The New York Rangers had tight salary cap room to deal with heading into free agency. Adam Proteau thinks they managed it well with some savvy signings.
Welcome to THN.com’s ongoing “off-season outlook” series, in which we examine every NHL team’s most recent season, as well as their strengths and weaknesses as the 2023-24 season approaches. We’ve been releasing the series in alphabetical order, and on this day, we’re looking at the New York Rangers.
2022-23 Grade: B
Biggest Positive Heading Into the Off-Season
As per PuckPedia, the Rangers have used virtually all of their salary cap space this spring to augment their core with veteran know-how depth additions at every key position.
With 20 of 23 roster spots locked down, they have approximately $6.175 million in cap space, and they have two prominent RFA in defenseman K’Andre Miller and winger Alexis Lafreniere, so they’ll be at or very close to the upper cap limit once training camp begins.
Unless Blueshirts GM Chris Drury sends cap space and talent the other way – or unless there are injuries – there won’t be any in-season big moves like the moves Drury made at the 2023 trade deadline. But Drury’s savvy spate of signings once free agency began has eliminated almost every hole they had in the lineup at the end of this past year when they blew a first-round Stanley Cup playoff series lead against New Jersey and were eliminated in seven games.
As such, deadline marquee acquisitions Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane almost assuredly won’t return to the Rangers this year. But the team’s new faces, including former Winnipeg star winger Blake Wheeler, depth center Nick Bonino, fourth-liner Tyler Pitlick, defenseman Erik Gustafsson and goalie Jonathan Quick, all come at bargain-basement cap hits that, in their own way, have solid upside for the organization.
Combine the depth of talent Drury has assembled with the well-balanced core of forwards and their smart, slick defense corps – to say nothing of star netminder Igor Shesterkin – and you have one of the NHL’s most all-around impressive lineups. Few teams can deal with potential injuries the way the Rangers do, and though they will have next to no flexibility cap-wise, the reality is they don’t need any help. A new coach – Peter Laviolette – brings with him high expectations, and nothing less than at least a couple of playoff series wins will suffice for this team.
Biggest Need Heading Into the Off-Season
If anything, the Rangers could benefit from increased production by young wingers Kaapo Kakko and Lafreniere in 2023-24. The duo combined for 34 goals and 79 points last season, but the Rangers’ use of them on the top two lines dictates they ought to be producing at a better than a 0.50 points-per-game pace. It’s true they’re only 22 and 21 years old, respectively, but Kakko and Lafreniere can’t escape the spotlight in Manhattan, and a slow start by either or both could lead to a trade.
Drury has managed to hang onto his first-round draft picks in each of the next three seasons, and if he does have to address a need in-season, we could see him moving one of those picks for veteran help. Quick was brought in to take some of the load off of Shesterkin, but if Quick does struggle, his $825,000 salary can be swallowed in favor of a different goaltender down the road. As it stands now, though, the Rangers are set. They’ve got no excuses not to thrive, and they should easily be a playoff team in the tough Metropolitan Division.
Bottom Line for the Rangers This Off-Season
The Rangers had stretches this past year that looked like they had it all figured out. But the dismissal of former bench boss Gerard Gallant underscores the fact that results are all that matters for the team. Laviolette is a proven winner, and if they stay healthy, the Rangers should challenge Carolina and New Jersey for the top spot in the Metro.
However, any regular-season success will vanish if they once again lose in the first round, or the second, for that matter. They’re in win-now mode, and they’ve been constructed to go deep into the post-season. It’s up to them to live up to their promise.