3 NY Rangers players who surprised us in an unforgettable 2023-24 season
The NY Rangers snagged the Presidents’ Trophy to cap off an unforgettable season, and one they hope to end with a Stanley Cup this time around.
The New York Rangers showed us that they were the NHL’s best team in 2023-24, winning the Presidents’ Trophy and setting the stage for what could be a deep playoff run. But the Presidents’ Trophy has a “cursed” history recently, and you have to go back to the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks for the last time a team “swept” the regular season and the postseason.
Even worse, we have seen all but one team in the ensuing years even play beyond the Second Round, but luckily for Rangers fans, we all know who that team was - the 2014-15 squad. So, although the so-called “regular season champions,” in a manner of speaking, haven’t fared well, the Blueshirts can be that team to break the curse.
One reason comes from the fact that some of their best players enjoyed either surprisingly elite performances all season or regained their elite ways later on. And we will talk about those three players today, but not before we make one honorable mention.
NY Rangers won Presidents’ Trophy thanks to some surprising performances
Jonathan Quick is one player who deserves recognition since, for a while, he didn’t look like he would regain form in his age-38 season. But that wasn’t the case, as Quick became one of the league’s best backup goaltenders, and perhaps the best backup in the Eastern Conference, ending the year with a 0.911 save percentage, a 2.62 GAA, two shutouts, plus a more than respectable 18-6-2 record.
Overall, you couldn’t ask for much more out of Quick, and he will continue to serve the backup role in the NHL Playoffs as a sound insurance policy for starter Igor Shesterkin. Now that we got the honorable mention out there, which three Rangers players were the biggest surprises in 2023-24?
Alexis Lafreniere shattered some personal bests
We knew Alex Lafreniere would break out, thanks to the solid yet unspectacular performances he’s given fans in the past. His points total increased each season since he first stepped onto the ice with the Rangers, with 21 in 2020-21, 31 in 2021-22, and finally, 39 last season. This year, that total increased to 57 points and a remarkable 28 goals.
While it’s true the Rangers were one of the NHL’s highest-scoring teams, it still reflects just how much Lafreniere has grown over the past season. Not only did his points total increase, but he also played top-six minutes with an average total ice time of 17:16, further foreshadowing that he could be a 70-plus points producer in the near future.
He didn’t land anywhere near as many body checks, but Lafreniere made up for it with 45 takeaways, which helped either himself or the Rangers create more opportunities in their offensive zone. And remember, this was just his age-22 season, so we can honestly say he’s not even in his prime yet.
If general manager Chris Drury can keep this championship-caliber team together and Lafreniere keeps growing, expect this unit to stick around the top of the league for a while. Lafreniere will be a lot of fun to watch as the best seasons of his young career approach.
Nobody saw Artemi Panarin scoring 49 times this season
We don’t know if Artemi Panarin will win the Hart Trophy, but he’s more than made his case, as nobody saw 49 goals coming. Panarin finished the year with a 16.2 shooting percentage, and while that is a career-best, his shot selection and accuracy have been a key trait since he entered the league in 2015-16 during his age-24 season.
It wasn’t surprising to see Panarin put up a high points total, as he’s rarely dipped below a point per game in any season he’s played in, but the 120-point campaign he put up in 2023-24 was something even the most passionate Rangers fan didn’t see coming. Besides his 120 points and 49 goals, Panarin capped off his unforgettable 2023-24 outing with 71 assists in his age-32 season.
Whether he keeps this pace up is irrelevant, as the Rangers have fared well, even if he’s putting up something in the 80-to-90-point range. But it also makes you wonder if he’s got an entertaining encore performance in store for us when 2024-25 rolls around.
Even if it doesn’t come to fruition, Rangers fans will be happy if he continues his legendary pace throughout what should be an exciting postseason and perhaps one that will end with a Stanley Cup.
Few saw Igor Shesterkin turning his fortunes around
Few elite goaltenders had it as tough as Igor Shesterkin earlier this season when he was allowing nearly three goals per game with a save percentage just over the 0.900 mark. It was a far cry from what we saw in what is now two seasons since he won the Vezina and finished third for the Hart Trophy, but Shesterkin was kind enough to remind the NHL universe just how good of a goaltender he is.
Shesterkin ended the year with a healthy 0.912 save percentage and a 2.58 GAA, plus four shutouts. They weren’t his best numbers, and the 0.912 save percentage is a career-worst. But considering how pedestrian the first half of the season was for a player at the standard he’s set in the past, it was more than surprising to see him turn things around during a time when it looked like his backup, Jonathan Quick, appeared to be the better netminder.
Shesterkin should have restored faith in anyone who doubted him through most of what remained in the 2023 calendar year. He’s back on form, and thanks to the Rangers high-scoring units, should have a bit of a cushion if his struggles re-emerge. But if they don’t, expect to see something resembling the 2022 Vezina winner during a time when the stakes are at their highest.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)