Things were looking up for the New York Rangers at the start of the season. However, the Boston Bruins have enjoyed a stellar season which sees them have a commanding lead at the top of the NHL standings. The New York Rangers remain in the mix in the Metropolitan Division yet there is still room for improvement. If you want to include them and the New York Rangers in your NHL spreads then look no further than Fanduel.
The Recent Past
The last few years have largely been hit-and-miss for the New York Rangers. For both the 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 seasons, they failed to reach the playoffs. There was a sense of so near and yet so far as the team was disappointing as they were still building up their roster though they had gotten close before. In the 2013-2014 season, the Los Angeles Kings won only their second Stanley Cup championship when they defeated the New York Rangers by four games to one in the NHL Finals.
In the following three seasons, the New York Rangers lost in the Conference Final, then in the Conference Quarter-Finals, and then the Conference Semi-Finals. There is hope though, after failing to reach the playoffs in the next two seasons, the New York Rangers lost in the playoff qualifiers to Carolina Hurricanes in the 2019-2020 season. Alas, they then failed to make the playoffs again yet the most recent past is encouraging as they lost in the Conference Final to Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021-2022 season.
The Current Roster
Captained by Jacob Trouba, the New York Rangers have Chris Drury as their current general manager and he has been in the post since May 5th, 2021. Their current head coach has also been in his post for around the same period of time and that is Gerard Gallant. Having lost both of their top right wings from last season, there is a sense of the young taking responsibility.
Largely replacing two free agent departures in Andrew Copp (who left for the Detroit Red Wings) and Frank Vatrano (who went to the Anaheim Ducks) were Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere. There was a shift for Lafreniere who moved from the left wing to the right yet that meant more opportunities and he is beginning to have an impact. Then there is Filip Chytil who is expected to fulfill the promise seen in the run that got the New York Rangers to the playoffs last season.
The team still has some recurring defensive struggles such as players being caught out of their position to allow opposing players far too much space wide open. If the New York Rangers are to go further and truly challenge for contention then they need to possess more defensive stability so they no longer have to rely on their goaltender.
How The Future Looks
In the current season, the New York Rangers can still make the playoffs and anything is possible from there. Though they are almost certainly eliminated from the main contention, the future does look promising yet there may still be the need for a few tweaks. For the latest NHL news, head to Fanduel for the most up-to-date information to make some well-made decisions.
The margins are tight yet there have been moments when the Rangers have allowed games to pass them by. Teams have been allowed to amass too much of a lead in the first half and, despite a rousing response, failed to gain the win. Perhaps that is a sign of a team high on promise but also naivety yet low on experience.
Take the losses to the New Jersey Devils and the Buffalo Sabres for instance. Though the Rangers only lost to the Devils by a single goal, they were outshot 14 to 8 in the first period. Against the Sabres, they were outshot 11 to 2 in the first period and eventually won by a single goal in overtime. By allowing teams so many shots, it becomes increasingly sapping for the Rangers to even stay in the contest. If they could build up momentum early on in a game then that could prove decisive.
Should the New York Rangers persist with slow starts going into the playoffs then that could be fatal as few teams will let them off the hook so easily. Essentially, they need to be more consistent, less sloppy, and complete more plays to ramp up the pressure. Alternatively, another season in the playoffs could see them gain the experience to take the step up. If the New York Rangers want to prove how much they have improved as a roster and how far their youthful team can go then the playoffs can act as a telling marker.
Summary
While you cannot expect perfection each time from the New York Rangers, you should be able to expect some consistency. Not just across the season but even in the same match across 60 minutes. If they can sustain some consistency and a modicum of momentum then their confidence should rise and that could see them triumph in a series.
Igor Burdetskiy
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