There was an "all time NYR" lineup posted and it had Gretzky. He may possibly have been the best player to pull on a Ranger's jersey but does that make him the best all time Ranger? Is Jagr make the all time NJ Devils lineup?

Where is this lineup? Personally, I don't think Wayne Gretzky makes an all time best Rangers lineup. He was only there for three years, and New York didn't have much success with him on the team.

It's subjective, because you need to consider personal/team achievements with that player along with longevity. Typically with someone being an "all-time great" for a team, those two will go hand in hand.

https://www.capfriendly.com/armchair-gm/team/1867643

That's my point. Gretz is all time Oiler. All time King. But probably no with the Blues or the Rangers. Jagr for the Pens, Caps. but did he have enough sustained success to be all time in other lineups.

the guy also included laf on the list, someone who has not only not played a game in the nhl, isn't even apart of the rangers organization.

I didn't give the list too much thought. If you're putting Gretz in there then St Louis is coming in too. Just the inspiration for the question. Sitting in a "classroom" pondering hockey instead of Watts Law. :-P

Gretzky certainly wasn't an all time great Ranger. He was nowhere near the top of his game when he played in NY. I wouldn't include him in this discussion. Certainly, players like Jagr, Messier, Leetch, and even Kovalev, Richter, and Graves were all more impactful Rangers during the 90's-2000's.

To answer the question directly, I would say it's necessary to play 5 years or thereabouts, and have a massive impact on a team's success and/or culture. McDavid is already an all-time Oilers great and a 1st ballot HOF'er, imo. He's accomplished this feat w/o achieving any real team success. But, his individual numbers are superior and his impact on the game of hockey is undeniable.