Stanley Cup back on? Rangers look like themselves again

The return from injury of Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil and Chris Kreider has undoubtedly helped. It should be noted that Kreider is playing with Chytil on the third line, with Will Cuylle remaining on Mika Zibanejad’s left. After nearly a decade of playing on the same line, does the recent resurgence from Zibanejad come down to playing with new linemates? Perhaps another week or two will give a more definitive answer.

What is certain is that the Rangers' defensive solidarity has been improved by trade acquisitions Will Borgen and Urho Vaakanainen.

By his admission, it took Borgen a few weeks to find his footing on Broadway. Now settled, he has provided all the physicality that Trouba once did but without the penchant for taking himself out of the play to lay a hit. A superior skater than Trouba, Borgen can recover more readily from any positioning errors he does make. Despite his glaring error against Dallas, K’Andre Miller looks settled with Borgen to his right.

A former first-round pick, Vaakanainen’s old-fashioned stay-at-home stylings are precisely what the Rangers needed. He’s not flashy and will provide practically zero offensively, as evidenced by 27 points in 155 career games, but he makes the simple plays well, clears the crease and is rarely out of position. He and Borgen have solidified a porous backline.

With the team looking like they have turned a corner, can New York make a playoff push? In 14th place in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers sit four points below Boston for a wild-card spot. As you may have noticed by only four points separating seven teams, that part of the Eastern standings is a logjam. Their next four games — vs. Columbus, Montreal, Ottawa and Philadelphia — could be season-defining.

Should they qualify for the playoffs, New York will be the epitome of a 'nobody wants to see them in the first round' matchup. So often, we see that seeding in the NHL doesn’t matter when the playoffs roll around. Instead, a hot/cold goalie, a forward or two over/underperforming, or an ill-timed injury tend to be more indicative of results rather than home ice. Is there anybody, perhaps Florida aside, that genuinely scares the Rangers?

Of course, there is one man whose belief is vital: General manager Chris Drury. If he doesn’t feel that his team can at least match last season's conference finals appearance, does he look to sell off his pending free agents in Ryan Lindgren, Reilly Smith and the suddenly expendable Jimmy Vesey?

While their departures — presumably for picks — would give opportunities to Zac Jones, Brett Berard and Brennan Othmann, they would rob the Rangers of practically any depth and indicate to the remaining players that the front office doesn’t have much faith in them.

The veterans have already reacted in a less than professional fashion to Drury’s earlier moves. Letting go of more beloved leaders could sink the Rangers' ship.

So much depends on this upcoming run of games. Should New York pick up three wins and haul themselves back into the playoff race, expect Drury to stand pat. If they can claim only two or three points, then Drury might have no choice but to sell.

The following five days will not just be season-defining for the Rangers. They could be era-defining.