A new era has begun for the New York Rangers. Peter Laviolette is less than a week away from opening up his first training camp as head coach of the storied hockey franchise. Along the way, the Blueshirts have molded the incoming roster in a way that will look different than the group that went to two straight playoff appearances under Gerard Gallant.
The main constant over this stretch has been general manager Chris Drury. Now entering his third season as the head of the Rangers’ organization, pressure has mounted for Drury to finally build a winner after going through two different coach hirings.
To the former player, this Rangers team is perfectly equipped to handle the pressure coming for them.
“It’s a new year and a new challenge, and I think everyone’s excited – not just to get into training camp but to try to get into the regular season and to try to reach our first goal of making the playoffs,” Drury said Thursday morning.
New York spent all offseason molding the roster differently than they have had over the years. Veteran players like Blake Wheeler and Nick Bonino are now in tow, while the team locked up some of their younger core players. As with any new Rangers season, the development of their young core will be just as important as the wins they produce.
Players like former first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko, and Brennan Othmann will get plenty of chances to compete for top roles in the 2023 club. In regard to Lafreniere and Othamann, it appears that Drury is leaving all final roster decisions to the new coach but expects both players to have some time playing on the right side of the ice.
Drury’s comments on Lafreniere were quite interesting in regard to the former top pick. Lafreniere has made it known in the past that he prefers to play on his natural left-hand side but does have experience on the right. To better fit what the Rangers want to do with him, moving Lafreniere to a top line with players like…
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