedule and results. Regular season. The regular season schedule was published on December 23, 2020. Transactions. The Rangers were involved in the following transactions during the 2020–21 season. Draft picks. Below are the New York Rangers' selections at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on October 6 and  7, 2020, in a remote format, with teams convening via videoconferencing, and Commissioner Gary Bettman announcing selections from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. It was originally scheduled to be held on June 26–27, 2020, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, but was postponed on March 25, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the conclusion of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. Notes: