New York Rangers season preview
The 2022-23 season might have been the biggest letdown in the history of the New York Rangers franchise. The team and the organization have voiced their frustrations, and they are eager to get the season going under new head coach Peter Laviolette. They don’t have the same kind of hype that they did going into last season, but the Rangers will compete for the top of the division and will certainly be a playoff team.
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Offense
New York can always rely upon Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, and Adam Fox to provide scoring, but there are a ton of questions about how new acquisition Blake Wheeler will fit in. The Rangers also need to figure out if guys like Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere, and Vincent Trocheck can finally live up to expectations. The Rangers have a very strong group up front, but last year they didn’t finish as well as they could have (3.33 goals per game). This group could potentially have 6+ players with a minimum of 60 points, but it all depends on how they respond to Laviolette’s coaching style. With that said, the Rangers' power play has been in the top 10 in the last two seasons and should be up there once again.
Defense
It’s fair to say that this blue line got stronger in the offseason, not because of any crazy acquisitions, but because they gained another year of playoff experience. Fox was nominated for his second Norris Trophy in his first four seasons and K’Andre Miller more than doubled his point total from the season before. The Rangers will need more consistent play from their captain Jacob Trouba, but overall, this backend is pretty well-rounded.