Looking ahead for the New York Rangers: Time to spend?

As each NHL team is eliminated from playoff contention -- either mathematically or by losing in the postseason -- we'll take a look at why its quest for the Stanley Cup fell short in 2018-19, along with three keys to its offseason, impact prospects for 2019-20 and a way-too-early prediction on what 2019-20 will hold.

What went wrong

Nothing went wrong. In fact, everything went according to plan.

The Rangers laid out their strategy for a rebuild with rare transparency in February 2018, and everything management outlined in "The Letter" has gone exactly as advertised. New York promised it would "be focused on adding young, competitive players that combine speed, skill and character." The Rangers incorporated plenty of fresh faces -- to varying degrees of success -- in the 2018-19 lineup, including 23-year-old goalie (of the future?) Alexandar Georgiev; Filip Chytil, 19; Brett Howden, 20; Lias Andersson, 20; Pavel Buchnevich, 23; Tony DeAngelo, 23; and Neal Pionk, 23.

New York also warned it "may lose some familiar faces, guys we all care about and respect." Gone at the trade deadline were fan favorites Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes.

The growing pains for this group were apparent; first-year coach David Quinn established his tone early and followed through with regular benchings to send messages. That seemed to take a toll on some veterans, who are not used to losing. But by the end of the season, there were very few of those veterans left. Only Chris Kreider, Henrik Lundqvist, Marc Staal and Jesper Fast remain from the 2015 Presidents' Trophy-winning team.

Now for the good news: New York has stockpiled picks like few other teams. The Rangers will have five picks over the first two rounds in the upcoming draft, including potentially three in the first round alone. For a team that has been low on draft capital for some time (thanks to a win-now mentality over the past decade), that's an excellent haul.

Keys to the offseason

Show discipline. They'll have lots of cap space. There will be marquee free agents on the market this summer (ahem, Artemi Panarin), and many of them will be linked to the Rangers because, well, they're the Rangers -- and history tells us they can't help themselves from making a splash. In this market (with this fan base), management needs to be careful of biding too much time being irrelevant. But if they're going to rebuild the right way, doing a quick fix with a high-priced free agent this summer could do more harm than good.

Take care of the restricted free agents. Buchnevich, Vinni Lettieri, Brendan Lemieux, Pionk, DeAngelo and Fredrik Claesson all hit restricted free agency this summer. With the exception of Claesson, who is 26 years old, all of these players are 23 and under and should figure into next season's plans, some as stopgaps, others as centerpieces of the future.

Incorporate prospects. Andersson, Chytil and Buchnevich all began seeing expanded roles with the Rangers this season. They should have company soon. Many eyes will be on talented teenager Vitali Kravtsov, the No. 9 pick of last year's draft, who carries high expectations. Ditto highly touted goaltending prospect Igor Shestyorkin. Even though Georgiev had an excellent season, the Rangers might want to find a way to get Shestyorkin some NHL reps as they clarify their contingency plan for the post-Lundqvist era.

Impact prospects for 2019-20

Lias Andersson, C, age 20: Though he technically graduated from being called a prospect, I thought it was worth mentioning Andersson, who should have a bigger opportunity next season. It has been an up-and-down campaign, but this was still his first full season in North America. I think getting the AHL time last season helped a lot, but there's a lot more work left to be done. Andersson does not have exceptional skill, but he's smart and versatile. Next season will be all about finding where he fits in the team's lineup and how he figures into their longer-term plans.

Vitali Kravtsov, RW, age 19: As soon as Kravtsov's KHL contract wraps up, he is expected to come to North America next season. I think he has the skill level and talent to play in the NHL right away, but it probably wouldn't hurt the Rangers to give him some time in the AHL just to get a better feel for North American pro hockey. He had 21 points in 50 games with Chelyabinsk this season, marking the ninth-highest total for an under-20 player in that league's history. Kravtsov has a large frame (6-foot-4, 183 pounds) and confident puck skills, so I would expect his transition to go relatively smoothly, but the Rangers should be cautious with him. If all goes well, he'd be a key piece of their rebuild.

Libor Hajek, D, age 21: Injured during his call-up to the Rangers last week, Hajek was doing pretty well in his initial taste of the NHL. Over the course of the season in the AHL, he was still finding his way in pro hockey, but I liked that the Rangers gave him a chance to see what the top level was like. I think he may need more time to find his offensive game in the AHL, but there could be a spot for him again next season as the season progresses. He's big, skates well and he has more skill than his five assists in 58 AHL games showed this season. Seeing how he raised his level of play when he was with the Rangers, there's a lot to look forward to with him.

Realistic expectation for 2019-20

There will be more pain (or rather, more time being out of the playoff mix in earnest) before the Rangers are contenders again. New York should show improvements next season with so many young players getting experience, but a playoff berth seems like a stretch.