2017-18 record: 34-39-9 (77 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: TBA
The New York Rangers saw their season tumble like a stack of bricks and to their credit, decided to go through a full-scale rebuild. Well, whatever they were allowed, because Henrik Lundqvist is still here, and his contract isn't going anywhere. Many of the key players are gone and they're beginning with a new head coach whose credentials were mostly in college, albeit with a prestigious program in Boston University. There will be pain for the Rangers, one that they hope will reap rewards in a few years.
Up front, the days of Rick Nash leading the offense ended when he was traded at the deadline last season. Now, it is Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, and Mika Zibanejad leading the way up front. That raises plenty of questions, as only Zuccarello can be considered a consistent performer while Kreider is coming off of serious health issues that hampered his previous two years. Beyond them, they're praying that Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil crack the roster after having a year of professional experience with the AHL team in Hartford and they're hoping both Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich benefit from a change in coaching system. On the blue line, Brady Skjei is now the team's best player after Ryan McDonagh's trade last season. As with the forwards, there are question marks here, too. Can Kevin Shattenkirk stay healthy? What does Marc Staal have left? Will Brendan Smith do well enough to not be buried in the AHL? Goaltending also has question marks, as Henrik Lundqvist isn't getting any younger, and unfortunately for the Rangers, he's slowly losing his ability to steal games for the Rangers. It didn't help that last year's backup Ondrej Pavelec was like pouring gasoline onto a fire. Alexander Georgiev is the leading candidate to back up Lundqvist, as he managed to be somewhat competent in his trial run last year. Mostly, this Rangers iteration will likely have a few rookies crack the roster, so losing will be happening a lot.
Prediction: 8th in the Metropolitan Division
Last year's Rangers started the season as one of the oldest teams in the league and were coached by a stubborn Alain Vigneault whose ways wear thin after a while, so last season was right on cue in terms of the team needing something new. David Quinn will be learning on the job, and he will likely throw a fair number of rookies into the mix, thus forging a group that will succeed and fail together. Exactly how this will affect the Rangers long term is up for debate, but expect immediate pain.
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