The part of the team that needed the most retooling for the New York Rangers this offseason was undoubtedly the right-wing corps, and while the Rangers still have many key playmakers skating up the right-hand side of the ice, who often delivers the most for that particular offensive group?
Here are the Rangers' top 5 right-wingers, and there may be some on there that may surprise you.
1. Alexis Lafrenière
The 22-year-old Quebecois has torn up the league since his debut in the 2020-21 campaign. Lafrenière notched a career-high 28 goals last season in all 82 regular season games, and he's still got plenty of time left for a fantastic career. This will be his fifth season in the league, and you can expect more great things for him this season and maybe the postseason as New York tries to repeat its Eastern Conference Finals appearance this past season. Lafrenière is also a double winger, and while he's generally been listed as a left wing for most of his career, he can easily play both sides without a drop in performance from the switch.
2. Reilly Smith
New York's only major free agency frenzy signing from July 1 takes his talents to Manhattan after a decent single season with divisional rivals Pittsburgh. Last season, Smith bagged 13 goals and 27 assists in 72 games after being acquired by the Penguins from the Vegas Golden Knights, where he was one of the expansion team's original draft choices in 2017/18. Now, the 33-year-old Mimico, Ontario native, enters his 14th season in the league with his third different team, potentially in the making for more goals after being somewhat shadowed by the likes of Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel. The only concern for Smith here is the time he's missed in the last few seasons, especially with Vegas. His final three seasons with the Golden Knights saw him play in only 53, 56, and 78 contests.
3. Kaapo Kakko
Speaking of players due for more scoring, the 23-year-old Kakko could see more ice time after the Rangers shed a couple of veteran players this offseason. Kakko was quiet in 2023/24, with 13 goals and 6 assists for 19 points in 61 games. If he stays healthy, Kakko could improve those numbers and reach a career high like Lafreniere did last season. But it's going to take a bit more effort for KK than Laffy to potentially reach a career milestone like 20+ goals in a season.
4. Gabe Perreault
Though he is yet to suit up for an NHL debut, the 2023 first round selection by the Rangers draws similarities with Alexis Lafrenierem a talented junior player who will undoubtedly tear up the NHL once he arrives. The 19-year-old Sherbrooke, Quebec native may have one season of high-level junior hockey under his belt as a now sophomore at college hockey powerhouse Boston College, but it was a good one- 19 goals and 41 assists for 60 points in 36 games. That's every regular season game plus 2 playoff ones for those unaware of how the college hockey season goes. Perreault has also performed well at the WJC level, scoring a combined 8 goals and 20 assists for 28 points in 14 games for Team USA's U18 and U20 squads. Something special is bound to happen with this Quebecois. Could he be Lafrenière 2.0?
5. Matt Rempe
He may only seemingly be in the game for fighting, but the so-called "Rempire State Building" is still a 22-year-old second year player with plenty left to prove. With his offseason training stories with former storied NHL enforcers, Rempe will play his first full season in the NHL this October after becoming the 1st player in league history to debut at an outdoor game, the Rangers' exciting 6-5 OT win over the crosstown Islanders in February. You can expect him to do a lot more than play in 17 games and score 1 goal, that's for sure.
New York's strongest team spot besides their wing lines is their defensive core with the likes of Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba, K'Andre Miller and Ryan Lindgren as the front four and their left wing corp with Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider, plus Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck comamnding the center of the ice. But the fact is New York is strong on all formations, something that not a lot of teams nowadays have and have had for as long as the Rangers have had so.