Pens or Caps, the Rangers first round opponent doesn't matter.

As we all wait for the seemingly inevitable Jack Eichel trade, the chance that the Rangers don’t make any additional moves continues to grow. While many, including myself, would consider that to be a waste of Pavel Buchnevich as a tradeable asset, it still is within the realm of possibility. The Rangers aren’t going to overpay for Eichel. In fact, it seems that the Rangers are trying to get him for pennies on the dollar. But if the Rangers don’t get Eichel, is that necessarily a bad thing? Is going into this season with the roster as is going to be good enough?

They are still a better team

Despite the hysteria on social media, the Rangers are a better team this year. The Buchnevich trade was a net-negative, and the contract for Barclay Goodrow isn’t overly great. But by simply making the fourth line and third pair better and viable, they made themselves a better team. Most of this is simply subtracting Brett Howden and Libor Hajek from the roster, which had significant impact, but adding Patrik Nemeth and Nils Lundkvist does add value. Same goes for the fourth line options.

Player roles will also be a significant factor here. The Rangers won’t have two lines running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Each player and each line will know what to do, when to do it, and how. This is how Gerard Gallant thrives and expects his rosters to play. The fact that all four lines can put the puck in the net adds to the depth.

Projected to finish with triple digit points

In the way-too-early-projections category, the Rangers are still projected to hit triple digit points this season.

Remember, this is way too early to have a legitimate feel for the Rangers or the division. However the early 100 point projection bodes well and shows just how much the Rangers are improved. The Isles haven’t signed anyone yet, so this is a bit outdated and will change once all their signings are officially announced.

Giving significant minutes to Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko drives some of this. It is expected that both will put up points under Gallant and under more stable even strength and powerplay deployment. If their growth is stunted or they simply don’t perform, then the Rangers will miss expectations. That’s fine though, both have shown they should be able to take the reins.

Still seems underwhelming

Yet despite the objective analysis presented, it seems underwhelming, no? This isn’t really related to Jack Eichel, although that saga has rivaled The Lord of the Rings at this point. The Rangers didn’t need to overhaul the roster, they just needed to make tweaks. As of now, they did just that.

The roles matter. Having a viable fourth line and third pair does wonders for roster balance. Yet it seems so unlike the Rangers to avoid a huge splash when making a run. Perhaps this is a sign of good things to come, avoiding adding names for the sake of names, and just filling roster holes with good players.

There will still be roster concerns and questions. But as of now, the Rangers are still a good team that should make the playoffs this season. All other things aside, that’s still a step in the right direction. The Rangers don’t need to make any other trades for this season. It would just give us clarity into future seasons.

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