Thirteen seasons after making staggered debuts on Broadway, the three players at the heart of the Black-and-Blueshirt identity who returned the franchise to prominence are nowhere to be found on the ice.

That would be staggering, except for the fact you knew even way back then in 2006-07 that Ryan Callahan, Dan Girardi and Brandon Dubinsky would one day pay the price for the relentless and sacrificial way they approached each shift, never mind each game.

So, at age 34, Callahan was forced to retire this summer because of a degenerative back disease. Girardi, 35, retired before the season with hockey battle scars all over his legs, knees and ankles forming a roadmap of his career. And Dubinsky, 33, could not start the season for the Blue Jackets, instead on IR with wrist issues that have plagued him for years.

They were something, they honestly were, carrying a selfless attitude onto the ice, establishing a work ethic baseline as the Bluebloods transitioned from professorial Tom Renney to rabid John Tortorella behind the bench. They were not alone, of course, for Marc Staal was a linchpin and Henrik Lundqvist formed the backbone of the organization.

But those three set the template. It seemed as if Callahan, Girardi and Dubinsky would be Rangers forever, just as it seemed a little later that Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh would be forever wrapped in Blue. But time marched on, the Rangers just never quite got there, and all five were sent away.

Callahan came first, making his debut at age 21 on a one-game cameo on Dec. 1, 2006, in Buffalo, wearing No. 43, getting 3:40 while on a unit with Ryan Hollweg and Colton Orr. There was another one-game trial on Dec. 19 before what became a semi-permanent recall on March 16, 2007.

Girardi came next, promoted during the 2006-07 All-Star break at age 22, when everyone though the Rangers would instead put in a call to AHL Hartford for Dubinsky. Girardi made his debut on Jan. 27, 2007, in Philadelphia. He wore No. 46 and partnered with Fedor Tyutin to form a pair that remained intact through the 2007-08 season.

Then there was Dubinsky, who played six games for the Blueshirts that season following his recall for the March 19 Garden match against the Penguins in which he wore No. 54 and skated between Petr Prucha and Jed Ortmeyer.

Once they were young and so were the Rangers. Everything old becomes new again, but these three special Rangers became old before their time because of what they left out on the ice every game they pulled on the uniform. Hey, did you hear the one about when I told Callahan that I would kick his butt if I ever saw him dive to block another shot from the point in an exhibition game? It was, I believe in 2011. He didn’t listen to me.

So, Callahan, who became captain and wore that letter with as much pride as anyone who has come before or since, who epitomized the meaning of leading by example. And Girardi, who somehow never won the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award even though he could have won it every year. Plus Dubinsky, who wore his heart on his sleeve and was the first to jump to Brian Boyle’s defense when Big 22 was attacked in the 2012 playoffs by Matt Carkner.

“Time it was, and what a time it was,” as Paul Simon wrote a long time ago. “It was a time of innocence, a time of confidences.

“Long ago it must be I have a photograph. Preserve your memories, they’re all that’s left you.”

The photograph is of the 2006-07 Rangers. The memories are of Callahan, Girardi and Dubinsky. Black-and-Blueshirt Bluebloods then and forever.

Hey, that line out in Minnesota — with Zach Parise on the left, Eric Staal in the middle and Mats Zuccarello on the right — that’s a unit the Rangers would have constructed in around 2015-16, right?

Cap space is precious, so when you can save a million on a player, it is important to do so. And maybe the Maple Leafs did overpay by a slight degree in giving Mitch Marner $10.893 million per on a six-year deal.

But there is value, and most certainly in Toronto, to being done with contract talk surrounding Marner for the next five years. Had he signed for the same three years that fellow restricted free agents Matthew Tkachuk, Brayden Point, Brock Boeser and Charlie McAvoy received from their respective teams, the drumbeat of speculation around the Leafs winger would have reignited by the middle of next season, if not earlier.

Each team has its own market concerns to address. The Maple Leafs addressed theirs.

By the way, pretending the Auston Matthews disorderly conduct charge is just a “Boys being boys” thing gives a bad name to all men.

In recognition of Kaapo Kakko switching to the number he wore in Finland, a ranking of our teams’ No. 24s: 1. Callahan, Rangers; 2. Gord Lane, Islanders; 3. Bryce Salvador, Devils; 4. Niklas Sundstrom, Rangers; 5. Doug Brown, Devils; Honorable Mention, Pierre Larouche, Rangers (wore it for 28 games in 1985-86 season, scoring 20 goals); Mention: Walt Ledingham, Islanders.

Finally, is Josh Ho-Sang’s reputation so tainted that not a team in the league would take a shot at the talented 23-year-old winger when he was placed on waivers by the Islanders prior to setting their opening roster?

I mean, the Rangers once took a shot at Alexandre Daigle, for goodness sakes.

Um.

Asked and answered.