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Storylines going into preseason opener against Devils

By Andrew Steele-Davis

TRAVERSE CITY, MI - SEPTEMBER 10: The the New York Rangers celebrate a win over the the St. Louis Blues during Day-5 of the NHL Prospects Tournament at Centre Ice Arena on September 10, 2019 in Traverse City, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)
TRAVERSE CITY, MI - SEPTEMBER 10: The the New York Rangers celebrate a win over the the St. Louis Blues during Day-5 of the NHL Prospects Tournament at Centre Ice Arena on September 10, 2019 in Traverse City, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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TRAVERSE CITY, MI – SEPTEMBER 09: Kaapo Kakko #45 of the New York Rangers celebrates his game winning O.T. goal against the Minnesota Wild with teammates Adam Fox #23 and Ryan Dmowski #58 during Day-4 of the NHL Prospects Tournament at Centre Ice Arena on September 9, 2019 in Traverse City, Michigan. The New York Rangers defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in O.T. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Hockey is back and the New York Rangers will officially usher in a new era on Wednesday night when Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils come to town.

The New York Rangers get their preseason underway Wednesday at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m. ET) against a Devils team who won their exhibition opener against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday thanks to two goals from Hughes, the No.1 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

But all eyes will be on the Blueshirts’ boatload of young studs on Wednesday and fans will also be hoping to get a first glimpse of Artemi Panarin in a Rangers jersey. It is likely that Head Coach David Quinn gives big minutes to a number of prospects in order to get a more substantial look at them in a competitive game environment, although there will be some big guns on show too.

There is a lot to be excited about this year if you are a Rangers fan and, first and foremost, it will just be nice to have actual games to discuss and dissect even if it is just the preseason. It was a long old off-season and those severe hockey cravings need satisfying.

And what better way to start the preseason than against the Devils who, like the Rangers, are entering a year full of hope and expectation after significantly upgrading their roster in the summer by acquiring the likes of P.K. Subban, Wayne Simmonds and Nikita Gusev to go along with Hughes.

As a result, the Hudson River rivalry is set for a resurgence in 2019-20 and we will be treated to a taste of what might be in-store when the Rangers and Devils lock horns tomorrow. It has all the ingredients for a fun first preseason outing and there will be plenty to look out for.

So, to get you in the mood for the Rangers’ preseason opener, we have pinpointed a handful of storylines to keep an eye out for tomorrow night against the New Jersey Devils…

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