The New York Rangers celebrate after center Mika Zibanejad scored a goal against the New Jersey Devils during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, April 29, 2023, at Madison Square Garden in New York.
AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
Can the New York Rangers move past their struggles in Game 7’s loss to the New Jersey Devils last season? How well will Peter Laviolette look behind the bench as the leader of the Rangers locker room?Â
These are the two central questions the Rangers will have to answer as they begin their 2023-24 regular season. New York opens up against an upstart Buffalo Sabres team, but in a loaded Metropolitan division, every game becomes important.Â
It also helps that the Blueshirts have changed their roster to better fit the pressure and physicality that comes from the rest of their divisional foes. Blake Wheeler, Nick Bonino, Tyler Pitlick, and Erik Gustafsson are all on one-year deals with the Rangers, and each brings a unique identity to help change New York’s fortunes come playoff time.Â
Just how good will New York be this season? We break down everything you need to know about the 2023-24 Rangers here.Â
Offensive Line Projections and Breakdown
1st Line: Chris Kreider – Mika Zibanejad – Kaapo Kakko
2nd Line: Artemi Panarin – Filip Chytil – Alexis Lafreniere
3rd Line: Will Cuylle – Vincent Trocheck – Blake Wheeler
4th Line: Barclay Goodrow – Nick Bonino – Tyler Pitlick
As top lines go, the Rangers seem to be going with one of the most successful from last season. Kaapo Kakko’s movement to the top trio with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider is complete. In 2022, this group was one of the most successful at getting pucks on net night-in and night-out. With Kakko’s physicality, the front line pairs nicely with the kind of identity the Blueshirts want to have under Laviolette.Â
The second and third lines are where the biggest changes have been made. Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafreniere have been bumped to the…
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