Henrik Lundqvist Issues a potent warning to the New York Rangers locker room as struggles persist

The New York Rangers were one NHL team who were pegged to run it back to the playoffs after their 2023-2024 President's Trophy run. Instead, fans and the team themselves have gone through ups and downs that have placed them outside of playoff contention.

Henrik Lundqvist would take a moment to give the Rangers a wake-up call.

After losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1, instead of giving them solace in light of their failures, he opted for a harsh truth, something professional hockey players should know by now.

Enjoy your time together now, because the team won't look like it will next season.

While the team shares a brunt of the blame for a failed campaign, there's no doubt that Peter Laviolette will have to share in that.

Instead of fantasizing about the playoffs, GM Chris Drury will have to plan out his moves for the offseason. This just isn't a contending team.

At 36-34-7 and 4th in the Metropolitan Division, the Rangers sit six points outside of the Montreal Canadiens in the wild card standings.

For the Rangers to think of even coming close to lapping them would require the blue shirts to go on a five-game winning streak, and the Canadiens would have to go lukewarm to give them a chance.

It seems as if the playoffs are a distant memory for a team that has effectively already quit earlier this year.

Can GM Chris Drury rebuild the team into a contender? That has yet to be seen.