TARRYTOWN ‒ Less than 72 hours after being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Final, the Rangers were still sorting through all the emotions and evaluations.

How will they judge a season in which they set new franchise records for wins (55) and total points (114) but fell short of ending New York's 30-year Stanley Cup drought?

"There are things that you’re proud of, memories that you’ll have," captain Jacob Trouba said as the team cleaned out their lockers and conducted exit interviews on Tuesday at the MSG Training Center. "But there’s that empty pit of not getting it done. Ultimately, that’s why we’re here. That’s why we play. That’s the goal, and we didn’t achieve it."

Trouba spoke about the difference between hope and belief, noting that the 2023-24 Blueshirts "had more of a belief than a hope."

That confidence stemmed from capturing the Presidents' Trophy for the NHL's best record behind a collection of stirring wins, including a league-record 34 of the comeback variety between the regular season and playoffs, and was bolstered when they opened the postseason with seven consecutive victories.

"There was a belief that we were going to get this done," head coach Peter Laviolette said.

But that optimism was shattered by the mighty Florida Panthers, who stormed back from a 2-1 series deficit by winning three in a row to earn their second consecutive conference championship.

It served as a harsh reminder that there is still work to be done.

"Their style is physical," center Vincent Trocheck said. "They play hard, they play fast, they’re very structured defensively. They take away your time and space a lot. They’re kind of a measuring stick, and we need to get to that point and get a little bit better at some of those things. Take away team’s time and space a little bit more, causing a lot more turnovers, being more aggressive and playing that more physical style of hockey."

The Panthers smothered the Rangers by allowing only 12 goals in the six games, including a shutout in Game 1 and two goals or fewer in all but one contest. The totals in shots, attempts and time of possession were lopsided in Florida's favor, with New York struggling to penetrate the Cats' forecheck and generate quality looks from high-danger areas.

The result was a quiet series from many of their go-to offensive players. Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad combined for only two goals and 12 points, with just four of those points coming at five-on-five, including none from Kreider and Zibanejad.

"In my opinion, we didn’t take a little bit of extra risk, which you have to do because we have the skills," Panarin said. "You’ve got to trust your instincts, which we didn’t do enough."

Playoff stock report: 3 players on the rise and 3 with diminishing returns

That leaves the Rangers to answer two prevailing questions as they look ahead.

The first is whether this collection of players, led by highly skilled stars who aren't the most physically assertive, can find a way to lean into their strengths and push through at this time of year? And if not, are they capable of adapting to the grinding, direct approach that's been a common trait of most champions?

Laviolette instilled some of those characteristics this season through his intense practices and structured system, which elevated the Blueshirts' overall consistency and helped them reach the final four for the second time in three years. But despite that increased work rate and collective effort, it wasn't enough to outlast an opponent that's superior in the size, strength and grit departments.

"I don't think we wavered in how we played, but that’s sports," Zibanejad said. "As much as you want it, as much as you work it, sometimes it doesn’t happen. I don’t think we got outplayed, in that sense, but they were better than us."

The other question is whether team president Chris Drury needs to make substantial changes to push the Rangers up to that level.

Can this personnel continue to evolve and eventually breakthrough if given enough cracks at it? Or has this core plateaued and reached their maximum potential?

Several players made their pitch for the latter − "I think it’s all here," Trouba said when asked what New York needs to add − but the decision doesn't appear as clear-cut from Drury's chair.

"Every year, the roster changes," Kreider said. "That's the NHL calendar. I've been on teams where you don’t think the roster is going to change a whole lot, and it changes. And then when you think it’s going to change a lot, it changes less than you realize. Every year is different. It's a different group. It's a different dynamic. You build over the course of the year, starting in training camp. I think for us, as we deconstruct our team, deconstruct our year, we’re very proud of where we got to as a group."

Multiple injuries revealed

As is often the case at breakup day, a handful of injury nuggets came to light.

The Rangers had no shortage of them, yet another reminder of how tough hockey players are.

Trouba told reporters that the lower-body injury he suffered just before the March 8 trade deadline was a broken ankle.

"They said a kidney-bean-sized chunk of my ankle came off," he said.

The 30-year-old defenseman returned on March 30, giving him a nine-game ramp up period heading into the playoffs. And while he insisted he was "ready to play" − "It’s not an excuse or anything by any means," he said − Trouba admitted there was pain with certain movements.

It's hard not to wonder how much that affected his play given some of his obvious struggles after he re-entered the lineup.

"It was not a weight-bearing bone, so I could walk," the captain said. "You feel fine, but then you put a skate on and you start pushing at different angles, and it does not feel good. That was tough because you feel fine, you want to be out there, but you’re definitely limited by that. It got better as it went on."

Fox also reluctantly confirmed what many suspected during his underwhelming playoffs.

A collision with Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen in Game 4 of the Rangers' first-round series caused him to "re-aggravate" a knee injury that previously cost him 10 games in November.

"It was little bit of a tough situation," he said. "But I was able to play, and once you're out there, you're expected to perform. I’m not going to sit here and say I’m hurt or anything like that."

The former Norris Trophy winner seemed hobbled from that point forward, with his restricted mobility apparent when it came to advancing pucks up the ice or closing in the defensive zone. He finished with an uncharacteristic eight assists in 16 playoff games.

"Any time you hurt something, maybe you try and be a little tentative," he admitted. "I thought after it, maybe at the start (I was), but as it went on, I thought I got better and try to create a little more. But definitely that Carolina series, I was maybe a little tentative."

Fox's D partner, Ryan Lindgren, was also playing at less than 100%. The 26-year-old revealed he suffered a cracked rib in Game 6 of the second-round series with the Hurricanes, but he predictably didn't miss any time and downplayed the severity.

"We have such a great medical staff here and they help you out and and make you feel good before (each game)," Lindgren said. "It was just dealing with the pain, for the most part."

Finally, veteran forward Jimmy Vesey said it was separated left shoulder that stemmed from a Game 2 hit from Panthers forward Ryan Lomberg.

That resulted in Vesey missing the final four games, but Fox, Lindgren and Trouba each gutted their way through all 16 playoff contests, despite being compromised to varying degrees.

"Those things happen all the time," Laviolette said of the decision to stick with the guys who got them there. "There’s a lot of things that go on inside of a playoff run where guys are banged up – not just for our team, but for any team. They battled through it, for the most part. These guys battled through. If it becomes something where I feel like it's affecting the line or the D pair or the team, I think you have to make decisions then as to whether it's best to have them in the lineup. And, so, those are actually some of the decisions that I had to make during the playoffs, for different reasons. But everything was to be for the good of the team and what was best for the team with regard to who's on the lineup and where they play and who they played with."

All four players said they don't anticipate their injuries requiring offseason procedures.

Blake Wheeler contemplates retirement

One player who already endured surgery this year is Blake Wheeler, who missed three-and-a-half months following a right leg injury he suffered on Feb. 15.

The 37-year-old forward turned a speedy recovery into an inspiring return for Game 4 of the conference final, which may end up being the last appearance of an accomplished 16-year career.

He was open about contemplating retirement, but held off on making any formal announcement until he discusses it further with his wife.

"I have three kids − an 11-year-old, an 8-year-old and a 6-year-old," Wheeler said. "My 11-year-old is going to be in middle school next year. I think that's when you come to make those decisions wow. I still love the game. I still love to play, but I want to be around for their childhood, too. Those are the things you weigh."

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY Rangers breakup day takeaways: Injuries, talk of retirement