October is almost over, and with it the 2024-2025 NHL season is well underway. Though early in the season, teams are starting to show both positive and negative signs.
Through nine games, the New York Rangers have shown some encouraging signs. The Blueshirts have a record of 6-2-1, good for 13 points and second in the Metropolitan Division; the New Jersey Devils have one more point in three more games.
While the Rangers have shown many positives early on in the season, not everything has been perfect. There are definitely things that Peter Laviolette's squad will need to work on if it wants to be a legitimate Stanley Cup Contender yet again. New York is considered one of the top teams in the NHL, and that didn't change over the offseason. But, that doesn't mean there aren't problems.
There are many takeaways from the Rangers' first nine games of the season, but here are the some that come to mind.
1. The Rangers are a top team in the NHL - but still not the Stanley Cup favorite.
New York won the Presidents' Trophy last season, setting franchise records in wins with 55 and points with 114. But, the ultimate goal of a Stanley Cup fell short when they lost to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Florida went on to win the Stanley Cup.
This season, New York is once again considered a Stanley Cup contender, and in all their victories have looked like the better team. That's why they're off to a good start, and that's obvious. The Blueshirts have a better roster than the majority of teams in the NHL.
But, they cannot be considered the Eastern Conference favorite yet. In their rematch with Florida on October 24, they scored only one goal. The 'Cats - the defending Stanley Cup champions - had New York's number and as of now should be considered the best team in the conference.
The Rangers can be right there, though.
2. Will Cuylle, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko make the Rangers a much better - and scarier - even strength team
Over the past few years, New York has been an average to below average team at even strength. Its subpar play at 5v5 has been boosted by elite special teams. Special teams stay elite, but the Rangers have taken a noticeable leap at 5v5.
This is because of the third line of Will Cuylle, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko. Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko is the only line in the NHL to have over 5 goals for and none against at 5v5 at this point in the season.
If this is not impressive enough, look at New York's improvement at 5v5: the Rangers are second in the NHL 5v5 goal differential (11) and Expected Goals for per 60 (3.44), and first in Goals % at 5v5 (64.86%). These are all vast improvements from last season.
Individually, all players are off to career starts. Cuylle is tied for second on the team with eight points - Alexis Lafreniere, Vincent Trocheck and Adam Fox also have eight - after having 21 in 81 games last season. Kakko has seven points in nine games and has been the playmaker on the line, and after missing 72 games last season, Chytil has four goals in his first nine games.
3. The Rangers know how to develop defensemen - and might lose some because of it
If New York's blue line is any indication, they are one of the top teams in the NHL in drafting and developing defensemen. On any given night, four of their defensemen - Adam Fox, K'Andre Miller, Braden Schneider and Zac Jones/Victor Mancini - are Rangers' draft picks with long futures in the NHL.
Fox is one of the best defensemen in the NHL and plays at an elite level every single night. Miller and Schneider both have potential to be top-four defensemen and are currently at this spot in the Rangers lineup. This won't change.
Ryan Lindgren, while not drafted by the Rangers, has never played a NHL minute outside of a blue sweater. This means the Blueshirts have six homegrown defensemen at their deployment.
Due to this, New York has some questions to answer on its blue line. Fox, Miller and Schneider are all locks for years to come. Lindgren is a free agent at the end of the season and captain Jacob Trouba - the one non-homegrown defenseman for the Rangers - almost got traded last offseason and will be a candidate yet again.
Don't be surprised if both Lindgren and Trouba depart to make room for Jones and Mancini, both of whom have showed potential in their early NHL careers. New York has done a great job drafting prospects and finding defensive solutions for years to come.
4. The Rangers' most dangerous line and offensive player hasn't changed
New York's best skater is still Artemi Panarin, and his hair growth hasn't changed that. The Breadman started the season on an eight-game point streak, which ended last night in Washington against the Capitals; Panarin is the Rangers' leading scorer through nine games with 15 points, seven more than anybody else.
Panarin, paired with Alexis Lafreniere and Vincent Trocheck, still is the best line on the team. All three prove to be a threat at any time, and after being New York's best even strength line last season they once again need to be considered the top line on the team.
Lafreniere just inked a seven-year, $7.45M AAV extension, keeping him in New York for the forseeable future. This was the case for Trocheck, who signed a six-year deal in the 2022 offseason. These three are New York's best line.
5. Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider's 5v5 play is still a problem
After being the subject of criticism in the Eastern Conference Finals, Zibanejad and Kreider's line has been under a microscope early on in the season. The line of Zibanejad, Kreider and Reilly Smith - who New York acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the offseason - is third on the team in 5v5 minutes.
Zibanejad's ice-time has noticeably decreased. His 18:04 ice time per game is his lowest since the 2017-18 season. and this can be attributed to a few reasons. First is his play, where he only has two goals through nine games to go along with five points. Second is the improvement of the Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko line, which has been the team's best at even strength.
Kreider has six points through nine games, all goals. Two of those are on the power play, where he will always be a weapon up front. He has three 5v5 goals this season, the other being a shorthanded one in the season opener.
Even with subpar 5v5 play, Zibanejad and Kreider are two stars that will be counted on in big moments as the season goes on.
6. Igor Shesterkin
This article was originally supposed to be five takeaways, but how could the Rangers be featured without mentioning Igor Shesterkin? The 28-year-old is one of the best goalies, let alone players, in the league, and makes a difference every night.
Shesterkin's pending contract extension is worth noting - he will almost surely be the highest paid goalie in the NHL with a value over $11.5M yearly - and he's backed it up with his play. He has started seven games, posting a record of 4-2-1 with a 2.43 GAA and a .923% save percentage.
He gives the Rangers a chance to win in any game, and the contest against Washington once agian shows that. New York was outplayed most of the night, but behind Shesterkin's 45 saves, the Blueshirts were in striking distance late.
This has been a main reason why New York is a contender - no matter how bad they play, when you have one of the best goalies in hockey you have a chance to win. Now, it's up to Shesterkin to continue his top play this season, and it's up to general manager Chris Drury to get an extension done to keep him in New York.