4 Big Questions for the New York Rangers in 2020-21

3. Is K’Andre Miller the real deal?

While Alexis Lafreniere will be dominating headlines and the spotlight on Opening Night for the New York Rangers, there is another rookie who could also be making his first start of what could be a stellar career.

Yes, after an outstanding and hugely impressive Training Camp, it looks set that rookie defenseman K’Andre Miller will be on the Opening Night roster for the Rangers.

And, not only will Miller be on the roster but it also seems certain that the 20-year-old will win the job as Jacob Trouba‘s partner on the top-pairing.

That is noteworthy in itself given that Head Coach David Quinn experimented with a number of different partners for Trouba last year, and none of them worked out particularly well. It was particularly frustrating because it forced Trouba to play different styles of hockey, as opposed to the stay-at-home, physically punishing defenseman that the Rangers have long craved.

But Miller and Trouba have forged an intricate understanding during Training Camp, with Miller an imposing presence with his 6-foot-5 frame and it could have the makings of being an elite shutdown role for the Blueshirts.

Miller’s long-reach and natural fierce competitiveness will make it tough on opponents, while it could also free up Trouba to jump up and join the offense on the rush and use his big, booming slap shot.

While it wasn’t expected that Miller would be NHL ready this early, and while there may well be growing pains along the way, the prospect has long been heralded as the next big thing by the Rangers front office since being drafted 22nd overall in 2018, and he could now make history by being one of only a select few Rangers defensemen to make their NHL debuts before the age of 21.

And, with a proven and high-end veteran in Jacob Trouba alongside him, we could end up talking about two New York Rangers rookies in K’Andre Miller and Alexis Lafreniere battling it out for the Calder Trophy.

2. Will Alexis Lafreniere hit the ground running in 2020-21?

Not since the likes of Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel entered the league has a top Draft pick been greeted with this much fanfare, hope and expectation.

Of course, part of that is being drafted by a New York team in the one of the biggest markets in the world, but Alexis Lafreniere is a generational talent and he has the potential and the upside to be one of the young faces of the NHL for years to come.

And the Alexis Lafreniere era officially starts on Thursday when the Rangers take on rivals the New York Islanders in what should be a mouthwatering start to the 2020-21 regular-season for both teams.

It will give Blueshirts fans a tantalizing first look at Lafreniere and just exactly what he might be capable of on the biggest stage.

Of course, everyone would be wise to proceed with caution given that the 19-year-old, yes, he’s only 19, might need some time to adapt to the NHL and we saw last year with Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils and Kaapo Kakko of the Rangers that being a high draft pick doesn’t guarantee you success straightaway in the big leagues.

Kakko’s slow transition to the NHL may be behind why the Rangers are treating their newest star with kid gloves, starting Lafreniere on the third-line with Filip Chytil and Julien Gauthier.

It is a line that has shown some promise throughout Training Camp and it allows Lafreniere to focus on his natural game and adapting to the NHL without the pressures that come with playing top-six minutes.

He should see some time on the power play too, but the fact that Lafreniere is built of tough stuff and boasts a hyper-competitive streak should enable him to truly flourish in The Big Apple from the very get-go.

Of course, if the left-winger comes out flying, competes well, puts up a load of points and looks unbeatable, then there is no doubt that he will be eventually bumped up to what is already a talent-laden top-six group for the Rangers, spearheaded by the likes of Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider.

That will certainly be the best-case scenario for the New York Rangers and all eyes will be on Alexis Lafreniere on Thursday night as he bids to start off his NHL career with an absolute bang.

1. Can the New York Rangers take that next step in 2020-21?

It seems like a whole lifetime ago since the New York Rangers sent that now famous letter to its fans, stating their intent to tear down what was a championship contender that had failed to win a cup and start all over again.

In reality, it was only a couple of years ago but so much has happened since then, including the Rangers signing an elite superstar in Free Agency in Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad evolving into a top NHL center, Igor Shesterkin proving that he’s the heir to the throne to Henrik Lundqvist and Adam Fox emerging as a real stud on the blueline in his rookie year in 2019-20.

Not to mention the franchise winning the Draft Lottery and then selecting generational talent Alexis Lafreniere with the No. 1 overall pick.

However, there is still work to be done and there’s still areas on the roster that need some work, including a lack of secondary scoring and a worrying lack of toughness.

There’s also some question marks over the defensive-pairings and it is still somewhat baffling that General Manager Jeff Gorton felt signing defenseman Jack Johnson to a one-year, $1,150,000 deal in Free Agency was a good idea.

However, the Blueshirts appear to be set in net with Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev, a tandem that should survive the gruelling test of a condensed 56-game schedule, they appear to have a real solid top-four with Jacob Trouba  – K’Andre Miller and Adam Fox – Ryan Lindgren and they should have enough firepower to remain competitive all year.

If Zibanejad can continue to develop into one of the best pivots in the entire NHL after putting up 41 goals and 34 assists for 75 points in 57 games last year, including a five-goal night against the Washington Capitals, if Panarin can put together another monster season and if Chris Kreider can stay healthy and have a big year then the Rangers will have a chance.

It will also help if Lafreniere can explode onto the scene like so many of us are expecting, while improvement from the likes of Pavel Buchnevich, Kappo Kakko, Filip Chytil and Tony DeAngelo would also go a long way to ensuring that the Rangers continue to trend in the right direction in 2020-21.

Of course, being stuck in a stacked East Division that features powerhouses such as the Boston Bruins, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals, not to mention the tough New York Islanders, will mean that the path to the postseason is fraught with a lot more challenges than it was a year ago, especially in a shortened season.

However, the New York Rangers are on the way back up and this talented but still flawed roster should ensure that they are right in the postseason race until the bitter end, setting this young team up for a real leap in 2021-22 no matter what happens.