If there was one surprise of the offseason, it was that the NY Rangers didn’t make a big splash. Rumored to be targeting center depth and left defense depth, the Rangers decided not to make any big trades. Content with the first overall pick, the NY Rangers, for all intents and purposes are trotting out the same roster as 2019.
Relying on Development
Heading into the offseason, there were holes at center and left defense. With the offseason complete, there are holes at center and left defense. There can be some tinkering, such as moving Tony DeAngelo to left defense, to address some of the holes, but by and large, they are the same holes.
The Blueshirts are counting on development to improve the roster. And rightfully so. The oldest Rangers wingers are Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin, both under 30 years old. The Blueshirts are older on the blue line with a pair of 30 year olds, but after that it’s Jacob Trouba at 26 years old.
It’s expected that third year players like Filip Chytil take the next step forward in their development. It is expected that DeAngelo makes improvements on his defensive game. But perhaps the big thing is getting big improvements out of Kaapo Kakko, Julien Gauthier, Ryan Lindgren, and Adam Fox. Kakko and Fox should be top line/pairing players at some point. Gauthier should be a solid middle-six option. Lindgren is hopefully a good middle pairing guy. The Rangers need all of these kids to continue their development.
The Big Questions
The big questions are about the same:
- Can Tony DeAngelo handle LD duties?
- Will Filip Chytil continue to develop into a 2C?
- What will the Rangers do if one of Tarmo Reunanen or K’Andre Miller make the big club?
- Which Kaapo Kakko will the Rangers get next season?
- Will Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin continue their ridiculous production?
- What of Ryan Strome?
With the NY Rangers content to use the same roster as 2019, all eyes will be on development and the prospects. Sure Marc Staal is gone, and that is addition by subtraction, but the Rangers need more than that to be truly competitive next season.
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