New York Rangers: And now, we wait for the 2018-19 season

If you haven’t realized by now, the New York Rangers are finished making moves for the offseason.

The dog days of summer have been draining the life out of hockey fans across the continent.

UFA signings have been made and trades won’t be coming any time soon — there has been just one trade in August since 2011 — and we all know that no team is going to sign a player to an offer sheet.

So now there is nothing we can really do but sit back, reflect and wait for the season to begin on October 4.

The Rangers didn’t do a lot this offseason, but outside of the Cody McLeod ordeal, every move they made was done well.

Locking up Vladislav Namestnikov, Ryan Spooner and Jimmy Vesey to two-year deals was a very savvy move by Jeff Gorton and Co. The team gave them some time to prove their worth in a new system while also giving themselves a two-year window to find a trade partner for their services.

One argument against giving Gorton a good grade for his work this offseason is because of what happened with Kevin Hayes’ contract situation. The two sides came to an agreement on a one-year contract worth $5.1 million.

“He’s so close to it. He’s so close to being that guy and he’s made so many great strides in his career so far. It’s just the everyday consistency of the work ethic and the attitude. He’s talked about it to me. These are his words. He wants to make the next step. Because we have so many young players, he wants to be a guy they gravitate to and can lead them down the right path. There are so many characteristics that a player and team needs to have success. You need to be mentally tough. You need to be in world-class shape. You need to be a leader. You need to be resilient. All those things you need, and he wants to take the next step in all those areas. He’s made strides since he’s been in New York, but I think there’s another level for him to get to and he knows that. I think [a one-year contract] is a prove-it deal for any guy under a one-year deal, and he knows that.”

It sounds like the coaching staff believes in him and Hayes sounds devoted to the organization, wanting to be a leader in the room for younger players. The past coaching regime didn’t take to well to Hayes’ style, but Quinn wants to give him a fair shake.

Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hayes scored 30 goals in 2018-19.

This is just my gut talking, but I really feel like the team will play Filip Chytil on the wing in the top-six. I think they desperately want him to grab a top-six role in camp and allowing him to play on a line with Hayes and a player like Mats Zuccarello might spring board him along very quickly. Plus, the team could throw Lias Andersson into the third line center role while playing alongside Spooner Namestnikov.

This is how the Rangers’ forward lines could look on opening night:

• Not gonna lie, that lineup looks nice on paper.
• The defense is another story. That, my friends, will be a complete and total mess.

• Stay tuned to Blue Line Station over the next month until the Traverse City Tournament takes place (and stay after that starts, too!) to get your New York Rangers fix.