Three New York Rangers storylines to follow against the Anaheim Ducks

The New York Rangers have reached the most crucial point of the 2024-25 season. With only 10 games remaining, the Blueshirts are still on the outside looking in on the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Though, with a win on Friday night, New York can bounce back into playoff position. The opponent is the Anaheim Ducks (31-32-8), who are out of the Western Conference postseason race. For the Rangers, every win and point is needed to save the season, especially when looking at the other teams they are vying with.

This is the Rangers' second meeting with Anaheim this season — the first one came all the way back in October — and this time around, there are some intriguing stortyines to follow.

1. The New York Rangers versus Jacob Trouba

Friday night's matchup will be the first time the Blueshirts see former captain Jacob Trouba, who was traded to Anaheim in early December as the first of a flurry of roster moves. Most in the hockey world knew that Trouba was going to be on the move — from saying "it's probably our last shot" during the preseason to not so strong play in the early games, Chris Drury traded him sooner rather than later.

But, Trouba gave a lot to the Rangers franchise in his five years. As the 28th captain in franchise history, he had 136 points, but his leadership went far beyond the ice. Within the dots, he was known for (and still is known for) being the hardest hitters in the NHL.

Don't expect any bad blood between Trouba and his teammates. The 31-year-old has said he's turned the page and does not want to bad mouth the Rangers organization. But, expect the former captain to be all over the ice on Friday night.

2. Wild card contenders are losing. Can New York capitalize?

The race for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference has been interesting, but not for good reasons. All the contenders — the Rangers, Islanders, Canadiens, Blue Jackets and Red — have all been losing as of late, and no team has been able to take full control.

New York needed some help if it was going to sneak into the postseason and it still will down the stretch. But, with other teams losing, the Rangers need to rack up some wins and potentially create separation if they can.

3. Which stars are going to put the team on their back?

The Rangers' fate this season was always going to be decided by their core. Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, Adam Fox, K'Andre Miller and others have been in the sweater for years and have experienced multiple playoff runs. There will be changes in the offseason, but right now, this is the group the Blueshirts have.

This might be the most adversity New York is going to face all season. With 10 games remaining, it's up to the ones that Rangers fans have come to know and love to save the season.

So, as has been written in previews before: How will the 2024-25 New York Rangers be remembered? It's time to find out.