New York Rangers preview: Henrik Lundqvist leads rebuild
Projected Lineup
Here’s how the New York Rangers will likely look this season.
Forwards
Chris Kreider – Mika Zibanejad – Pavel Buchnevich
Vladislav Namestnikov – Kevin Hayes – Mats Zuccarello
Lias Andersson – Filip Chytil – Jesper Fast
Jimmy Vesey – Ryan Spooner – Michael Lindqvist
Extra forward candidates: Cody McLeod, Boo Nieves
Kreider, Zibanejad, and Buchnevich put up strong underlying numbers together last season. That said, they shouldn’t be anchoring a team’s top line. Buchnevich, though, has a lot of potential in him.
Hayes was usually in a third-line role with everyone healthy. But with the Rangers likely looking to trade him, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s the second-line pivot. Hayes has experience with Mats Zuccarello and, on paper, the duo should do well with Namestnikov or Spooner.
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Defensemen
Brady Skjei – Kevin Shattenkirk
Fredrik Claesson – Brendan Smith
Extra defenseman candidates: Rob O’Gara, John Gilmour, Adam McQuaid
A healthy Shattenkirk should help lead the top pairing. However, Skjei and Shattenkirk didn’t do too well last season. But still, this is the best chance of having a legitimate top pairing. Staal and Pionk played together a lot last season, so don’t be surprised if this remains a thing.
It gets a bit dicey after this, as the Rangers have a number of young defensemen who might not be ready. Some combination of Claesson, Smith, and McQuaid should form the third pairing. Though it wouldn’t surprise me if Gilmour or O’Gara earn a spot.
Goaltending
Henrik Lundqvist
Alexandar Georgiov
Marek Mazanec