In the days after the New York Rangers’ playoff loss to Florida, Vincent Trocheck described a burning feeling in his stomach. He said he was already eager for another chance at a deep playoff run.
Trocheck had to wait, but after more than three months off, the Rangers are almost back in action. Training camp for the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners kicks off next week.
With official practices on the horizon, this week colleague Arthur Staple and I will examine one question facing every player expected to make the Rangers’ roster. I handled the forwards, and Arthur will have the defensemen and goalies later in the week. Forwards are sorted by how many points they had in the 2023-24 regular season.
Artemi Panarin
Can he have as dynamic of a goal-scoring season?
Panarin’s 120-point season led the Rangers in 2023-24. It was the Russian’s first time over 100 points, though he would have gotten there in 2019-20 had the COVID-19 pandemic not shortened the regular season. His point total last season shouldn’t be a huge shock — he’s established himself as one of the best offensive wingers in the sport — but his 49 goals was 17 more than his previous career high. The 32-year-old’s shooting percentage was also the best of his career, so it’s fair to wonder if his goal total will regress, even if he still racks up points at a high level.
Vincent Trocheck
Does he set another career high in ice time?
Coach Peter Laviolette played Trocheck more than any of his forwards last season, putting him on the penalty kill and top power play. Trocheck averaged 21:27 of ice time a game in his second season with the Rangers, ranking fifth among NHL forwards, just ahead of sixth-place Connor McDavid. There’s no reason to believe Laviolette will rely on him any less, but could he rack up even more ice time?
Bonus question: Is a top-10 Selke finish in the cards? He finished 16th last season.
Chris Kreider
Does he show any sign of aging?
At 33, Kreider is the oldest forward on the team. Though he might never have 52 goals again like he did a few years ago, he’s coming off the three highest-scoring seasons of his career. His 39 goals and 75 points last season were each his second-best marks in 12 NHL seasons, trailing only 2021-22. Though age hasn’t been an issue yet for Kreider, it will be someday. The Rangers are just counting on that not being any time in the immediate future.
Mika Zibanejad
Can he avoid a long cold stretch?
Zibanejad endured a 30-game stretch without a goal at five-on-five. During that span, he had 21 points, scoring at a 0.7 points-per-game clip. In the 51 games he played before and after the drought, he had 51 points. Zibanejad averaged a point-per-game or better in 2023-24 and 2022-23, so expecting him to be a point-per-game player is not out of the question for the coming season. If he’s going to do that, though, he can’t afford to have another long stretch without a five-on-five goal.
Alexis Lafrenière
Does he force his way onto the power play?
Laviolette has little reason to start the season with a different top power-play unit than the one that was third in the league with a 26.4 percent success rate in 2023-24. Panarin, Zibanejad, Trocheck and Kreider were the four forwards in that group, leaving Lafreniére only a bit of time on PP2. He still managed a breakout season, scoring 28 goals and 57 points, both career highs. Only his linemates, Panarin and Trocheck, had more even-strength points among Rangers players. If someone on PP1 gets hurt or the power play goes through a cold stretch, Lafrenière is presumably next in line to move up to the top unit.
All in all, Lafrenière is a ceiling-raiser for the Rangers, and his scoring numbers could pop even more with added ice time. It just might be hard to come by.
Reilly Smith
Is he the answer at top-line right wing?
General manager Chris Drury didn’t land a big fish like Jake Guentzel to put a certain end to the revolving door of players on Kreider and Zibanejad’s wing. Instead he made a more measured move, acquiring Smith from Pittsburgh for a pair of draft picks. Smith brings New York more upside than any of the options used in 2023-24 — Blake Wheeler, Alex Wennberg and Jack Roslovic, to name a few — but he’s a streaky scorer.
If Smith finds his footing with the Rangers after a bit of a down year in Pittsburgh, he could be the answer to a long-term question. If not, Drury might have to once again look for a right wing at the trade deadline.
Jimmy Vesey
Is this his last season with the Rangers?
Vesey has posted 25 and 26 points the past two years, and has proven himself to be a capable bottom-six player who can slide up the lineup in a pinch. He carries only an $800,000 salary cap hit, but that deal expires at the end of this season. Considering the Rangers’ tight cap situation, they likely won’t be able to offer as lucrative of a deal as other teams. Unless Vesey is willing to take a discount to stay with the Rangers, that might mean he’s entering his final year with the club.
Will Cuylle
Can he avoid a late-season tail-off?
Cuylle had only three points in the final 27 games of the season, then only two in 16 playoff games. He was a rookie playing the most hockey in a year he ever had in a season, so the dip shouldn’t come as a shock, but it’s something the Rangers surely hope he can avoid in Year 2.
Kaapo Kakko
Will he be on the roster at year’s end?
The answer to this question is likely yes, but Kakko was on the trade market this summer, per Staple’s reporting earlier this summer. Drury will almost certainly be looking to add at the deadline, so if Kakko could be the difference in an impact trade getting done, perhaps he’s part of a win-now move. The best-case scenario for the Rangers, though, is that he gets back to his production level from 2022-23, when he had 40 points.
Jonny Brodzinski
Does he appear in playoff games for the Rangers?
A career journeyman, Brodzinski played a career-high 57 games for the Rangers last season, then three in the playoffs. His postseason games played will likely be an indicator of the strength of New York’s bottom-six. The less he plays, the more depth Laviolette has to work with.
Sam Carrick
Was his Edmonton scoring rate a sign of what he can do on a good team?
In a small sample, Carrick had five points in 16 games (.31 per game) after Edmonton acquired him from Anaheim at the trade deadline. Before the trade, he had 11 points in 61 games (.18 points-per-game). Carrick’s scoring dipped during Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup Final (one point in 10 games) but his regular-season numbers with the Oilers might’ve indicated what he can do on a deeper roster than the one in Anahaim. Or he could’ve just benefitted from a small sample.
Filip Chytil
Can he have a year of health?
Chytil had a nightmare 2023-24 season, missing all but 10 regular-season games with concussion issues. He came back for six games in the playoffs, but he’d been out more than six months at that point and had no points. That wasn’t a good indication of what the 25-year-old can do. In 2022-23, he had 22 goals and 45 points. He’ll likely start this season at third-line center, and New York’s bottom six could benefit greatly from a season of him at his best.
Matt Rempe
How much more can he add to his game?
Those around Rempe have made it clear that work ethic will never be an issue with the giant forward, and he ended the summer living with Jonathan Quick and training with Ben Prentiss in Connecticut. He doesn’t have the skill of most other players on the roster, but Laviolette loves his size and physicality, so he figures to play a good bit this season. The more he can bring beyond hits and the occasional fight, the better for New York.
(Top photo of Artemi Panarin: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
