2014 New York Rangers: Where are they now?
The last time the New York Rangers skated in the Stanley Cup Final was June 2014, exactly 20 years from the previous triumph of 1994, ending a historic 54-year championship drought. Unfortunately, that ended with them losing to the Los Angeles Kings.
While Saturday’s 2-1 loss saw the return of former Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, it was also a trip down memory lane of that squad. As we approach a decade since that magical run of 2014, the Rangers are in the middle of a potentially magical season and are in contention of ending another lengthy stretch without a new banner, which stands at 29 years.
In 2013-14, 34 players played a game with New York during the regular season, with the number trimmed down to 24 during the Stanley Cup playoffs, which saw the Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers (4-3), Pittsburgh Penguins (4-3), and Montreal Canadiens (4-2) before losing to the Los Angeles Kings in five games.
Out of those 24 players, only nine are still active in professional hockey, with one serving as an NHL head coach, another playing in Sweden and Switzerland, and just one skater still with the Rangers organization. After 45 games in 2023-24, New York has now faced all former members of the 2014 team who are still in the NHL.
Since we are coming up on the anniversary of that playoff run, we thought it would be fun to see what happened to everyone from that team and find out where they are now.
Related: Rangers playoff history
2014 New York Rangers (still active)
Chris Kreider – New York Rangers
Chris Kreider is the only member of the 2014 Stanley Cup Finalists still skating in New York, where he is currently 10th all-time in points and third in goals. After 12 seasons, he’s the team’s heartbeat and is only 15 goals away from breaking the team record for powerplay goals.
“Felt like every time we had a two-on-one and I thought I had an open net, all of a sudden his leg came over,” Kreider recalled to the NY Post on Quick’s goaltending in the Final. “He’s doing some full split. It felt like every time we did beat him, it found the post, which I think is just a sign of a goalie who is on his angles, really on his angles.”
Ryan McDonagh – Nashville Predators
Ryan McDonagh’s first chance to win the Stanley Cup came in 2014, but within five years, he’d win back-to-back titles with the Tampa Bay Lightning. After 14 years in the NHL, he’s approaching 900 games and skating in his second season with the Nashville Predators.
Martin St. Louis – Montreal Canadiens (Head Coach)
Martin St. Louis was a lightning rod in the 2014 playoffs, playing a heroic role in the team’s march to the Final. Although he came to New York at the trade deadline, he skated an entire season with the team in 2014-15 before retiring immediately after. As a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2018, he became head coach of the Montreal Canadiens in February 2022.
Mats Zuccarello – Minnesota Wild
Mats Zuccarello was 26 when the Rangers contended for the Cup in 2014, leaving the club five seasons later, briefly skating with the Dallas Stars before signing with the Minnesota Wild as a free agent in 2019. He recently skated in his 800th game and tallied his 600th point during his 14th season.
Marc Staal – Philadelphia Flyers
Marc Staal was a Rangers prospect who spent the first 13 years of his career in New York, playing in the 2014 Final and returning to the championship series in 2023 while playing with the Florida Panthers. Although he’s bounced around at the late stages of his career, he’s currently in Philadelphia, continuing his NHL career at 37.
J.T. Miller – Vancouver Canucks
J.T. Miller was only 20 years old in 2014, skating in just four games during the playoff run. Now, as a top star with the Vancouver Canucks, Miller set a career-high of 99 points in 2021-22 and is on pace to surpass that in 2023-24 as one of the NHL’s top scorers.
Cam Talbot – Los Angeles Kings
Cam Talbot was 26 when he made his NHL debut in 2013-14, appearing in 21 regular season games and two playoff games as Henrik Lundqvist played most of the starts. Today, after stops in six other cities, he’s the main guy for the Los Angeles Kings, earning a 232-167-41 record through 11 seasons.
Anton Strålman – HV71 (Sweden)
Anton Stralman played 16 years in the NHL and recently returned home to Sweden in 2023 to play in the SHL. Interestingly, he played in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, losing in 2014 and 2015. He skated in 938 games for seven franchises, most recently with the Bruins in 2022-23.
Raphael Diaz – HC Fribourg-Gottéron (Switzerland)
Raphael Diaz played 201 games in the NHL over four seasons, skating with four clubs, including 11 games with the Rangers in 2013-14. Despite a short career in North America, where he appeared in 13 playoff games, Diaz has had a lengthy career in Switzerland, where he still plays in 2023-24, skating with HC Fribourg-Gottéron.
2014 New York Rangers (retired)
Henrik Lundqvist – Retired (Hockey Hall of Fame)
Lundqvist only played in the Stanley Cup Final once during his legendary 15-year career. As the winningest netminder in franchise history, the Rangers let him go at the end of his contract in 2020, and he signed as a free agent with the Washington Capitals. Unfortunately, he never skated in a game with his new club, forced into retirement due to an irregular heartbeat. He currently serves as an analyst for TNT and the MSG network.
Carl Hagelin – Retired
Carl Hagelin won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017 and skated with four NHL teams besides the Rangers, recently announcing his retirement. While skating with the Capitals, he served a career-ending eye injury in practice, prematurely ending his career at 35.
Brad Richards – Retired
Brad Richards won the Stanley Cup in 2004, played with the Rangers in the Final in 2014, and won a second ring in 2015 with the Chicago Blackhawks. The former Conn Smythe winner retired in 2016 after scoring 932 points in 1,126 games.
Benoit Pouliot – Retired
Benoit Pouliot was a fourth overall pick in 2005, skating with seven teams over 625 games. His only chance at a Stanley Cup ring came in 2014, the one season he played on Broadway. After leaving the club that summer, he played with the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres before retiring at 31 in 2018.
Rick Nash – Retired
Rick Nash spent six seasons in New York, getting close to a championship in 2014, only leaving the club in a trade with the Boston Bruins in 2018 that brought Ryan Lindgren to town. After just 11 games with the Bruins, he retired in 2018 at 33.
Brian Boyle – Retired
Brian Boyle won the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2017 for returning to the NHL after blood and bone marrow cancer treatment. He played for eight teams during his 14-year career, skating with the Rangers for five seasons, getting close to a championship in 2014, and retiring after the 2022 season. He currently serves as an analyst for the MSG network.
Dominic Moore – Retired
Dominic Moore is another Masterton Trophy winner, taking home the award during the same season New York advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. As one of the few players in team history to have two runs with the Blueshirts, he played 897 games over 13 years, retiring from the NHL and playing 11 games in Switzerland before leaving professional hockey in 2018.
Dan Girardi – Retired
Dan Girardi skated the blueline at Madison Square Garden for 11 seasons before wrapping up his NHL career with the Lightning in 2018. As the skater with the 10th most games played with the Rangers, he came close to winning the Stanley Cup in 2014 and just missed out on the back-to-back titles in Tampa Bay by a season.
Kevin Klein – Retired
Kevin Klein spent the first nine seasons with the Nashville Predators before coming to New York before the team’s march to the Stanley Cup Final. After four seasons in New York, he retired from the NHL after 627 games in 2017 at 27, skating two seasons in Switzerland before leaving professional hockey in 2019.
Derek Stepan – Retired
Derek Stepan began his NHL career with the Rangers in 2010 and most recently played in the league with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2022-23. Unable to land a new contract this past summer, he retired at 32, playing for the Stanley Cup just once in his 13-year career.
Derick Brassard – Retired
Derick Brassard was a top pick (sixth overall) and had a distinguished 16-year NHL career, skating with 10 teams and 1,013 games. As a journeyman player, the closest he got to winning the Stanley Cup came in 2014 with the Rangers. At 35 and unable to land a new deal, he last skated with the Ottawa Senators in 2022-23.
Derek Dorsett – Retired
Derek Dorsett skated in the NHL for 10 seasons, appearing in 515 games with three clubs, including a one-year stint with the Rangers, who lost in the Finals that year. After playing with the Canucks in 2017-18, he retired at 31.
John Moore – Retired
John Moore played with the Rangers for three seasons, joining the club in 2013 and departing in 2015. As another first-round pick (21st overall), he played 12 years in the NHL, dressing in 544 games with five franchises, retiring at 31 after the 2021-22 season.
Daniel Carcillo – Retired
Daniel Carcillo had a brief nine-year career in the NHL, skating in 429 games with five teams. Despite missing out on a Stanley Cup title in 2014, he would win the game’s biggest prize a season later as a member of the Blackhawks, retiring from professional hockey after the parade at 30.
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