
The wide open
Once the top six is solidified, the team has one of Spooner and Namesntikov as well as Vesey and Fast that need spots. So, that leaves a total of three roster spots in the bottom six, unless one of the 2017 first round picks makes the team. Being conservative, let’s say that the team needs to pick three forwards to bring to the NHL at the start of the season.
Candidates for this group include Vinni Lettieri, Michael Lindqvist, Ville Meskanen, Boo Nieves, Brett Howden, Ty Ronning and Tim Gettinger. Being that Nieves and Howden are both centers, they would likely be given priority in terms of a roster spot.
So in theory, the Rangers need a a third line winger, a fourth line winger and a fourth line center out of this group of forwards. None of these eight candidates have significant NHL experience, which gives no realistic sample to work with. There is also the outside chance that veteran enforcer Cody McLeod makes the team out of camp simply as a warm body.