2016-17 record: 48-28-6 (102 points)
Lost tp Ottawa in Conference semi-finals
Captain: Ryan McDonagh
The New York Rangers actually had a decent season. However, because they play in the tough Metropolitan Division, they ended up taking one of the Wild Card spots, where they proceeded to make the Conference semi-finals. The path the playoffs for the Rangers once again figures to be through the wild card, as each of the teams in front of them are still at the very least, as good as them, if not better. This time around, they will have one more year of experience for the rookies of yesteryear, as well as a little more pressure to succeed.
Offensively, the Rangers came out like gangbusters, which largely explains their fourth place finish in that category. However, the scoring was spread around pretty well, as the four leading scorers had over 50 points, but none reached 60. They will be minus one of them, Derek Stepan, as he was traded to Arizona, but they pin their hopes on a healthy Mika Zibanejad, who showed his potential in the playoffs. Defensively, they should be better, but the lack of offense from that unit was staggering, as Nick Holden led the team in goals by defensemen. To that end, that was why they sought out Kevin Shattenkirk to help in that part. A player to watch here is Anthony DeAngelo, acquired in the Arizona trade, and whether or not he can crack the lineup at some point in the season. If he does, that would help the team's offense from the blue line. As for their defensive issues, it would help that Henrik Lundqvist returns to his form, as he missed time to injuries, and his play was affected by inconsistency and a shorter break prior to last season. He won't have Antti Raanta looking over his shoulder, so he should feel less pressure to succeed in that regard. This time around, Ondrej Pavelec will be the backup, and he has something to prove after spending most of last season in the AHL. The power play was good, but had room to grow, and Shattenkirk should be a factor here, while the penalty kill wasn't great.
Prediction: 4th in the Metropolitan Division
It's not often that a team that had over 100 points in a season can be thought of as a dark horse, but the Rangers are in that position thanks to a division that features many heavy hitters. They have the talent to make some noise in the playoffs, but do they have enough to make the Finals?
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