Shattenkirk likes direction Rangers are headed with Quinn

NEW YORK --The New York Rangers may be getting younger in an attempt to start another long stretch of qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but that doesn't mean they can't be competitive next season.
So for Rangers fans who think this "rebuild" is going to be a long, excruciating process, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said he and his teammates have other ideas.

RELATED: [Quinn will be success as Rangers coach, predicts Penguins' Sullivan | Rangers coaching job too good an opportunity for Quinn to pass up]
"I think that word is being overused everywhere in the NHL now," Shattenkirk said after the Rangers introduced David Quinn as the 35th coach in their history at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. "With [the Vegas Golden Knights] now, that wasn't a rebuild, that was a 'build.' I think that's been coined as a phrase now.
"I think nowadays, it's just the nature of the League. It's the way it is. When a team like the New York Rangers has competed for Stanley Cups now, up until this year for the last eight, 10 years, whatever it was, you have to sacrifice draft picks to get free agents. In a salary cap era, that's the way it is."

Shattenkirk's first season with the Rangers after he signed as an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2017 was derailed by a knee injury in January; he was limited to 46 games, with 23 points (five goals, 18 assists). He said his rehabilitation is going well and hopes to begin skating next month.
After Shattenkirk's season-ending injury, the Rangers traded defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller to the Tampa Bay Lightning and forward Rick Nash to the Boston Bruins, signaling a change in direction. General manager Jeff Gorton was determined to rebuild New York into a younger, faster group.
"There's always going to be a time when you have to reset and build a foundation again," Shattenkirk, 29, said. "I think there's a lot of good core players here, older and younger. When you look at the guys on our team, a lot of them they're young, but they have NHL experience. I think that's important. We're not bringing in a bunch of 18- and 19-year-olds who don't know what the lay of the land is in the League. That's going to be important for us."
Young players including forwards Lias Andersson, 19, and Filip Chytil, 18, and defenseman Neil Pionk, 22, could play key roles for the Rangers next season, but a healthy Shattenkirk, along with forwards Kevin Hayes and Chris Kreider and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, could keep them in the mix for a playoff berth.
New York also hopes for an infusion of more youth, thanks to three first-round selections in the 2018 NHL Draft on June 22-23. The Rangers have the No. 9 pick (their own), the No. 26 pick (from the Bruins in the Nash trade) and the No. 28 pick (from the Lightning in the McDonagh/Miller trade).
"I hate timelines," Gorton said. "I don't want to be tied to a timeline on a rebuild. I think we have a lot of work to do, but I think we have a lot of good players here and I think we have a lot of good, young players coming. We're really excited about where it's going now. How long it's going to take, I don't know. If you look around the League, it's been different for different teams that have done this. I'm just excited about today and our young players coming. I think it's a good buzz."
That buzz was visible Thursday when Quinn met the New York media for the first time as its coach. Shattenkirk played for Quinn when he was an assistant at Boston University.
"It doesn't matter who you are, he holds you to a different standard," said Shattenkirk, who also played 10 games for Quinn with Lake Erie of the American Hockey League during the 2010-11 season. "As a head coach, I think he likes to play fast, he wants to play that up-tempo sort of game. He lets you make plays. But you have to make the right plays."

This will be Hayes' first experience playing for Quinn, though the two have known each other for more than a decade. Hayes, who played at Boston College, is also of the belief the Rangers can be a playoff team as early as next season.
"You say the word 'rebuild' and everyone thinks it's going to be a brutal team," Hayes said. "That's going to be the complete opposite attitude of us. You look around the League, the best teams have those young, hard-working players. I think we have a pretty good group of that, along with our leadership and stuff.
"No one expects it to be to 'sit back and rebuild.' Everyone wants to win from Game One."