The New York Rangers are coming off a successful season last year, surpassing historic numbers in wins and points. Unfortunately for the organization, their main goal of winning a championship was detoured when the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers eliminated them in the Eastern Conference Finals.
This year’s club is primarily intact from last season, with the addition of Reilly Smith and Sam Carrick, who were signed in the offseason. There are more questions than answers regarding the improvement of this team, during which General Manager Chris Drury and the Rangers priced out several top free agents from coming to New York.
Here are five questions to consider when the Blueshirt’s preseason schedule begins next Tuesday, September 24th.
Who Will Be The Right Wing Along Side Zibanejad & Kreider?
Searching for a quality right wing to play on the team’s top line has been ongoing for the last two seasons. Last year, Peter Laviolette used different players to fortify the line combination but could not find that consistency. When Training camp begins this week, Kappao Kakko, Brennan Othmann, and Smith will get good looks on the top line.
Can Panarin Duplicate Last Seasons Production?
The Breadman was one goal shy of 50 while recording 120 points in a career year for the 32-year-old. Entering his 10th season in the NHL, expectations of a repeat performance are high, but is that realistic? He is expected to be on a line centered by Vincent Trocheck with Alexis Lafreniere on the right side. Panarin played in all 82 regular season games last season, as in 2022-’23. He will again be the target of the opposition this season and will need to rely on his linemates more to finish off rushes. The trio combined for 254 points, including 178 at even strength.
Kappo Kakko
Since his second year in the NHL, the sentiment at the start of training camp has been, “This is the season for Kakko to break out.” Entering his sixth NHL season, Kakko will be looking over his shoulder when camp begins. Players such as Adam Edstrom (three goals in two rookie games against the Flyers), Othmann, Adam Sykora, and Matt Rempe will all be pressing hard to be on the roster come opening night. Laviolette wants Kakko to charge the net more with and without the puck. He needs to have the season Lafreniere had last season when the club was excited to see him break out and have a career year in goals, assists, and points. If Kakko can’t improve his game, there will be a good chance the team could look to trade him early in the season.
Captain My Captain
Jacob Trouba did not have the most extraordinary playoff run last season. He struggled to keep up with the opposition’s speed, especially in the ECF against the Panthers. He did suffer an ankle injury towards the end of the regular season but was presumably capable of playing in the playoffs. His bad luck continued in the offseason when rumors began that he would veto a trade to the Detroit Red Wings. The Captain (unconfirmed at this point) added Detroit to his no-move list that kicked in on July 1. Regardless of how or what happened, Trouba will have to rebuild his relationship within the organization and with a fan base that is never shy about voicing their opinions. That shouldn’t be too hard once a healthy Trouba train enters the station and lays out one of his massive open ice hits.
Igor Shesterkin’s Contract Could Be A Distraction
Igor Shesterkin is the club’s number-one goaltender—that fact is uncontested. However, his contract status is a question of concern, one that could be a big distraction as the trade deadline approaches. Shesterkin will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the upcoming season. His cap hit this season is $5.666,667 million. He will undoubtedly look for a deal with an AAV for $11.8-$12 million over 7 or 8 years. This negotiation has been going on since the playoffs ended, and It should be the organization’s top priority once the opening night roster is set.
Will Peter Laviolette’s 2nd Season Be More Tenious Than His First?
Peter Laviolette had an incredible first season as the Rangers head coach. They won the Presidents’ Trophy and set team records for most wins (55) and points (114) in a single season.
“It was great until it wasn’t anymore,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “What that does for this year is I think it helps build some confidence and belief inside the room that we did some work, we made some progress, we did some good things, but we still have more to do.”
When he was hired, Laviolette said that the team looked to improve every day during the regular season in preparation for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Now entering his second year, the head coach will need to keep things fluent as he tries to get the team to take the next step and reach the Stanley Cup Final. He was able to push the right buttons to get what he needed out of his players, but it remains to be seen if he can do that again or if things turn sour as they did in year two of the Gerard Gallant regime.
Other Questions That Could Be A Factor
Can Zac Jones take the spot of departed Eric Gustafsson?
Who will be this year’s Will Cuylle? A few rookies might be able to crack the lineup as Cuylle did last season. Edstrom may have the edge heading into camp this week, but once preseason games begin, it’s an open field.
Can K’Andre Miller find the game that made him a top-four defenseman? He struggled throughout the season despite playing with different partners. Can he overcome the mistakes and make this season his best in a Rangers sweater?
Follow Frank on X at @RangerProud.
