The New York Rangers' offense left much to be desired in the most recent year.
Over 82 games, they scored 255 goals with a 39-36-7 overall record. Their power play was a liability, the roster was constantly rotating, a dependence was placed on younger players and the penalty kill was nothing special. However, there are those who still managed to deliver and be a diamond in the rough.
Here’s a look at my top five guys who I think are the best of the Rangers’ offense.
Jennifer Streeter’s top five Rangers’ forwards
5. Will Cuylle
While not as big of a name as the others I’ll be placing on this list, left wing Will Cuylle is not to be overlooked and has certainly earned his spot among my top five Blueshirt forwards.
Last year, Cuylle was the most improved Ranger by far at only 23-years-old.
The 2023-24 season served as his first full rookie season after he only played four games the year prior. In 81 games throughout the year the Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy, Cuylle put up 21 points across 13 goals and eight assists. He then more than doubled his production this most recent league season — finishing with 45 points.
Sure, there are bigger names on the offensive side of the Rangers’ roster. But given Cuylle’s youth and the current upwards trajectory of his career (not to mention he’s 6’3” and weighs 212 pounds), he’s only going to keep getting better and better.
He certainly has the time to eventually become a Blueshirt great one day.
4. Alexis Lafrenière
Shake that laffy taffy will never go out of style.
Although Alexis Lafrenière is also only 23-years-old, he’s been playing well-over 50 games a season since 2021-22. Flashing back to the present and as we wrote during his end of season report card from this year, Lafrenière got off to a quick start with eight points in nine games played in October (almost reaching a point per game pace).
On October 25th he signed a seven-year, $52.15 million deal with the Blueshirts with an AAV of just under $7.5 million. Fresh off the extension and likely boasting confidence from the new deal, he tallied another nine points in November in 14 games before the Rangers’ dreaded month of December.
Has Lafrenière had better years? Yes. In fact, his career-high came as recently as 2023-24 when he tallied 57 points across 28 goals and 29 assists.
But, he is a fav-favorite and a former No. 1 pick from 2020. Lafrenière also averages at 17:00 per game. Next year with a better roster, his offensive production can only grow.
3. Vincent Trocheck
Unlike the past two on this list, forward Vincent Trocheck is 32-years-old with over a decade of experience in the league. While he’s only been with the Rangers for three seasons, his career-high (77 points, 52 assists and 25 goals) came in 2023-24 during his second year with the Blueshirts.
Trocheck is a two-time All-Star (2017 and 2024) and doesn’t always get the credit he deserves for being one of the league’s more complete two-way centers. He plays tough defensive minutes (21:06 per game in 2024-25), takes on matchups against top lines, and still puts up strong numbers.
He’s one of the Rangers’ more dependable players and is easily in their top three offensive players.
2. Artemi Panarin
Obviously, Artemi Panarin coming in as one of the top offensive players is expected. He led the Rangers in practically all major categories when it came to production (89 points across 52 assists and 37 goals).
Panarin worked his way up after being undrafted and has found his stride wearing a Blueshirt sweater ever since 2019-20 — when he was signed as a free agent. He has since been placed on the NHL First All-Star Team in 2020 and 2024 and also played in the NHL All-Star Game in 2023.
At 33-years-old, he already sits with a current point total of 870 that should only grow.