Rangers hoping Lundqvist can still be elite as they’re rebuilding

The rebuild continues.

The Rangers remain steadfast in their mission to make themselves new again, which was declared to the fans in the infamous letter sent by team president Glen Sather and general manager Jeff Gorton in February.

That began the selling off of assets in earnest, which included trades of captain Ryan McDonagh and integral pieces Rick Nash and J.T. Miller. It continued immediately after the season, when they fired head coach Alain Vigneault and eventually replaced him with college man, David Quinn.

Yet what that means is that when training camp opens with on-ice work Friday, they are as unpredictable as any team in the league. Besides goalie Henrik Lundqvist, they have young players at every position who need to prove themselves. The same could be said for Quinn in his first NHL head-coaching gig. The playoffs are not totally out of the question, but let’s look at some of their biggest questions.

1. Does Lundqvist still have it?

The Swedish netminder who has been a staple between the pipes for over a decade will turn 37 in March and has three more years at $8.5 million per season on his contract. The past two seasons have been inconsistent, with moments of brilliance mixed with not-so-brilliant. If he’s still elite, the Rangers have a chance to win every night.

2. Who is David Quinn?

Coming out of Boston University, the fresh-faced Quinn is hoping to inject new life into the Rangers systems. That starts with the back end, where Vigneault so struggled to get the team to properly defend. He also needs respect in the locker room, where a couple of veteran voices dominate.

3. Does the sell-off continue?

There are a couple of pieces that might draw trade interest during the season — if not in camp — and Gorton has to weigh his commitment to the future over the present. Kevin Hayes signed a one-year deal and is set to be an unrestricted free agent after the season, as is Mats Zuccarello. If good assets can come back, would Gorton make the deals?

4. Quality young guns?

The most likely young contributors this season are the two first-round picks from 2017 — centers Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson. But there are a handful of other pieces that Gorton has accumulated over this rebuild who hope to push for a roster spot, including defensemen Ryan Lindgren and Libor Hajek, as well as center Brett Howden.

5. Vets’ health?

The Rangers desperately need Mika Zibanejad to be a top-line center if they want to be a playoff team, but it has been difficult for the 25-year-old Swede to stay on the ice for a full season. Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is also coming back from a serious knee injury, and hopes to be the cornerstone of the back end.