It’s been a few weeks since the New York Rangers’ 2023-24 season ended in disappointing fashion with a loss to the Florida Panthers in the NHL’s Eastern Conference finals.

The Rangers had won the President’s Cup, emblematic of the team with the best regular-season record, then had defeated the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes in the first two rounds of the playoffs. But, after jumping out to a 2-1 series lead, the Broadway Blueshirts dropped the next three — each by one goal. In all, five of the six contests ended with one-goal margins.

So the Rangers weren’t blown out on the scoreboard, but anyone who watched the series recognized that Florida had a clear edge in play over those final three games.

Former Rangers tough guy and Staten Island native Nick Fotiu, who works in community relations for the team, identified the problem rather succinctly.

“[The Panthers] were more physical. They were really hitting,” said Fotiu, whose professional playing career dates back to the Hartford Whalers of the World Hockey Association in 1974 before spending 13 years in the NHL, eight of those with the Rangers.

It’s a situation Fotiu feels the club needs to address this offseason.

“I’d like to see them get third-line players, good players, who can take the body,” he said. “They need to get tough defenseman who can take the body. The defense was a trouble spot [for the Rangers against Florida].”

After the series, it was revealed that several of the Blueshirts — most notably defenseman and team captain Jacob Trouba (broken ankle) — were playing with injuries, but Fotiu disregarded it as being a factor.

“In the playoffs, a lot of players play with a lot of broken things,” he said.

Fotiu stated he’d like to see general manager Chris Drury bring in defensemen such as former teammates and ex-captains Barry Beck and Ron Greschner. While the 6-foot-3, 216-pound Beck was an unmistakable presence on the ice, Greschner could also “clear guys from out in front [of the goalie]. He was like [current star Adam] Fox, but way tougher. No one realized how tough ‘Gresch’ was.”

When asked for the type of gritty players he believes the team needs, Fotiu identified 1980s stalwarts Jim Peplinski and Joel Otto of the Flames, and John Tonelli of the Islanders. “A guy like Peplinski was big and intimidating.”

The Rangers got a late-season boost from the promotion of such a player in Matt Rempe. The 6-7, 241-pound rookie became a Fotiu-like fan favorite with his thunderous hits and several scrapes. But in the playoffs, head coach Peter Laviolette only dressed him sparingly; when he did suit up, he usually only saw about 4-5 minutes of total ice time, which put the squad at a disadvantage.

“I like [Rempe] a lot, but he needs to show a lot of improvement. When I played, I checked guys like [Islanders’ Hall of Famer Mike] Bossy and [NHL icon Wayne] Gretzky,” said Fotiu, who had a career-best 12 shots on goal in 11 postseason contests for Calgary in 1986, when the Flames reached the Stanley Cup Finals. “I don’t know why they couldn’t play Rempe more. I’d put him in front of the net on the power play.”

The Rangers recently lost one of those throwback players with the departure of veteran Barclay Goodrow, who had six goals (two shorthanded) and 12 points in 16 postseason games. “And he was kind of tough, too,” said Fotiu of the former two-time Cup champion with Tampa Bay, who signed with San Jose.

Fotiu did have high praise for forward Vincent Trocheck, who is “without a doubt, the best all-around player on the team.”

“The one thing they don’t have to worry about is the goaltending.”