Once John Davidson is officially installed as Rangers' president, the organization's roadmap to contention will be hashed out.
Should the Blueshirts stay the course by patiently rebuilding around youth or will the franchise aggressively pursue prime-aged additions through free agency and trades? Fans and media could get a glimpse into Davidson's thinking once he succeeds longtime team president Glen Sather.
To obtain hints about Rangers' future, let's first examine Davidson's past.
Back in 2006, Davidson oversaw a transformation of the downtrodden St. Louis Blues. When JD arrived in St. Louis, a difficult task awaited him. The Blues had finished with the NHL's worst overall record and the league's lowest attendance after a dismal 57-point season.
Though the turnaround wasn't immediate, the Blues went from cellar dwellers to a genuine Western Conference powerhouse during a six-year tenure. The Blues finished first in the Central Division for the first time since 1999-2000 and won their first playoff series since 2002 during Davidson's final season with the club.
A new, cost-cutting ownership group led by Tom Stillman exercised a buyout on Davidson's contract – but the work done by Davidson and general manager Doug Armstrong had placed St. Louis in position to challenge for the Stanley Cup for years to come. When Davidson exited, the Blues had built a core around Alex Pietrangelo, David Backes, T.J. Oshie, Kevin Shattenkirk and David Perron.
Davidson's next stop was another rebuilding job in Columbus. The Blue Jackets had finished the 2011-12 season with the NHL's worst record in a 65-point season. Again, this wasn't a quick-fix scenario.
The megadeals that brought Seth Jones and Artemi Panarin to Columbus to team up with Cam Atkinson and Sergei Bobrovsky played a major part in the Blue Jackets winning their first playoff series in franchise history this season. Columbus completed an improbable first-round sweep of the Presidents' Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning before exiting in the second round after losing to the Boston Bruins in six games.
Now, a fresh challenge will await Davidson as Rangers' team president once he returns to the city where he played the majority of his career. Similar to his situation in St. Louis and Columbus, Davidson will inherit a team with a collection of talented youngsters and will be asked to help the Blueshirts take the next step toward playoff contention.
The only difference is that the stakes and attention will be so much higher in New York. There will be crucial decisions that will need to be made about draft strategy and free agent pursuits, as well as the futures of Chris Kreider, Alexandar Georgiev, Brendan Smith and Shattenkirk.
This summer isn't going to be as simple as throwing oodles of cash at Panarin to lure him to The Garden. For the Rangers to have a legitimate shot at signing Panarin, they will have to prove that Stanley Cup contention isn't far away. The Florida Panthers, who will rival the Blueshirts for Panarin's signature, have already hired his former coach Joel Quenneville and are in position to compete right away if they can acquire a couple of A-list stars. It wouldn't be surprising if Panarin and Bobrovsky both take their talents to South Beach.
Years spent together in Columbus will give Davidson insight into Panarin's ambitions and his decision process. If Panarin wants to play at The Garden, then it's a no-brainer – but Davidson's task is so much deeper than simply aiding general manager Jeff Gorton in luring the finest talents to 32nd street and 7th avenue.
Davidson is going to come in and take a deep look at the Rangers' scouting, player development and analytics. There's going to be changes and modernization to the way the Blueshirts operate.
Additionally, there needs to be a deep overhaul of the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, who have missed the playoffs for four straight seasons. Though several youths have been fast-tracked to The Garden, the operation in Hartford has grown stagnant in both on-ice results and the number of players pushing for NHL roster spots.
This is going to be a massive job, but Davidson has the experience needed to guide the Rangers into a new era.
Follow Sean on Twitter -- @HartnettHockey
