Équipe: 2022-23 Rangers de New York

Date de création initiale: 11 juill. 2022

Publié: 11 juill. 2022

Mode - plafond salarial: Basique

I will be referring to the Dom Luszczyszyn Athletic article, which details a 10 point checklist that any serious cup winner has to meet, determined from previous cup winners, to see how close the Rangers are to making a run.

We'll go through the list with the current roster, assuming any additions will be depth.

1. Elite first line center. This center needs to be among the best in the league.

Do we have this in Mika Zibanejad? Looking at recent cup winners, they've had centers like Nicklas Backstrom, Ryan O'Rilley, Brayden Point, and Nathan MacKinnon. While it's hard to rank Zibanejad among those players, he isn't as far off as some might think. He's absolutely up there when it comes to defensive play, and he kills penalties, but when it comes to the offense it's a bit more questionable. If he can play like he did last playoffs, with 10 goals and 24 points in 20 games, he's definitely good enough, but he has historically been a little bit inconsistent. For now, I'll check of the elite 1c, because Zibanejad definitely can be a cup caliber 1c.

2. Elite first line winger.

This is also a bit interesting. Last year, Kreider was no question elite. 52 goals and a ppg. Panarin was also elite.. in the regular season, so if both keep this up, we have two options for a supporting elite winger for Zibanejad. However, neither played like they did in the regular season in the playoffs, which is a bit of a worry, but if they do, we're fine.

3. Two other top line wingers in the top 6.

This would include whichever of Panarin and Kreider doesn't play on the 1st line. If Lafreniere build on the way he played like he did down the stretch, and during the playoffs (and I don't see why he can't), he's definitely first-line caliber. He played with so much confidence, and given his clear talent, he's definitely good enough, especially if he can either thrive on the off-wing, or Kreider can move to the right. Both Panarin/Laffy, and Kreider/Laffy would be good enough.

4. Top line center to play 2C.

Here is where trading for Miller would be key. Is Chytil a 1C caliber center? I don't know. If he plays like he did in the playoffs, yes. Is this possible? Of course, especially playing alongside Panarin, and hopefully Kakko. But it's definitely the most questionable part of the checklist for us, and something we may need to address sooner rather than later. I'd personally go with Chytil for now, and if he doesn't work, we can go all-in on a center at the deadline, or wait until 2024.

5. Two other top 6 caliber wingers for the middle 6.

This is definitely something we can check off. We will definitely have one of Kravtsov or Kakko in the lineup, and they both have potential to be top 6 caliber. We'll either have both of them, or one will be traded for either J.T. Miller or Patrick Kane, providing us with either an additional top 6 caliber winger, or the option of playing Chytil as a winger in the middle 6. Either way, we're almost guaranteed of having at least two, top 6 caliber wingers.

6. Elite No. 1 Defenseman.

The defense is marvelous. While we might be missing a bottom pairing shutdown d, that's not that difficult to find at the deadline, or in free agency. But when it comes to elite, Adam Fox has us covered. He's only gonna get better as he enters his prime, and he's already a perennial Norris contender, and part of one of the best pairings in the league. Check.

7. A second No.1 defenseman to play on the 2nd pair.

K'Andre Miller is projected to have Norris trophy potential, and the way he played in the playoffs, it's easy to tell why. I won't spend too much time on this, but Miller definitely fulfils that role, the only worry I have is how we're gonna afford to resign him.

8. A top pairing defenseman to anchor the 2nd pair.

This is Trouba to a tee. He's solid defensively, and solid offensively. He's a perfect 2nd pairing defenseman, and has been excellent alongside Miller. If he does end up leaving, Schneider is a solid candidate for picking up that mantle.

9. Another top pairing dman playing soft minutes on the 3rd pair.

This is what the Rangers need Schneider, Jones, or even Lundkvist to be. If one of them is good, that gives us an incredibly strong dcore, that with a few complimentary pieces can easily be cup caliber. Most of the players are still very young as well, so they should only keep getting better.

10. A top 10 starting goaltender.

Igor.



Some additional pieces include a solid 3C (probably a free agent like Stastny, or Chytil), a solid shutdown dman for the 1st pair (Lindgren), complimentary bottom 6 pieces (Goodrow, Motte, and hopefully Othmann), and a capable backup (Most likely Holtby).



In conclusion, this team is a lot better than people give it credit for, and they proved that with the ECF run last year. The only true worry at this moment is the 2C, but depending on how Chytil plays or any imminent trades, this is something we already have. So, is this team a cup caliber team? Absolutely, it has all the pieces to go all the way.