No surprises for the NY Rangers in terms of record and points, as we all knew this team was going to be looking for more early and often, turning the page on the disappointing finish to 2023-24. And they didn’t disappoint us, with Artemi Panarin and Igor Shesterkin looking like end-of-season award contenders even here in October.
But with no more games to play in the month, let’s check out some of the players who ended up surprising us, starting with an upstart winger named William Cuylle. So far, Cuylle has seen time in nine games, with eight points and three goals to go with a plus-10 rating. One of the most physical players on the Blueshirts, Cuylle also has 39 hits, putting him on pace for 300-plus if he keeps up this consistency.
Filip Chytil has been another Blueshirt worthy of recognition, with a plus-11, seven points, and four goals in nine games. And let’s also give it up for Kaapo Kakko, who is sporting a plus-9, seven points, and six assists in nine contests, giving him the markings of a potential playmaker.
NY Rangers have had some excellent surprises, but also a bad one
Matt Rempe was one player I was hoping to see take the next step and become more than just an enforcer. But so far, he's been playing mostly in the AHL and has once again looked more like a hitter/fighter instead of what you’d want to see from a modern-day hockey player when he gets his chances with the big club. And it may be all we get from him again this season.
Other than the disappointment from Rempe so far in 2024-25, there’s really nothing that jumps out in a bad way from the Blueshirts unless I'm missing something. As it stands, 6-2-1 is about where I expected them to be, and it’s also no surprise that they’re a top-10 team in scoring and a top-five group on defense, at least heading into Wednesday night’s game slate.
That said, let’s hope there are no unexpected downers in November and that those players mentioned above continue to enjoy their fine respective stints in Manhattan en route to what should be an easy playoff berth by the time mid-April arrives.
The Rangers are one of a few teams in the NHL who barely have a blemish apart from a couple of bad games that resulted in regulation losses, so for fans, this has got to be an encouraging sign.