New York Rangers 2024-2025 NHL Season Preview

New York Rangers 2024-2025 NHL Season Preview

The New York Rangers endured two long postseason runs in two of the last three years. However, nothing lasts forever. Chris Drury has injected young talent into this group but some of the main stars of the show on Broadway are getting up there in age. We all know that the reigning President’s Trophy winners will be on the hunt for their first Stanley Cup since 1994. But do they have the horses to make it further than they’ve been before? Their 2024-2025 season has a myriad of crossroads that need investigating.

Line Combinations (via DailyFaceoff.com)

New Faces

Their lineup is mostly unchanged aside from picking up Reilly Smith from the Penguins over the Summer. The revolving door on the right wing of Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad has found a new face. If he’s able to hit the ground running and contribute, that Top Six might find new levels. The good news is that Smith is a winner and should be a good fit in that locker room. Remember, he hit 40 points on Evgeni Malkin’s wing without really leaving first gear. There are some young players in the system who could make some decisions tough for Peter Laviolette, but expect the veteran core to make a return.

Three Players To Watch

• Artemi Panarin had a career year at the age of 32 last season. He was stellar, with 49 goals and 120 points and finished fifth in Hart Trophy voting. Since landing at MSG back in 2019 the Breadman is aging gracefully. His vision of the ice combined with his lethal shot helped elevate the Blueshirts’ powerplay to new heights. However, this team can only go as far as he takes them. Can he put in another elite season to keep the Rangers at the top of the Metro and East standings?
• Similar to Panarin, the other driver of this team is Igor Shesterkin. The former Vezina winner is entering a contract years with a deadline for Opening Night set for any extension talks to take place. Despite his team getting outplayed for stretches in the playoffs, Igor was sensational and gave them a fighting chance to reach the Stanley Cup Final. If he has another great season, Drury and company will have no choice to either reset the goalie market and pay him handsomely or watch him walk next Summer.
• Since making the jump to the NHL K’Andre Miller has been a fun player to watch for the Rangers. Despite playing on the second pair, he is very firmly the #2 defenseman behind Norris winner Adam Fox. With depth concerns aplenty on Broadway, his ability to eat minutes and be productive will be crucial for the stretch run.

Biggest Riser

The very clear answer here is Alexis Lafreniere. After a career year in the regular season and coming out party in the playoffs, the former #1 pick has sky-high expectations. Playing alongside Panarin and Trochek on the first line will always help. However, if he can take the driver’s seat and bear a larger workload for that unit it will pay immediate dividends and ensure the top guns are still in good shape after game 82.

Biggest Faller

It should be no surprise that captain Jacob Trouba is the pick here. He is a complete liability and now will anchor the third pairing due to his reckless play. With a cap hit of $8 million for this season and next you’d have to think this is his last year in a Rangers uniform. The whole media storm about the team’s inability to trade him this Summer is yet another complicated chapter for them. He needs to raise his game and still be a net-neutral player if nothing else.

The Question Is…

Can this aging roster still be good enough to compete for top seeds in the conference while also deliver a big playoff push? They obviously have enough to be a great regular season team. Their top guys are as good as any in the NHL. However, they are only getting older and showed signs of wear and tear as the playoffs went on. Florida showed the key of having both skill and grit in order to win and survive round after round in the playoffs. Laviolette and company have a tall order ahead of them to keep their window open.

The Verdict

The New York Rangers will absolutely return to the playoffs. Unless someone gets hurt or the wheels fall off the track that much is certain. However, the role Smith has combined with big seasons needed from Shesterkin and Panarin puts them in a bit of a bind. They’re obviously good enough to win a round or two but whether they can win the big tests remains to be seen. Regardless, it should be another exciting season at Madison Square Garden with very high expectations.

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