Most hockey experts would say that the typical prime ages for an NHL player are between 26 and 30. If that's the case then the Rangers could be in trouble.
When you look at the New York Rangers group of forwards, they only have four players who are technically in their "prime" window, but the scary thing is that all four of those guys are at the age of 30. Barclay Goodrow, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck, and Jimmy Vesey are the players that I am referring to and technically, they aren't just in their prime, they're at the end of it.
I was texting with my good friend over at SiriusXM Radio, Jim "Boomer" Gordon on Sunday afternoon and he brought it to my attention that the Rangers don't have a single forward between the ages of 24 and 29 on their roster.
Boomer spoke about it tonight a little bit more in detail tonight with Arthur Staple, the Rangers reporter for The Athletic.
With that being said, one of the members of the Rangers' very popular "Kid Line", Filip Chytil, happens to turn 24 years of age on September 5th. Other players in the organization that fit between this age gap are Anton Blidh (28) and Jake Leschyshyn (24), but it is more than likely that those two will be spending a majority of time in the minors with the Harftord Wolf Pack.
Two season ago, it felt like the Rangers window to win was wide open. Suddenly, heading into the 2023-24 season, that window feels like it might be starting to close more than it is opening.
Luckily, the teams all-star goaltender Igor Shesterkin is 27 years old. There is no doubt that he is the organizations most important player and as long as he is in his prime, this team will have a chance to win. Adam Fox is another player that is about to enter this window, as the 25-year-old defenseman turns 26 on February 17th in 2024.
Outside of these two players, the way this roster is built causes room for concern. Simply put, the Rangers window to win is right now.