As the calendar turns to October, I can feel a headache coming on. No, it’s not my seasonal allergies, it’s the returning stress of New York Rangers hockey. Sarcastic jokes aside, I am overjoyed at the return of my favorite sports team, even if they torture me at times. Of all my teams the Rangers mean the most to me because of two big reasons.

First off, the Blueshirts are a family affair for me, as my direct family and several of my best friends all live and die with this team. Second, my dad and I are season ticket holders at Madison Square Garden with a half season plan. You can find us “coaching” from our seats on the Chase Bridge at every other home game. Simply put the Rangers are a massive part of my life and with the off-season finally coming to a close, it’s time to preview the season.

Now contrary to my fellow Ranger fans typically negative outlook, I think there is a lot to look forward to this campaign. Off the ice (or at least the Garden ice) the Rangers will be playing in the NHL Stadium Series this year at Metlife Stadium against the Islanders, a game I will be in attendance for. As for the on-ice product, it would seem the Garden faithful have forgotten just how much talent is on the roster. The Rangers are still loaded with high end players and expectations should remain high.

Two quick notes before we begin. First off, this preview will be all encompassing covering the Rangers organization, roster, and the upcoming NHL season. Second, this series (and yes it will be recurring) has a pop culture connection, much like our Swamps of Jersey series. Instead of Springsteen, this series gets its name from the Bee Gees classic, Nights on Broadway.

Now if that tune sounds familiar, it might be because of Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake’s famous take on the Gibb brothers on SNL.

Without wasting anymore time, lets dive into the reasons why we should absolutely believe in blue this season!

The Brain Trust

We begin with a look at the Rangers front office and coaching staff, which have undergone quite the face lift over the last few years. Since taking over in the summer of 2021 Chris Drury has revamped the hockey ops department in an effort to modernize all aspects of the franchise. This process began by overhauling the scouting department, an area of obvious need as the Rangers have struggled to draft and develop NHL talent. It starts with identifying the right players and not enough of the picks have met the mark.

The changes to the scouting department were accompanied by changes on the analytics front, another worthy investment by Drury, as it should improve how the Rangers apply data to their daily game plans and the info they provide to their players. While it’s still a bit too early to tell, we may be on the verge of seeing the fruits of Drury’s revamp on this year’s roster, more on that later.

While these changes took place behind the scenes, there is a new face who will share in Drury’s vision for the franchise, with the hiring of new head coach Peter Laviolette. Laviolette comes in off of a three-year stint in DC as the bench boss for the Capitals, a run that saw him make the playoffs twice. While his time in DC didn’t go quite as planned, Laviolette’s career resume speaks for itself. He’s a proven winner with postseason appearances at every stop along the way. Those playoff trips include three Stanley Cup Final appearances, one of which resulted in a championship, in 2006 with the Hurricanes.

Laviolette’s teams are known for a few key hallmarks and a structure (something that has been lacking), to be on the lookout for this season. An overall aggressiveness on the forecheck should lead to improvements at five-on-five play, an area where the Rangers struggled under previous coach Gerard Gallant. While this should benefit the offense, Laviolette is looking for the Rangers to work harder as a unit defensively. As he said early in camp, back checking is not “optional” so expect the Blueshirts to defend as a group which will lead to better transition play. Also, in contrast from Gallant, Laviolette and his staff will be far more hands on in their approach to dealing with the players. This is something the players reportedly were looking for in their exit interviews last year, so they have no excuse not to take to it. Gallant will be a tough act to follow after his two strong seasons on Broadway, but Laviolette will have plenty of help.

That help comes in the form of the aforementioned coaching staff as Laviolette has assembled an impressive group of lieutenants. Hall of Fame defenseman and former Sabres head coach Phil Housley is on the bench to run the defense, an area where his influence could really benefit players like K’Andre Miller and Braden Schneider. Housley is joined by former Sabres captain Michael Peca, who also played for Laviolette with the Islanders. Peca will work with the forwards and help set up the power play with Housley. He previously served on Laviolette’s staff in Washington, a run that earned him high praise from the Capitals players. Rounding out the bench is Dan Muse, who worked under Laviolette in Nashville and helped develop players for USA hockey as head coach of the U-18 national team. Muse will be tasked with getting more out of young Rangers like Alexis Laffreniere, Kaapo Kakko, Brennan Othman and Will Culyle. He will also be involved in setting up the Rangers penalty kill. Only time will tell if he can succeed with the young players, but early returns in the preseason were good for Kakko, Othman, and Cuylle.

It feels like the Rangers have an organizational direction that can lead them forward for years to come. I don’t see Drury going anywhere anytime soon, so these changes and others make a lot of sense. The coaching staff and their newly implemented system will provide the Rangers with a structure they can fall back on, instead of just hoping their raw high-end talent will carry the day. All this should combine to make the Rangers harder to beat, though it may just take a bit of time for all of this to click, similar to the 13-14 campaign under Alain Vigneault, hopefully they can finish the job this time though.

Forwards

As we move on from the off-ice personnel to the roster, we begin with a look at this season’s forward core. This is one of the deeper groups the Rangers have fielded in some time. Regulars like Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, and Mika Zibanejad anchor a group that added solid veterans like Blake Wheeler and Nick Bonino this summer. While these new names aren’t necessarily flashy, they will help to make this group more well-rounded and harder to play against, something they weren’t often enough last year.

They’re particularly well set up down the middle with four very solid center options. While the aforementioned Zibanejad and Bonino will fill their respectful roles as a top line scorer and a fourth line grinder, I expect another step forward from two important contributors from a season ago. The first is Filip Chytil who finally put it all together last year with a career high 22 goals. He will now be seeing top six minutes on a consistent basis as the second line center, working with Artemi Panarin, who could really help his offensive numbers explode.

The other center I look forward to watching this year is Vincent Trocheck. Trocheck had a nice first year with the club with 64 points, and a whole lot of good work that doesn’t show up in the box score. I think he slots in more favorably this year in the checking third line center role next to veteran Blake Wheeler who has plenty to offer this group as well. The often-maligned Wheeler arrives after a lengthy stay with the Thrashers/Jets, that saw the team achieve big time success with him as the captain. Rumors have swirled that his attitude can be difficult to be around, but he has come in and acted like a true professional who is hungry to win. With 55 points on an offensively challenged team last year, Wheeler’s production could see a jump on Broadway, especially when he sees power play time.

Trocheck and Wheeler will likely be joined by a standout addition to the roster from training camp, rookie winger Will Cuylle. The former Windsor Spitfire was a second-round pick by the Rangers in the 2020 entry draft and made a nice impression last year in a cameo appearance just before the all-star break. In 69 games last year with the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack, Cuylle earned his stripes and helped lead the team on a playoff run. It’s clear the 21-year-old has some skill to go with his big frame. At 6’4 and 209 pounds, the energetic youngster could be a handful to defend, especially when working in concert with good checkers like Wheeler and Trocheck on the third line. While fellow preseason sensation Brennan Othman probably possess more skill, Cuylle won the job as the game didn’t seem too fast for him. Othman won’t be in Hartford for long though, as some seasoning down there will do him good. Expect him to feature at some point this season.

We’re going to save two players for later in our preview, though I’m sure you all know who they are. To conclude this portion, here is how I expect the Rangers to lineup to start the year.

Projected Forward Lines

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Chris Kreider	Mika Zibanejad	Kaapo Kakko
Artemi Panarin	Filip Chytil	Alexis Lafreniere
Will Cuylle	Vincent Trocheck	Blake Wheeler
Barclay Goodrow	Nick Bonino	Jimmy Vesey
	Extra Forward:	Tyler Pitlick

Defenseman

As we move to the backend the conversation begins with the terrific Adam Fox. Number 23 is the Rangers best player, and his consistency has been nothing short of remarkable the last three seasons. In my thirteen years watching this team I’ve never enjoyed watching a player wear this uniform more, and as a season ticket holder he is the one I always look forward to seeing in person. He’s my pick to win this year’s Norris Trophy, which won’t be easy considering the competition, but with some help from his teammates, I like Fox’s chances.

Fox is expected to once again be joined by his regular partner, Dan Girardi “clone” Ryan Lindgren. Number 55 comes into the season as one of the most underrated defenders in the league, bringing his hard hitting and grinding style to the mix to accent Fox’s flashy play. The two should at least start the season together, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see the coaching staff experiment with a change. That “change” would see K’Andre Miller leave his usual partner Jacob Trouba and line up next to Fox. That new pair would have more potential offensively, but it remains to be seen if they can be a long term fit next to one another, as both Lindgren and Trouba allow Fox and Miller to be their best selves by taking care of the house.

Miller in particular feels like a key piece this season, more than any previous one in his career. The Minnesota native has become one of the true up and comers in the league and the Rangers got him locked into a team friendly extension this summer. While the deal is good, Miller through the first 50 games last year looked set to make even more than he did, before an inconsistent second half and playoff series against New Jersey undoubtedly cost him. I expect new assistant Phil Housley to make an impact on number 79’s continued growth as we move through this season. If “Key” realizes his full potential the Rangers will have another star on their hands.

Miller’s aforementioned partner is the at times unfairly maligned captain of the Blueshirts Jacob Trouba. While the leader of the team was acquired back in 2019 to provide offensive impact from the back end, his physical play and “stay at home defending” has become his calling card. Trouba plays on the edge, much to the chagrin of rival fans, but in my opinion most of, if not all of these hits have been clean over the years. They illicit more of a reaction from the viewing public given them being just about eliminated from the sport entirely. Number eights off ice leadership is his other best asset, though we hopefully won’t see another helmet throw this season. When going right he is a rock at the back end, and I think we’ll see a strong year from him at full health.

The third pair is worth keeping an eye on as the up-and-coming Braden Schneider will have a new partner this season. Number four will be flanked by a combination of Zac Jones and Erik Gustafsson. Jones has been with the big club in bit part appearances over the last two seasons, showing some flashes along the way. Gustafsson meanwhile enters his eighth season in the league after signing up to be another one of Drury’s bargain buys. “Gus” is known for his offensive prowess and should see minutes on the power play. His outlet passes also stood out in the preseason, helping the Rangers break from their own zone with ease. Expect number 56 to get the first crack at being a regular feature on the third pair of this deep blue line.

Projected Defense Pairs

Left Defense	Right Defense
Ryan Lindgren	Adam Fox
K’Andre Miller	Jacob Trouba
Erik Gustafsson	Braden Schneider
Extra Defenseman:	Zac Jones

Goaltending

Any conversation here begins and ends with Igor Shesterkin. Number 31 remains one of, if not the best netminders in the league, off of another strong year. While it’s hard to fathom saying this, that “strong” campaign last year felt pedestrian by his standards. He started slowly a year ago, something he can’t really afford to do this year with the Rangers likely to be adjusting to a new system under a new coach. I expect huge year from “prince Igor” as he comes into the campaign more settled.

The bigger “story” in goal is the backup situation as future Hall of Famer Jonathan Quick will look to relieve Shesterkin when called upon. Quick arrives in New York after struggling last year with the Kings and the Golden Knights. While “struggling” is probably a kind word, and his preseason hasn’t been much better, I still think this was a worthwhile gamble for Chris Drury. Overpaying for a backup doesn’t make sense given the Rangers cap situation so taking a shot on the veteran making sense, similar to how they brought in Jaroslav Halak last year. While Halak started slow, he warmed to the task as the season went on, so it is not out of the question that Quick could deliver. It would also be nice if my fellow Ranger fans would cut him slack. Yes, the 2014 cup loss to Quick and the Kings was a gut punch, but he’s our player now and he is excited to be here so let’s stay behind him!

Should Quick struggle, expect prospect netminder Dylan Garand to get a shot with a call up from Hartford. Garand was a star the junior level and picked up silver and gold medals representing his country at the World Juniors. His season at Hartford last year was a mixed bag but I wouldn’t be surprised if he features this year as the backup.

Starter	Backup
Igor Shesterkin	Jonathan Quick

The Key’s

We’ve put off talking about them long enough, and it’s hard to say if them getting their own section is a good or bad thing, but it’s time to talk about Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko. The pair of top two picks have had such hit and miss careers to this point with flashes of true brilliance and utterly invisible play. But these two will be critical to the team’s success, more than any other player on the roster to start the year.

Kakko looks poised to continue his growth this year, after a preseason where he was a consistent factor in the top six lines. Number 24 has become a solid three zone player, learning to use his big frame to his advantage when in possession of the puck. If anything, what Kakko needs to exhibit game in, and game out is aggressiveness. Through this early part of his career, he has often found himself in prime position to score only to not pull the trigger in favor of setting up a teammate. His release is good enough to beat goalies clean from the dangerous areas of the ice and it’s time to use it.

To say Lafreniere is coming off of an underwhelming preseason would be an understatement. He’s often invisible in game, making us wonder what is going through number 13’s head. Despite the disappointing play, the Blueshirts really don’t have a better option to fill the top six right wing role right now. Perhaps the vote of confidence from the coaching staff will make a difference but it feels like we are past that point.

With due respect to both players, the biggest myth being perpetuated by the media and fans is that neither has been given the chance to properly showcase their skills. Complaints of veterans “blocking” the two of them are silly considering those veterans were acquired to compensate for their lack of production in the first place. I am certainly rooting for their success, but there can be no more wish casting, this is a prove it year. Both of them should keep in mind that Patrick Kane, surgically repaired hip and all, is just a phone call away.

Prediction

With the full organization broken down its time for a season prediction. While I think there will be an adjustment period in the early part of the season, I expect this Ranger team to mesh and put together a strong campaign. I expect another 100-point season and a top three finish in the Metro division. They aren’t my Stanley Cup champion (I’m not that biased) but they can certainly join the class of true “Cup Contenders” by proving they belong in that conversation with their play and some trade deadline shopping. I can’t wait for the season to get going and our boys to be back on the Garden ice!

League Predictions

With the Rangers preview wrapped up, check out my season predictions of the whole league below. Playoff teams are shown in bold type, while my conference and Cup champs are also provided, along with some end of season award picks.

Central	Pacific	Atlantic	Metro
Avalanche	Golden Knights	Leafs	Devils
Stars	Kings	Panthers	Rangers
Wild	Oilers	Sabres	Hurricanes
Blues	Kraken	Lightning	Penguins
Jets	Canucks	Senators	Blue Jackets
Predators	Flames	Bruins	Islanders
Coyotes	Ducks	Red Wings	Capitals
Blackhawks	Sharks	Canadiens	Flyers

Western Conference Champion: Dallas Stars – Last year’s runner up out west is my pick to reach the finals, they’re deep and have the best goalie in the conference, they should be very difficult to beat once again.

Eastern Conference Champion: Toronto Maple Leafs – “They have to do it eventually” isn’t a great reason but simply put the Leafs are the most complete team in the East to start the season, with added grit from a summer spending spree, and the Atlantic division weaking I think they’re finally going to get it done.

Stanley Cup Champion: Toronto Maple Leafs – In my hypothetical matchup I think the Leafs speed and skill would be too much for the Stars. Sorry Canada, I think I just mushed them.

Calder Trophy: Connor Bedard (CHI) – Not going out on much of a limb here but I am excited to watch number 98 tear it up this year, he should make Blackhawks games very entertaining in route to winning the rookie of the year award.

Vezina Trophy: Igor Shesterkin (NYR) – I expect Shesterkin to be more consistent this season, with the help of a new defensive look for the Rangers, in route to winning the award for the league’s best goalie.

Hart Trophy: Matthew Tkachuk (FLA) – The face of the Florida Panthers had a case to win this award last year, and I expect him to win the MVP award this year with the Panthers having a stronger regular season this time around.

Norris Trophy: Adam Fox (NYR) – Fox has a strong case to win this award any year, though it’s easier said than done given the competition on defense in the league, but I’ll back my favorite player here.

Jack Adams Award: Don Granato (BUF HC) – The bench boss of the Sabres has done excellent work to help rebuild team culture and to develop their young talent, with the club poised to return to the playoffs, I think Granato wins the coach’s award.

Rocket Richard Trophy: Tage Thompson (BUF) – For Granato to win the Jack Adams I think his best player will have to dominate; I expect Thompson to light the lamp enough to lead the league, and the Sabres back to the playoffs.

Art Ross Trophy: Jack Hughes (NJD) – It pains me to say this, but the Devils have one of the best players in the sport, look for Hughes to lead the league in points with the help of his new linemate Tyler Toffoli finishing off his passes.

Thats a wrap on the season preview! We’ll circle back to this at seasons end to see how my picks worked out. Share your predictions with me on Twitter @YNWA9623 and subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner of your screen and entering your email address. Enjoy the season everyone!