NEW YORK (AP) — Fully into rebuilding Frans Nielsen Jersey Kids , the New York Rangers aren’t thinking about a deep playoff run. They simply want to get better.

The Rangers are coming off a year in which they dealt several stars at the trade deadline, finished last in the Metropolitan Division and missed the postseason for the first time in eight years.

They made a coaching change after the season, hiring David Quinn from Boston University to lead a younger team that has some veterans. Quinn, a Colorado Avalanche assistant in the lockout-shortened 2013 season who also coached in the AHL, is implementing a more up-tempo game.

“We want to come to the rink every day and be the best team we can possibly be,” Quinn said. “Make every player better on a daily basis, and if you do that, we’ll be better collectively and the winning and losing takes care of itself.”

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, whose first season in New York since signing as a free agent in 2017 was limited to five goals and 18 assists in 46 games because of a knee injury, has already noticed the difference.

“We’re a quicker team,” he said. “We want to get pucks moving up the ice quickly.”

The players have talked about how hard the practices have been under the new coach, and how that will help them.

“It’s been very strict lines of how we want to play and how we want to practice,” center Mika Zibanejad said. “The way we want to play that’s how we have been practicing and try to get those habits in.”

The Rangers still have several veteran stars, led by the 25-year-old Zibanejad, who is entering his eighth season in the league, and fellow forwards Chris Kreider Youth Jessie Bates III Jersey , Matz Zuccarello, Kevin Hayes, defenseman Marc Staal and goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

Last year’s poor finish came after a run in which they made the playoffs in 11 of 12 seasons, including one trip to the Stanley Cup Final (2014) and two other appearances in the conference finals (2012, 2015). And while experts aren’t giving them much of a chance, the Rangers aren’t ready to write off the season, though they are not looking too far ahead.

“The focus right now is just the start,” Lundqvist said. “But we do have a lot of skill in the room, I see that. And a lot of hungry players. That’s a good combination.”

Some other things to know as the Rangers head into the new season:

THE YOUNGSTERS

Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil, the team’s first round selections in the 2017 draft as teenagers, are expected to lead the youth movement.

Both centers could make the team after playing fewer than 10 games last season, with one of them possibly seeing time on the wing.

Zibanejad and Jimmy Vesey are both 25 and Pavel Buchnevich is 24.

AGELESS LUNDQVIST

The 36-year-old Lundqvist is coming off a season in which he went 26-26-7 with a 2.98 goals-against average — the highest of his career. It was also just the second time he finished with fewer than 30 wins; the other was the lockout-shortened 2012-13, when he was 24-16-3.

Lundqvist feels he is in good shape, with his weight down to around 182 pounds after being around 200 for many years previously. Neither he nor Quinn wants to put a target on the number of games the goalie will play.

“We’re both on the same page there,” Quinn said. “To me, it’s game by game Filip Forsberg Jersey , reading the situation.”

CENTER DEPTH

After finding themselves short on depth in the middle last season following the offseason trade that sent Derek Stepan to Arizona, the Rangers appear to be in better shape this year.

Zibanejad and Hayes figure to center the top two lines again, with Andersson, Chytil, Ryan Spooner and Vladislav Namestnikov competing for other spots. Boo Nieves also is in the mix.

AVOIDING INJURIES

Staying healthy will be key after a litany of injuries last season.

Zibanejad was out for about 10 games with a concussion last November. He had 11 goals and 11 assists in 22 games before the injury and finished the season with 20 goals and 27 assists.

Kreider missed two months after a rib was removed to help alleviate a blot clot in his right arm. Shattenkirk had season-ending knee injury in January, and Zuccarello and Lundqvist both dealt with an injured knee all season.

For any NFL team with a star quarterback of a certain age, the draft is an annual chance to anoint a successor.

It's also a chance for fans, pundits and the rest of the league to spend several months enthusiastically discussing whether that team will make the move.

The Los Angeles Chargers have had the same starting quarterback in every game since 2006, and Philip Rivers will turn 37 years old in the fall.

Already one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, Rivers said last week he is nowhere near retirement and intends to play "a handful more years."

That hasn't stopped the football world from wondering whether general manager Tom Telesco will decide that this is the year to grab his next quarterback when he makes the 17th overall pick on Thursday night.

After winning nine of their final 12 games and barely missing the playoffs last season, the Chargers have a solid roster with few obvious weak spots. The time could be right for a move toward the future behind center, but Telesco isn't sure.

"That's a question we know we'll get every year until we draft a quarterback," Telesco said Monday.

"The great thing right now is that we're very happy with Philip. He's our quarterback, hands down, rest assured, for this year and hopefully beyond. But we always have to have an eye on the future. That's part of our job. There are a lot of other areas on our football team that we'd like to add to Sven Andrighetto Jersey , too. That's all part of it."

Telesco realizes the questions are particularly sharp this spring not because of any decline in Rivers' play, which was largely outstanding last season, but because a handful of elite prospects could be available when the Chargers are on the clock.

Local product Josh Rosen and Heisman Trophy winners Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield all are conceivable possibilities for the Bolts, particularly if they elected to trade up a bit.

Telesco agrees the crop of quarterbacks in this draft is "a deep class, not only in the first round, but some other rounds as well. We've seen it the last couple of years. The quarterback classes have been pretty good. Guys are coming into the league and playing a little bit quicker than they used to."

With Geno Smith and Cardale Jones on the roster behind Rivers, Telesco has the luxury of knowing he doesn't need to draft a quarterback. He'll decide soon whether the succession plan will wait another year.

Here are more things to contemplate before the Chargers make their picks:

TOUGH CHOICES

The Chargers' prolonged surge into playoff contention last season left them squarely in the middle of the pack for the draft. Telesco would have rather been in the postseason than the 17th overall slot, but his scouts and executives believe they can get a worthy talent with their current position.

"You typically have about 18 to 20 first-round-graded players, give or take a couple," Telesco said. "If we don't trade out, we'll still get someone who we feel is a first-round player on our board. It's just more scenarios you have to work through."

BACK ON D

Telesco's team has plenty of desires, but no gaping needs that would compel them to value position over talent. Telesco said he will stick to his philosophy of picking the top available player, but he sees "more defense" among the desirable picks in this particular draft pool.

If that's a clue to the Chargers' intentions, they have plenty of needs, including a topflight safety to replace Tre Boston or a starting linebacker to help out Denzel Perryman.

While Los Angeles has one of the NFL's best pass-rushing duos with Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, another defensive tackle such as Vita Vea or Da'Ron Payne would bolster a sometimes porous run defense.

RUN IT BACK

Telesco acknowledges he could be looking for an offensive playmaker who can double as a kick returner after Los Angeles finished 30th in the league in return yards. The Bolts already have elite talent at receiver in Keenan Allen Daryl Williams Jersey , Tyrell Williams and Mike Williams, who is hard at work in the offseason program after an injury-filled rookie year as the seventh overall pick.

DO THE WORK

The Chargers' front office executives and scouts were busy this week preparing for the draft by sifting through hundreds of scouting reports and making their final evaluations before going into a massive mock draft.

"We'll go through different scenarios of where guys would go, and what we would do," Telesco said. "Because (on) draft day, you can't have those discussions. It's hard enough making decisions with the clock ticking down in front of you. You can't have those long discussions at that point. You have to have that decided."

HITS, MISSES AND BARGAINS

Telesco's first five years in charge included big hits in 2016 with first-round pick Bosa and second-round tight end Hunter Henry, both budding stars. He also grabbed running back Melvin Gordon in the first round in 2015 and got starting linebacker Denzel Perryman in the second round.

Telesco hasn't been as successful in unearthing hidden gems, with few later-round picks becoming major contributors. For instance, 2016 third-round pick Max Tuerk lasted just two years and failed to become the Bolts' starting center. But he got a huge hit in the third round in 2013 when he drafted Keenan Allen, who overcame injuries to become a Pro Bowl receiver.

Much of the evaluation of last year's class must wait, since first-round receiver Mike Williams didn't play much and second-round offensive lineman Forrest Lamp missed the whole season because of injuries.

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