The Rangers enter the season facing the kind of great expectations that haven’t loomed over the franchise in years.
That will be an obstacle in itself, but one that can be overcome with a strong team mentality, which was a trait the Rangers showed no shortness of during their second-place finish in the Metropolitan Division and run to the Eastern Conference finals last season. The challenge now will be to carry it over under much different circumstances than the underdog-team narrative that once surrounded them.
So much went right for the Blueshirts in 2021-22, in terms of injuries and Igor Shesterkin putting together a historic campaign that culminated in a Vezina Trophy as the top goaltender in the NHL. That is not guaranteed to happen again — no matter how promising Shesterkin’s play is — so the Rangers are going to have to take strides as a team and likely overcome some adversity if they want to have the same success.
Longtime No. 2 center Ryan Strome and the four March trade-deadline acquisitions (Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano, Tyler Motte, Justin Braun) are no longer in the picture. As a result, a lot of responsibility will fall on the Rangers’ young core of players, who should be ready for it now that they’re all a year older and a playoff run wiser. At least, that’s the belief, and it’ll be up to them to see it through.
The Rangers are hurling towards a cap crunch, and that’s what makes this presumed championship window all the more important to capitalize on. With so much money committed to their top-six staples in Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and offseason addition Vincent Trocheck, as well as their top two defensemen in Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba, the recently named captain, the Rangers have their core. set for the foreseeable future.
But competing in a stacked Metro Division under high expectations is no small feat for any NHL team. It’ll come down to team belief, the anticipated progress of the youngsters and, let’s be real, an encore from Shesterkin, if the Rangers want to build on last season and earn the right to compete for the Stanley Cup.
Offense
You can’t talk about the Rangers’ offense last season without mentioning how Kreider scored 52 goals, which blew his previous career high of 28 out of the water and was the third most in the NHL behind only the Leafs’ Auston Matthews and the Oilers. Leon Draisaitl. To declare it as a fluke would be unfair, especially since anyone watching the Rangers last season could see how freely he played under head coach Gerard Gallant. There is no reason why Kreider shouldn’t be able to have the same offensive impact this season, and he’ll have to if the Rangers hope to keep up with the other high-scoring teams in the East.
There is still a question mark hovering over the right-wing spot on the top line with Kreider and Zibanejad, whose 81 points last season was good for second on the team behind Panarin’s 96 points. It appears Zibanejad and Kreider will have to make it work with whoever ends up in that spot, just like Panarin will have to figure it out with Trocheck and whoever completes their unit.
Whether or not the Kid Line of Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko will get a shot together is unclear, but their offensive impact in the playoffs was crucial. Their five-on-five play was some of the Rangers’ best, which is an area in which the team as a whole needs to significantly improve.
Defense
The Rangers have some invaluable continuity with their top four defensemen and, as a result, their defense has been pretty sound. Fox finished last season with 74 points, fourth among NHL defensemen, after winning the Norris Trophy during his sophomore campaign in 2020-21. The Rangers will want to be careful with overworking Fox, who averaged 23:54 a night primarily next to Ryan Lindgren last season as the team’s top defenseman and special teams contributor.
K’Andre Miller is on pace for a breakout season in a contract year after taking tremendous strides in 2021-22. His pairing with Trouba was easily the most effective last season, but it also had its fair share of hiccups in the playoffs. The bottom pair was always a weak point for the Rangers, but it is still undecided whether Zac Jones or Libor Hajek will skate next to Braden Schneider, who is about to embark on his sophomore season after handily securing his spot on the team.
Goaltending
Following up the kind of numbers Shesterkin posted last season — .935 save percentage, 2.07 goals-against average and six shutouts — won’t be easy. Shesterkin was the runaway favorite for the Vezina early on because it was clear just how much the team relied on him. The Rangers don’t want that to be the case for a second season in a row, but the team has adopted the attitude that it shouldn’t apologize for having the top netminder in the NHL.
Jaroslav Halak and his 16 years of NHL experience should be more than an adequate backup to Shesterkin, while Louis Domingue awaits in AHL Hartford should an injury strike the Rangers’ goaltending.
Coaching
In his second season with the Rangers, Gallant has given off the impression that he finally knows his team. That was evident in the way the 59-year-old coach started training camp with a clear idea of where he wanted to start when it came to piecing together his lineup. Gallant, who was a Jack Adams finalist last season, should benefit from having a season in New York under his belt.
Most important offensive player
It’s funny how Panarin can be scrutinized for his offensive contributions during the playoffs when he scored arguably the most important goal of the entire Rangers’ playoff run in overtime of Game 7 in the first round against the Penguins. The Russian star winger, however, can be the difference between a good season and a great season. The Rangers may have their sights set on their unfinished business in the playoffs, but they won’t get there without Panarin’s consistent production.
Most important defensive player
Putting Trouba as the answer to this question might have more to do with the fact that he recently had the ‘C’ stitched on his No. 8 jersey rather than his defensive contributions, but that doesn’t diminish how important the 28-year-old is to the Rangers. Serving as captain of a team with Stanley Cup aspirations is a tall task and one that Trouba can’t let get in the way of his everyday impact on the club.
Key rookie
It may be by default, but Vitali Kravtsov is the rookie with the most on the line this season. After refusing an AHL assignment just last season, Kravtsov stepped back onto the Rangers scene this preseason and has taken the necessary steps to prove his commitment to the team. The next step will be to translate the dynamic play and high-scoring abilities that made him the Rangers’ ninth-overall pick in 2018 in the first place.
Key coaching decisions
The Rangers are built to have a top-heavy lineup, which is why the arrangement of the top six will be so important this season. Gallant has already tried four different players in the right-wing spot on the top line, but it’ll be important to settle on a combination and let it play out to allow the three players to foster chemistry.
Prediction
The Rangers have the tools to piece together another prolific season and another long playoff run, but it’ll take a team effort to make up for the trade-deadline acquisitions they lost this summer. A top-three finish in the Metropolitan Division and a return to the conference finals should be in play. When you have a goalie like Shesterkin, anything is possible. The supporting cast just needs to do its part.
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