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The New York Rangers fell just a bit short of reaching their ultimate goal last season. That goal, of course, is winning the Stanley Cup for the fifth time in the team's history. The Rangers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals against the eventual Stanley Cup champions Florida Panthers.
The Rangers dropped that series in six games, as the team that was an offensive force throughout the season was held to two goals or less in each of their last three postseason games against the Panthers.
Prior to that series loss, there was little for Rangers supporters to complain about. They had beaten the Washington Capitals in four straight games in the first round, and followed that triumph with a six-game victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Rangers built a 3-0 lead in that series before the Hurricanes gave them a bit of a scare by winning two games in a row.
The Rangers also responded to head coach Peter Laviolette throughout the season. They finished the regular season with a 55-23-4 record for 114 points, and that was good for the best record in the NHL as the team earned the Presidents Trophy.
Rangers get big-time scoring from Artemi Panarin
The Rangers were a loaded team last year and nobody produced more than left wing Artemi Panarin who produced the best season of his career. The slick Panarin scored 49 goals and 71 assists for a somewhat shocking total of 120 points. Panarin proved to be more of a goal scorer than he had been at any point in his career, and 11 of his goals came on the power play. He also had five game-winning goals and connected on 16.2 percent of his 303 shots on goal.
Panarin sat on top of the list of the of the Rangers leading scorers by a significant margin. Center Vincent Trocheck was second to Panarin with 77 points, while left wing Chris Kreider added 75 points on 39 goals and 36 assists. It would not be a shock if Kreider approached 50 goals this season.
Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad were were right behind the top three scorers with with 73 and 72 points, respectively.
Rangers could get a boost from Reilly Smith
The same players that have led the way in recent years for the Rangers are likely to do the same in the 2024-25 season. However, there are at least two veterans who could give the team a boost this year.
The Rangers traded for Reilly Smith after the conclusion of last season, and he is likely to be penciled in as the right wing on the top line with Zibanejad and Kreider. Smith did not have his best season with the Pittsburgh Penguins last year, but he had helped the Vegas Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup a year earlier.
The 33-year-old Smith is a left-handed shot who has excelled on his opposite wing. He has scored 20 or more goals five times in his career, and his best season came in 2019-20 with the Golden Knights when he scored 27 goals and added 27 assists for 54 points.
In addition to the Penguins and the Golden Knights, he has also played with the Dallas Stars, the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers.
Smith has proven to be a solid postseason scorer. He had five goals and 17 assists for 22 points in 20 postseason games for the Golden Knights in 2018. He also scored 14 points for Vegas in the 2020 and '23 playoffs. He scored the Stanley Cup winning goal for the Golden Knights against the Panthers in 2023.
Rangers are hoping Chytil can stay healthy
The Rangers accomplished quite a lot last season and they did most of it without center Filip Chytil. He suffered a concussion in November and was unable to return until the playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
If Chytil can stay healthy this season, he should provide the Rangers with a major boost. He is a highly skilled player who scored 22 goals and 45 points two seasons ago.
The Rangers have excellent depth at center with Zibanejad and Trocheck, and Chytil could give the Rangers one more center who is capable of becoming a key playmaker.
The 25-year-old Chytil has played all or parts of seven seasons with the Rangers. He was the team's first-round pick — No. 21 overall — in the 2017 NHL Draft. The 2022-23 season was his best season, and he connected 12.4 percent of his 177 shots on goal.
He has a chance to be a key contributor for a team that has a legitimate chance to win the Stanley Cup.
