Heading into the final few weeks of the regular season, Morgan Barron said he and his Cornell teammates — the No. 1 ranked team in the country at the time — had unfinished business after disappointing finishes the two years prior.

When a global pandemic ended the season prematurely and eliminated the possibility for redemption, all signs pointed to the ECAC Player of the Year, First Team All- American and Hobey Baker nominee returning to Ithaca for his senior season and one more shot at chasing an NCAA national championship and earning an Ivy League degree.

The New York Rangers, who selected him in the sixth round in 2017, had put an offer on the table, but weren’t pressuring Barron to make a decision.

“Of course we want to sign him,” said Rangers assistant general manager, Chris Drury ear