The New York Rangers enjoyed a brilliant season last year, their first with Peter Laviolette behind the bench. They finished with the best regular-season record in the NHL, recording 55 victories and 114 points, but the Rangers fell victim to the same Presidents Trophy jinx that has hit every NHL team since the start of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Rangers were able to get through the first two rounds of the playoffs, blitzing the Washington Capitals in four straight games and beating a powerful Carolina Hurricanes squad in six games in the second round. However, when the Rangers got to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Florida Panthers, they dropped the series in six games.
Losing at any point in the playoffs is painful for any legitimate contender, but perhaps the Rangers can take a small amount of comfort in their solid showing. They pushed the Panthers hard, and that team went on to win the Stanley Cup. The Rangers will undoubtedly prepare for the 2024-25 season like this is their year.
Laviolette did an excellent job of preparing his team last year, and he has a very talented roster at his disposal.
Rangers will have the highest scoring team in the Eastern Conference
The Rangers have a team that can win games with goaltending, defense and scoring. Over the course of a long season, a team's strengths will come to the surface and its weaknesses will be exposed. No team is perfect, but the Rangers do not appear to have any major weaknesses.
The area that should make Laviolette feel best is the depth of scoring that the team has at its command. Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider are the keys to the top line, and they are likely to be joined by veteran Reilly Smith. The second line of Vincent Trocheck, Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere has a chance to be consistent game changers.
These two lines may turn out to be equal, and that's what could give the Rangers a huge edge on the competition. If the top line ever gets held down, the second line can carry the load. If the No. 2 line gets held in check, the top line will get the job done. In the event that both lines are working efficiently, the Rangers will likely blow out the competition.
Kreider is a dominant goal scorer who can be an incredible weapon on the power play. He scored 39 goals and added 36 assists last season. Kreider scored 18 of his goals on the power play. The 6-3, 230-pound left wing is an excellent skater who understands how to forecheck and force the opponent into making key errors. He also excels at deflecting shots from the point or jumping on rebounds.
Zibanejad has wonderful vision and can deliver pinpoint passes. He scored 26 goals and added 46 assists a year ago, but he could easily exceed 30 goals in the upcoming season. At times Zibanejad will give up his shot in favor of making a pass, and Laviolette may encourage him to shoot more.
Panarin will finish no worse than third in Hart Trophy voting
Panarin has been a brilliant performer throughout his NHL career. He is coming off the best year by a wide margin, as he scored 49 goals and added 71 assists for 120 points. Panarin is not likely to exceed Connor McDavid in points or Auston Matthews in goals, but he can take over a game at any point and either score or create goals in rapid-fire fashion.
He has scored 30 goals or more four times in his career, and he has exceeded 90 points four times, including the last three seasons in a row.
If the Rangers win the Metropolitan Division again, don't be surprised if Panarin gets quite a bit of support for the Hart Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player.
Panarin works well with Trocheck who scored 25 goals and 77 points last year. Lafreniere came into his own last season as he found the net 28 times and added 29 assists for 57 points.
Rangers will make it to the Eastern Conference Finals once again
In addition to their scoring, they have one of the best goaltenders in the league in Igor Shesterkin. He is at his best when the game is on the line in the third period, and that gives Laviolette and his players that the Rangers will not let potential victories slip through their grasp.
Shesterkin finished the regular season with a record of 36-17-2, and he had a 2.58 goals against average and a .912 save percentage. Backup goalie Jonathan Quick was excellent in support of Shesterkin. He had an 18-6-2 record, a 2.62 GAA and a .911 save percentage. The two goaltenders combined for six shutouts.
The Rangers also got a lift from their defense. Adam Fox is arguably the No. 2 defenseman in the league behind Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche. He is capable of handling all the shutdown responsibilities, but it is his offensive skill that makes him so dynamic. Fox had 73 points from the blue line — 17 goals and 56 assists — and there are few teams that can shut him down as long as he is healthy. Fox gets plenty of help from fellow defensemen K'Andre Miller and Ryan Lindgren.
The Rangers should make it to the Eastern Conference Finals where they will face a tough team from the Atlantic Division. If they can make it past that round, the Rangers should have an excellent chance to win their first Stanley Cup since 1994 and their second since 1940.
Follow Us
Subscribe
