For Rangers, no playoffs means offseason decisions

GREENBURGH, N.Y. - Breakup day has recurring themes: Players believe they still would be playing if not for that dreaded inconsistency. Those with contracts look to a fresh start in the fall. Free agents hope to be re-signed.

Predictably, those were the chords struck Tuesday by the Rangers, who missed the playoffs by a point and said the sour feeling remained after being eliminated by the Flyers.

Chris Drury wasn't going to watch the playoffs. Henrik Lundqvist just wanted to get away. Olli Jokinen was anxious to be reunited with his family in Florida. Vinny Prospal, Sean Avery and Ryan Callahan planned to rest damaged knees.

The most pointed comments came from coach John Tortorella, whose first full season ended by missing the postseason for the first time since 2003-04. Tortorella dished out praise and criticism that formed a glimpse into his preferred makeup of the 2010-11 Rangers.

"I'd like to see us get younger; I'd like to see us add to our core and grow them together and then we're not adding 10 pieces this year," Tortorella said. "Henrik is at an important time in his career. [Marian] Gaborik's a legitimate star - I don't like the way he has played in big games, he needs to cross the line there - but we've got some pieces. [Michal] Rozsival has grown his game to be more competitive.

"When you lose, you don't blow everything up . . . You can create more problems for yourself when you say, 'We've got to change this, we've got to change that.' Maybe it's just execution."

Nonetheless, there will be moves. "I wasn't crazy about the [locker] room. That isn't an indictment of Drury or Callahan or our leadership group. Some people need to be weeded out . . . It improved with [Brandon] Prust and [Jody] Shelley. We have a young core, and if you get some people sprinkled around them with character, then we need to get some people out of the bus."

Prust, a gritty winger who is a restricted free agent, will be asked back in September. So will Shelley, an enforcer with hockey sense. Of center Artem Anisimov, 21, who developed through the season, Tortorella said: "We want him to be a scorer. I told him that today: 'I can't keep you there [on the fourth line].' "

The core group includes defensemen Marc Staal, in line for a long-term contract that could average $3 million a year, 19-year-old Michael Del Zotto and restricted free agent Dan Girardi, left wing Brandon Dubinsky and center Erik Christensen. It does not look promising for unrestricted free agents Jokinen, defenseman Anders Eriksson, restricted free agent Enver Lisin and backup goaltender Alex Auld. "We're desperately trying to get a veteran backup to play 20, 22, 23 games," Tortorella said.

Decisions loom on players under contract such as Wade Redden, a candidate for waivers or a buyout, Matt Gilroy and Aaron Voros, and UFAs Prospal, 35, a bargain at $1.1 million, and P.A. Parenteau, who made an impression when summoned from Hartford.

The Dolan family owns controlling interests in the Rangers, MSG and Cablevision. Cablevision owns Newsday.