Wingers
This is where the Blueshirts have a problem. The pre-2018 deadline wingers included Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello, Rick Nash, Michael Grabner, Pavel Buchnevich, Jesper Fast, Jimmy Vesey and Paul Carey.
The current wingers include Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Pavel Buchnevich, Jesper Fast, Kaapo Kakko, Brendan Lemieux, Brendan Smith and Greg McKegg. You have to subtract Kreider and Fast, sure to be gone at the trade deadline. Despite the addition of Artemi Panarin, the Rangers have not done a great job of rebuilding on the wing.
The simple fact is that the team has not replaced the firepower provided by Nash, Zuccarello, Grabner, Vesey and soon, Kreider. They have no one to replace the all-around play that Jesper Fast provides. Panarin has been spectacular, but Buchnevich has been a disappointment. Kaapo Kakko is still too young. As for Smith and McKegg, they are a fair trade for Vesey and Carey.
If there is one weakness in the current Blueshirts roster, it is on the wing. It has been disguised by the excellence of Artemi Panarin, but there is absolutely no depth at wing.
The future looks better, but it may take a few years to get there. Kaapo Kakko is having a fine rookie season and there is no reason to think he won’t become the player we thought he would be. Brendan Lemieux has a great upside and will continue to grow. Buchnevich remains an enigma.
The key to the future is Vitali Kravtsov. The Blueshirts desperately need him to be the player that they projected him to be. That means that in two years hopefully Panarin, Kravtsov and Kakko will be the cornerstone of the future, beyond those three there is a question mark. The only other forwards we can project to be part of this team moving forward are Buchnevich and Lemieux.
So, who are the other three forwards? Finnish prospect Lauri Pajuniemi is the only winger in the pipeline who has anyone excited and he is two years away.