The New York Rangers are off to a 5-0-1 start, a success by any measure. But this team has aspirations that go way beyond making the playoffs. In fact, the only result that will truly satisfy the fanbase at this point is a Stanley Cup victory. While they can’t achieve that objective in October, they have clearly seized the opportunity to put themselves on the right trajectory. Whether the good vibes can continue all the way through June remains to be seen, but the Rangers have answered some pre-season questions, albeit in a small sample size. After all, you can’t win it all (in hockey) in October, as the old saying goes, but you sure can dig yourself a very large hole.
The biggest offseason story for the Rangers by far was Igor Shesterkin and the Rangers not agreeing to a contract extension. While much of the chatter is that it still could happen before the end of the season, the real worry was that the distraction of such a monumental career moment would show in Shesterkin’s play. Instead, Igor is once again proving that he is the best player on the roster and, if he keeps it up, the Rangers will likely be happy to make him very, very rich.
Also in question over the offseason was whether Alexis Lafreniere could continue on last year’s trajectory and whether the line featuring him, Artemi Panarin, and Vincent Trocheck could continue to lead the Rangers’ offense. So far, that question seems almost silly. Panarin has 13 points and a plus 4 rating through six games, while Trocheck has 2-5-7 and Lafreniere 3-3-6. More importantly, they are heavily out-chancing opponents while on the ice.
Mika Zibanejad, who faced criticism from some quarters for his lack of even strength production last season, is off to a point per game pace and his two goals have both come at even strength. The lone blemish so far was his -4 performance against the Utah Hockey Club in the home opener. If Zibanejad and Chris Kreider can gel with Reilly Smith, the Rangers will have solved a nagging issue. With 27 points between them, they will at least not have to dig themselves out of an early season whole, which is great news for the Rangers.
All of the questions will take longer to fully answer, but the good start for Kappo Kakko and seeing Filip Chytil play hard and not avoid contact are more good signs. Jacob Trouba appears to be back to obliterating opponents with big hits and not overly affected by offseason trade rumors. Ryan Lindgren got into mid-season form in the pre-season, getting injured in a fight with the Islanders’ Scott Mayfield. Somehow seeing him in a fishbowl just makes it feel like February. Still, it was a relief for the Rangers to have him back in the mix, despite generally excellent play from the defense.
In the surpriser category, training camp’s biggest surprises, Victor Mancini and Adam Edstrom, look very much like they belong with the big club. Their solid play has been given coach Peter Laviolette significant flexibility with the roster. The coach surprised many by keeping Mancini in the lineup with Lindgren’s return. It does raise the question of Zac Jones’ future, as he has been a healthy scratch for the past two games despite playing solidly so far this season.
There is still a long way to go in the regular season and with the sky-high expectations for this team, success is unlikely to be claimed until late Spring or early Summer. You can’t win it all in October, after all. But is sure does feel like you can lose it all in October, and, for the Rangers, the positive answers to off season questions have so far allowed them to avoid that fate.
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