It's hard to call this season a disappointment for the New York Rangers, because we were never quite sure what the ceiling was for this team. They had strong depth, but general manager Jeff Gorton also seemed to make moves with a long-range plan in mind. This certainly wasn't a Stanley Cup-or-bust kind of season in New York.

But then the path began to break for the Rangers, and it was easy to see a route for this team to get back to the Stanley Cup finals. In that sense, not finding a way to get past the Ottawa Senators is a real disappointment. It was there for the taking.

It sets up an interesting offseason for Gorton, who has some tough decisions to make. Here's the three primary areas on which he should focus first:

1. Make roster moves in preparation for the expansion draft

The Vegas Golden Knights have targeted the Rangers as the rare team that has exposure issues in all three areas: forward, defense and goal. If nothing changes, Vegas GM George McPhee is going to have nice options to grab off of the Rangers' roster that could include Michael Grabner, Antti Raanta or Nick Holden, depending on how things shake out. That speaks to the depth Gorton has collected, but it also means the Rangers are going to lose a player they'd rather keep. Maybe they've just come to terms with the idea that they're going to lose someone, it'll only be one, and they'll go from there.

Or, Gorton can be proactive and start moving salary or players in anticipation of the expansion draft so that he at least gets something in return. Which brings us to point No. 2.

2. Restructure the defense

The no-movement clauses on the contracts for Dan Girardi and Marc Staal are a real problem. So is the money and term remaining on those deals. Holden had a strong campaign for the Rangers this season, especially at a cap hit of $1.65 million, and isn't the kind of player the Rangers can afford to lose in the expansion draft. But if they are forced to protect Girardi and Staal because of their contracts, along with captain Ryan McDonagh, there's the three defensemen in the 7-3-1 option. That's a problem.

The logical solution is to buy out Girardi, as difficult as that might be. But it helps the cause heading into the expansion draft, and they could use the cap space saved to accomplish point No. 3.

3. Sign Kevin Shattenkirk

Brendan Smith ended up being a nice addition for the Rangers after he was acquired at the trade deadline from the Detroit Red Wings, and if there's a way to keep him around, it might be more fiscally responsible.

But if we're trying to win a Stanley Cup here before Henrik Lundqvist retires, Gorton should go big and get Shattenkirk. He has his warts defensively and has been hot and cold in the playoffs, but a double-digit goal defenseman who can be penciled in for 40 points isn't easy to find. He's a right-handed shot, and the prototypical modern defenseman for the modern game.

A top four with McDonagh, Shattenkirk, Brady Skjei and Holden is a heck of a start for the Rangers next season.