2002–03 New York Rangers season

The 2002–03 New York Rangers season was the franchise's 77th season.^[1] In the regular season, the Rangers posted a 32–36–10–4 record, finishing fourth in the Atlantic Division.^[2] The Rangers' ninth-place finish in the Eastern Conference left them out of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the sixth straight season.^[3]

2002–03 New York Rangers
Division	4th Atlantic
Conference	9th Eastern
2002–03 record	32–36–10–4
Home record	17–18–4–2
Road record	15–18–6–2
Goals for	210
Goals against	231
Team information
General manager	Glen Sather
Coach	Bryan Trottier (Oct.–Jan.) Glen Sather (Jan.–Apr.)
Captain	Mark Messier
Alternate captains	Brian Leetch Eric Lindros
Arena	Madison Square Garden
Average attendance	18,148 (99.7%)
Minor league affiliate(s)	Hartford Wolf Pack Charlotte Checkers
Team leaders
Goals	Petr Nedved (27)
Assists	Tom Poti (37)
Points	Petr Nedved (58)
Penalty minutes	Dale Purinton (161)
Plus/minus	Cory Cross (+13)
Wins	Mike Dunham (19)
Goals against average	Mike Dunham (2.29)
← 2001–02 2003–04 →

The Rangers entered the season under the supervision of former Colorado Avalanche assistant coach and New York Islanders star Bryan Trottier in his first head coaching role.^[4] With the team on the outside of the playoff picture, he was fired after 54 games and replaced with general manager Glen Sather.^[5][6]

The Rangers saw a major milestone reached as goaltender Mike Richter won his 300th game with the team.^[7] Shortly thereafter, he suffered a concussion against the Edmonton Oilers when Todd Marchant accidentally struck his head with his knee. Combined with a skull fracture Richter suffered toward the end of the previous season when hit in the face with a slap shot, it was the second such injury he suffered in the previous eight months and caused him to miss the rest of the season. Richter retired before the start of the next season.^[8]

Regular season

Final standings

Atlantic Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	2	New Jersey Devils	82	46	20	10	6	216	166	108
2	4	Philadelphia Flyers	82	45	20	13	4	211	166	107
3	8	New York Islanders	82	35	34	11	2	224	231	83
4	9	New York Rangers	82	32	36	10	4	210	231	78
5	14	Pittsburgh Penguins	82	27	44	6	5	189	255	65

^[9]

Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference^[10]

R		Div	GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	P- Ottawa Senators	NE	82	52	21	8	1	263	182	113
2	Y- New Jersey Devils	AT	82	46	20	10	6	216	166	108
3	Y- Tampa Bay Lightning	SE	82	36	25	16	5	219	210	93
4	X- Philadelphia Flyers	AT	82	45	20	13	4	211	166	107
5	X- Toronto Maple Leafs	NE	82	44	28	7	3	236	208	98
6	X- Washington Capitals	SE	82	39	29	8	6	224	220	92
7	X- Boston Bruins	NE	82	36	31	11	4	245	237	87
8	X- New York Islanders	AT	82	35	34	11	2	224	231	83
8.5
9	New York Rangers	AT	82	32	36	10	4	210	231	78
10	Montreal Canadiens	NE	82	30	35	8	9	206	234	77
11	Atlanta Thrashers	SE	82	31	39	7	5	226	284	74
12	Buffalo Sabres	NE	82	27	37	10	8	190	219	72
13	Florida Panthers	SE	82	24	36	13	9	176	237	70
14	Pittsburgh Penguins	AT	82	27	44	6	5	189	255	65
15	Carolina Hurricanes	SE	82	22	43	11	6	171	240	61

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

Schedule and results

2002–03 regular season[11]
October: 4–6–2–0 (home: 2–4–1–0; road: 2–2–1–0) Game Date Opponent Score Record Recap 1 October 9 @ Carolina Hurricanes 4–1 1–0–0–0 Recap 2 October 11 Montreal Canadiens 4–1 1–1–0–0 Recap 3 October 12 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 6–0 1–2–0–0 Recap 4 October 15 Toronto Maple Leafs 5–4 2–2–0–0 Recap 5 October 17 @ Buffalo Sabres 4–4 OT 2–2–1–0 Recap 6 October 19 Nashville Predators 2–2 OT 2–2–2–0 Recap 7 October 21 Tampa Bay Lightning 4–2 2–3–2–0 Recap 8 October 23 Washington Capitals 2–1 2–4–2–0 Recap 9 October 25 Los Angeles Kings 6–2 2–5–2–0 Recap 10 October 26 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 4–3 3–5–2–0 Recap 11 October 28 Phoenix Coyotes 3–2 OT 4–5–2–0 Recap 12 October 30 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 3–0 4–6–2–0 Recap
November: 6–6–2–0 (home: 4–2–0–0; road: 2–4–2–0) Game Date Opponent Score Record Recap 13 November 2 @ Boston Bruins 3–2 4–7–2–0 Recap 14 November 3 St. Louis Blues 3–2 4–8–2–0 Recap 15 November 5 Edmonton Oilers 5–2 5–8–2–0 Recap 16 November 7 Calgary Flames 1–0 OT 6–8–2–0 Recap 17 November 9 @ Columbus Blue Jackets 6–3 6–9–2–0 Recap 18 November 11 @ San Jose Sharks 5–4 7–9–2–0 Recap 19 November 14 @ Calgary Flames 2–1 8–9–2–0 Recap 20 November 16 @ Vancouver Canucks 3–1 8–10–2-0 Recap 21 November 19 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 3–2 OT 9–10–2–0 Recap 22 November 21 @ New Jersey Devils 4–4 OT 9–10–3–0 Recap 23 November 23 New York Islanders 3–1 9–11–3–0 Recap 24 November 25 Carolina Hurricanes 3–1 10–11–3–0 Recap 25 November 28 @ Atlanta Thrashers 7–4 10–12–3–0 Recap 26 November 29 @ Dallas Stars 3–3 OT 10–12–4–0 Recap
December: 5–8–1–1 (home: 3–5–1–0; road: 2–3–0–1) Game Date Opponent Score Record Recap 27 December 1 Tampa Bay Lightning 4–3 11–12–4–0 Recap 28 December 3 Columbus Blue Jackets 5–3 12–12–4–0 Recap 29 December 5 @ Philadelphia Flyers 3–2 OT 12–12–4–1 Recap 30 December 6 Buffalo Sabres 4–1 12–13–4–1 Recap 31 December 8 Boston Bruins 4–1 12–14–4–1 Recap 32 December 11 Chicago Blackhawks 4–3 12–15–4–1 Recap 33 December 14 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 4–1 12–16–4–1 Recap 34 December 16 San Jose Sharks 2–1 OT 13–16–4–1 Recap 35 December 19 Montreal Canadiens 3–1 13–17–4–1 Recap 36 December 21 @ Detroit Red Wings 3–2 13–18–4–1 Recap 37 December 23 New Jersey Devils 2–2 OT 13–18–5–1 Recap 38 December 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–1 13–19–5–1 Recap 39 December 28 @ Florida Panthers 2–1 OT 14–19–5–1 Recap 40 December 29 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 5–3 14–20–5–1 Recap 41 December 31 @ Carolina Hurricanes 2–0 15–20–5–1 Recap
January: 6–6–1–1 (home: 2–3–1–1; road: 4–3–0–0) Game Date Opponent Score Record Recap 42 January 4 Washington Capitals 2–2 OT 15–20–6–1 Recap 43 January 6 Ottawa Senators 5–2 15–21–6–1 Recap 44 January 8 Carolina Hurricanes 5–1 16–21–6–1 Recap 45 January 9 @ Montreal Canadiens 3–2 16–22–6–1 Recap 46 January 11 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 3–1 17–22–6–1 Recap 47 January 13 Toronto Maple Leafs 5–1 18–22–6–1 Recap 48 January 15 @ Washington Capitals 2–1 OT 19–22–6–1 Recap 49 January 19 Philadelphia Flyers 4–2 19–23–6–1 Recap 50 January 21 @ New York Islanders 5–0 20–23–6–1 Recap 51 January 23 @ Nashville Predators 4–2 21–23–6–1 Recap 52 January 25 Atlanta Thrashers 4–1 21–24–6–1 Recap 53 January 26 @ Washington Capitals 7–2 21–25–6–1 Recap 54 January 28 @ Atlanta Thrashers 5–2 21–26–6–1 Recap 55 January 30 Colorado Avalanche 4–3 OT 21–26–6–2 Recap
February: 5–5–2–0 (home: 2–1–0–0; road: 3–4–2–0) Game Date Opponent Score Record Recap 56 February 5 Ottawa Senators 5–3 21–27–6–2 Recap 57 February 6 @ St. Louis Blues 4–4 OT 21–27–7–2 Recap 58 February 8 @ Philadelphia Flyers 2–1 21–28–7–2 Recap 59 February 12 @ Florida Panthers 3–1 22–28–7–2 Recap 60 February 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–0 23–28–7–2 Recap 61 February 15 @ Buffalo Sabres 5–4 23–29–7–2 Recap 62 February 17 @ Ottawa Senators 3–2 23–30–7–2 Recap 63 February 19 @ Minnesota Wild 4–2 24–30–7–2 Recap 64 February 21 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 6–2 25–30–7–2 Recap 65 February 23 @ Colorado Avalanche 4–1 25–31–7–2 Recap 66 February 25 @ New Jersey Devils 3–3 OT 25–31–8–2 Recap 67 February 27 Boston Bruins 4–1 26–31–8–2 Recap
March: 6–3–1–2 (home: 4–2–1–1; road: 2–1–0–1) Game Date Opponent Score Record Recap 68 March 1 Florida Panthers 5–2 27–31–8–2 Recap 69 March 3 New York Islanders 1–1 OT 27–31–9–2 Recap 70 March 7 Philadelphia Flyers 5–1 28–31–9–2 Recap 71 March 10 Florida Panthers 2–1 28–32–9–2 Recap 72 March 13 @ Ottawa Senators 3–2 OT 28–32–9–3 Recap 73 March 15 @ New Jersey Devils 3–1 28–33–9–3 Recap 74 March 17 New York Islanders 1–0 29–33–9–3 Recap 75 March 19 Buffalo Sabres 3–0 30–33–9–3 Recap 76 March 22 @ Philadelphia Flyers 2–1 31–33–9–3 Recap 77 March 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–1 31–34–9–3 Recap 78 March 29 @ Boston Bruins 3–1 32–34–9–3 Recap 79 March 31 Atlanta Thrashers 4–3 OT 32–34–9–4 Recap
April: 0–2–1–0 (home: 0–1–0–0; road: 0–1–1–0) Game Date Opponent Score Record Recap 80 April 1 @ New York Islanders 2–2 OT 32–34–10–4 Recap 81 April 4 New Jersey Devils 2–1 32–35–10–4 Recap 82 April 5 @ Montreal Canadiens 5–4 32–36–10–4 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)   Overtime loss (1 point)

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
• † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Rangers only.
• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Rangers only.

No.	Player	Pos	Regular season
			GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
93	Petr Nedved	C	78	27	31	58	−4	64
88	Eric Lindros	C	81	19	34	53	5	141
3	Tom Poti	D	80	11	37	48	−6	60
11	Mark Messier	C	78	18	22	40	−2	30
36	Matthew Barnaby	LW	79	14	22	36	9	142
16	Bobby Holik	C	64	16	19	35	−1	50
9	Pavel Bure	RW	39	19	11	30	4	16
2	Brian Leetch	D	51	12	18	30	−3	20
20	Radek Dvorak‡	RW	63	6	21	27	−3	16
37	Mikael Samuelsson‡	RW	58	8	14	22	0	32
26	Jamie Lundmark	C	55	8	11	19	−3	16
23	Vladimir Malakhov	D	71	3	14	17	−7	52
10	Sandy McCarthy	RW	82	6	9	15	−4	81
38	Ronald Petrovicky	LW	66	5	9	14	−12	77
6	Darius Kasparaitis	D	80	3	11	14	5	85
27	Alexei Kovalev†	RW	24	10	3	13	2	20
17	Rem Murray‡	LW	32	6	6	12	−3	4
39	Joel Bouchard‡	D	27	5	7	12	6	14
29	Boris Mironov†	D	36	3	9	12	3	34
5	Dale Purinton	D	58	3	9	12	−2	161
27	Rico Fata‡	LW	36	2	4	6	−1	6
22	Anson Carter†	RW	11	1	4	5	0	6
39	Dan LaCouture†	LW	24	1	4	5	4	0
18	Cory Cross†‡	D	26	0	4	4	13	16
8	Ted Donato	C	49	2	1	3	−1	6
42	John Tripp	RW	9	1	2	3	1	2
33	Dave Karpa	D	19	0	2	2	−1	14
24	Sylvain Lefebvre	D	35	0	2	2	−7	10
21	Richard Lintner‡	D	10	1	0	1	−5	0
30	Mike Dunham†	G	43	0	1	1		0
32	Gordie Dwyer†‡	LW	17	0	1	1	−1	50
40	Johan Holmqvist‡	G	1	0	0	0		0
22	Mike Wilson†	D	1	0	0	0	1	0
28[lower-alpha 1]	Roman Lyashenko	C	2	0	0	0	−2	0
18	Ales Pisa†	D	3	0	0	0	1	0
22	Josh Green†‡	LW	4	0	0	0	−1	2
12	Dixon Ward	LW	8	0	0	0	−2	2
29	Krzysztof Oliwa‡	LW	9	0	0	0	1	51
44	Billy Tibbetts†	C	11	0	0	0	−2	12
35	Mike Richter	G	13	0	0	0		0
31	Dan Blackburn	G	32	0	0	0		2

Goaltending

• † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Rangers only.
• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Rangers only.

No.	Player	Regular season
		GP	W	L	T	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
30	Mike Dunham†	43	19	17	5	1229	94	2.29	.924	5	2467
31	Dan Blackburn	32	8	16	4	842	93	3.17	.890	1	1762
35	Mike Richter	13	5	6	1	329	34	2.94	.897	0	694
40	Johan Holmqvist‡	1	0	1	0	18	2	3.08	.889	0	39

Sources:^[12][13]

Awards and records

Awards

Type	Award/honor	Recipient	Ref
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Brian Leetch[lower-alpha 2]	[16]
		Tom Poti
Team	Ceil Saidel Memorial Award	Brian Leetch	[17]
	Frank Boucher Trophy	Mike Dunham	[17]
	Good Guy Award	Bobby Holik	[18]
	Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award	Jamie Lundmark	[18]
	Players' Player Award	Brian Leetch	[17]
	Rangers MVP	Brian Leetch	[17]
	Rookie of the Year	Jamie Lundmark	[17]
	Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award	Matthew Barnaby	[17]

Milestones

Milestone	Player	Date	Ref
First game	Jamie Lundmark	October 9, 2002	[19]
	John Tripp	January 8, 2003

Transactions

The Rangers were involved in the following transactions from June 14, 2002, the day after the deciding game of the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 9, 2003, the day of the deciding game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals.^[20]

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
June 22, 2002 (2002-06-22)	To New York Rangers 3rd-round pick in 2002 4th-round pick in 2002	To Ottawa Senators 3rd-round pick in 2002	[21]
June 23, 2002 (2002-06-23)	To New York Rangers 6th-round pick in 2002	To San Jose Sharks 6th-round pick in 2003 Future considerations[lower-alpha 3]	[22]
	To New York Rangers Krzysztof Oliwa	To Pittsburgh Penguins Future considerations[lower-alpha 4]	[23]
June 30, 2002 (2002-06-30)	To New York Rangers 4th-round pick in 2003	To Edmonton Oilers Rights to Mike Richter	[24]
July 16, 2002 (2002-07-16)	To New York Rangers Conditional 6th-round pick in 2003	To Los Angeles Kings Derek Armstrong	[25]
October 10, 2002 (2002-10-10)	To New York Rangers Gordie Dwyer	To Tampa Bay Lightning Boyd Kane	[26]
December 12, 2002 (2002-12-12)	To New York Rangers Josh Green	To Edmonton Oilers Conditional draft pick in 2004	[27]
	To New York Rangers Mike Dunham	To Nashville Predators Tomas Kloucek Rem Murray Rights to Marek Zidlicky	[28]
January 6, 2003 (2003-01-06)	To New York Rangers 9th-round pick in 2004	To Boston Bruins Krzysztof Oliwa	[29]
January 8, 2003 (2003-01-08)	To New York Rangers Boris Mironov	To Chicago Blackhawks 4th-round pick in 2004	[30]
January 17, 2003 (2003-01-17)	To New York Rangers Jay Henderson	To Boston Bruins Boston's 9th-round pick in 2004	[31]
January 22, 2003 (2003-01-22)	To New York Rangers 6th-round pick in 2003 or 2004[lower-alpha 5]	To Calgary Flames Mike Mottau	[32]
February 10, 2003 (2003-02-10)	To New York Rangers Alexei Kovalev Dan LaCouture Janne Laukkanen Mike Wilson	To Pittsburgh Penguins Joel Bouchard Rico Fata Richard Lintner Mikael Samuelsson Cash ($3.9 million)	[33][34]
February 20, 2003 (2003-02-20)	To New York Rangers Cory Larose	To Minnesota Wild Jay Henderson	[35]
March 11, 2003 (2003-03-11)	To New York Rangers Lawrence Nycholat	To Minnesota Wild Johan Holmqvist	[36]
	To New York Rangers Anson Carter Ales Pisa	To Edmonton Oilers Cory Cross Radek Dvorak	[37]

Players acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Term	Via	Ref
July 1, 2002 (2002-07-01)	Bobby Holik	New Jersey Devils	5-year	Free agency	[38]
July 2, 2002 (2002-07-02)	Darius Kasparaitis	Colorado Avalanche	4-year	Free agency	[39]
July 4, 2002 (2002-07-04)	Mike Richter	Edmonton Oilers	2-year	Free agency	[40]
July 8, 2002 (2002-07-08)	Ted Donato	Los Angeles Kings		Free agency	[41]
July 11, 2002 (2002-07-11)	Jeff State	Merrimack College (HE)		Free agency	[42]
	Craig Weller	Kootenay Ice (WHL)		Free agency	[43]
July 18, 2002 (2002-07-18)	Vladimir Chebaturkin	Chicago Blackhawks		Free agency	[44]
August 7, 2002 (2002-08-07)	Joel Bouchard	New Jersey Devils		Free agency	[45]
October 1, 2002 (2002-10-01)	Dixon Ward	SCL Tigers (NLA)		Free agency	[46]
October 4, 2002 (2002-10-04)	Ronald Petrovicky	Calgary Flames		Waiver draft	[47]
December 16, 2002 (2002-12-16)	Billy Tibbetts	Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)		Free agency	[48]
December 17, 2002 (2002-12-17)	Cory Cross	Toronto Maple Leafs		Free agency	[49]
April 4, 2003 (2003-04-04)	Lucas Lawson	University of Maine (HE)		Free agency	[50]
May 22, 2003 (2003-05-22)	Steve MacIntyre	Muskegon Fury (UHL)		Free agency	[51]
	Jed Ortmeyer	University of Michigan (CCHA)		Free agency	[52]

Players lost

Date	Player	New team	Via[lower-alpha 6]	Ref
June 30, 2002 (2002-06-30)	Kyle Freadrich		Retirement (UFA)	[54]
July 10, 2002 (2002-07-10)	Terry Virtue	Worcester IceCats (AHL)	Free agency (VI)	[55]
July 12, 2002 (2002-07-12)	Steve McKenna	Pittsburgh Penguins	Free agency (UFA)	[56]
July 16, 2002 (2002-07-16)	Michal Grosek	Boston Bruins	Free agency (UFA)	[57]
July 23, 2002 (2002-07-23)	Jason Dawe	St. Louis Blues	Free agency (UFA)	[58]
August 1, 2002 (2002-08-01)	Brad Smyth	Ottawa Senators	Free agency (UFA)	[59]
August 13, 2002 (2002-08-13)	Bryan Berard	Boston Bruins	Free agency (UFA)	[60]
August 19, 2002 (2002-08-19)	Christian Gosselin	Bracknell Bees (BISL)	Free agency (VI)	[61]
September 6, 2002 (2002-09-06)	Andreas Johansson	Nashville Predators	Free agency (UFA)	[62]
October 9, 2002 (2002-10-09)	Chris St. Croix	Manitoba Moose (AHL)	Free agency (UFA)	[63]
October 25, 2002 (2002-10-25)	Martin Rucinsky	St. Louis Blues	Free agency (III)	[64]
November 16, 2002 (2002-11-16)	Wes Jarvis	Charlotte Checkers (ECHL)	Free agency (UFA)	[65]
December 18, 2002 (2002-12-18)	Sean Gagnon	San Antonio Rampage (AHL)	Free agency (VI)	[66]
January 15, 2003 (2003-01-15)	Josh Green	Washington Capitals	Waivers	[67]
February 21, 2003 (2003-02-21)	Gordie Dwyer	Montreal Canadiens	Waivers	[68]
March 11, 2003 (2003-03-11)	Janne Laukkanen	Tampa Bay Lightning	Waivers	[69]

Signings

Date	Player	Term	Contract type	Ref
July 9, 2002 (2002-07-09)	Nils Ekman		Re-signing	[70]
July 15, 2002 (2002-07-15)	Ken Gernander		Re-signing	[71]
July 17, 2002 (2002-07-17)	Krzysztof Oliwa		Re-signing	[72]
July 19, 2002 (2002-07-19)	Dale Purinton		Re-signing	[73]
July 30, 2002 (2002-07-30)	Richard Lintner		Re-signing	[74]
August 1, 2002 (2002-08-01)	Mikael Samuelsson	2-year	Re-signing	[75]
August 12, 2002 (2002-08-12)	Johan Holmqvist		Re-signing	[76]
August 13, 2002 (2002-08-13)	Brandon Snee		Entry-level	[77]
August 14, 2002 (2002-08-14)	Roman Lyashenko		Re-signing	[78]
	Tom Poti		Re-signing	[79]
September 11, 2002 (2002-09-11)	Mark Messier		Re-signing	[80]
September 12, 2002 (2002-09-12)	Radek Dvorak		Re-signing	[81]
	Scott Meyer		Re-signing	[82]
September 17, 2002 (2002-09-17)	Patrick Aufiero		Entry-level	[83]
September 18, 2002 (2002-09-18)	Mike Mottau		Re-signing	[84]
October 7, 2002 (2002-10-07)	Garth Murray		Entry-level	[85]
December 19, 2002 (2002-12-19)	Bryce Lampman		Entry-level	[86]
March 13, 2003 (2003-03-13)	Ken Gernander	1-year	Option exercised	[87]

Draft picks

New York's picks at the 2002 NHL entry draft in Toronto, Ontario, at the Air Canada Centre.^[88][89]

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
2	33	Lee Falardeau	C	United States	Michigan State University (CCHA)
3	81	Marcus Jonasen	LW	Sweden	VIK Västerås IK Jr. (Sweden)
4	127	Nate Guenin	D	United States	Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
5	143	Mike Walsh	LW	United States	Detroit Compuware Ambassadors (NAHL)
6	177	Jake Taylor	D	United States	Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
6	194	Kim Hirschovits	C	Finland	HIFK (FNL)
7	226	Joey Crabb	RW	United States	Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
8	240	Petr Prucha	LW	Czech Republic	HC Pardubice (Czech Extraliga)
9	270	Rob Flynn	RW	United States	Harvard University (ECAC)

Notes

1. Lyashenko wore number 19 in his first game.
2. Leetch was voted to the starting lineup, but did not play and was replaced by Poti.^[14][15]
3. The Rangers sent San Jose the rights to Theoren Fleury on June 26 to complete the trade.
4. 9th-round pick in 2003.
5. The Rangers chose the 2003 pick.
6. In parentheses is the player's free agency group on July 1 if applicable.^[53]

References

1. "New York Rangers". Hockey-Reference. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
2. "2002–03 New York Rangers Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
3. "Canadiens top ousted Rangers". The Hour. Associated Press. April 4, 2003. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
4. Caldwell, Dave (June 7, 2002). "Hockey – Rangers Find Their Answer in Trottier". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
5. Graves, Gary (January 30, 2003). "Rangers fire Trottier after 54 games". USA Today. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
6. "Sather to coach Rangers". United Press International. January 30, 2003. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
7. "Rangers goalie gets 300th win". St. Petersburg Times. October 29, 2002. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
8. Brooks, Larry (September 3, 2003). "It's Over For Richter; Concussion-Prone Goalie Will Hang 'Em Up". New York Post. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
9. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2009). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2010. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 163.
10. "2002–2003 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
11. "2002–03 New York Rangers Schedule and Results". Hockey-Reference. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
12. "New York Rangers 2002-03 roster and scoring statistics". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
13. "2002-03 New York Rangers Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
14. "NHL All-Star Game Starting Lineups by Year (since 1986)". NHL.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
15. "Lalime, Poti, Jokinen to step in for three stars". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 27, 2003. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
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38. "Rangers Sign Free Agent Center Bobby Holik". New York Rangers. July 1, 2002. Archived from the original on August 13, 2004. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
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41. "Rangers Sign Free Agent LW Ted Donato". New York Rangers. July 8, 2002. Archived from the original on August 13, 2004. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
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44. "Rangers Sign Defenseman Vladimir Chebaturkin". New York Rangers. July 18, 2002. Archived from the original on August 13, 2004. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
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50. "Rangers Sign Maine's Lucas Lawson". New York Rangers. April 4, 2003. Archived from the original on August 15, 2004. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
51. "Rangers Sign Defenseman Steven MacIntyre". New York Rangers. May 22, 2003. Archived from the original on August 15, 2004. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
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58. "+Sports Transactions For Tuesday, July 23+". United Press International. July 24, 2002. Retrieved November 27, 2022. St. Louis Blues – Signed free agent right wing Jason Dawe, who had been with the New York Rangers.
59. "Thrashers coax Kozlov". The Globe and Mail. Canadian Press. August 2, 2002. Retrieved November 27, 2022. The Senators, meanwhile, signed forwards Petr Schastlivy and Steve Martins to multiyear contracts and signed forward Brad Smyth and defenceman Josef Boumedienne to one-year deals.
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62. "Daily Sports Capsule". The New Bedford Standard-Times. September 7, 2002. Retrieved November 27, 2022. The Nashville Predators signed unrestricted free-agent forward Andreas Johansson.
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82. "Scott Meyer". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on November 26, 2002. Retrieved November 27, 2022. 12-Sep-02: Re-signed by the New York Rangers.
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