New York Rangers 2013-2014 Season Preview

In many cities, a 109-point season followed by a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals would most likely buy you another year as the head coach. It could possibly even earn you a contract extension.

But not in New York.

John Tortorella was given his walking papers at the end of last season when his hard-nosed, gritty style didn’t mesh with the Rangers’ small, quick lineup. Enter Alain Vigneault.

Not only will he help the Blueshirts’ ice-cold powerplay, (literally, they look frozen with the man advantage) but he will allow the players to breathe easier and relieve some of the tension in the locker room that was omnipresent under Tortorella’s reign. 

This year will be a 180° degree shift for the Rangers, both in the look and stats of the team. New York will face two main issues at the start of the season. One will be how long it takes for Ryan Callahan and Carl Hagelin to get back into the lineup. Captain Cally has been cleared for contact while Hags has not gotten the go-ahead quite yet. The other problem will be their radical shift from being a shot-blocking, defensive-minded team to having creative freedom on the offensive end. However, that aggressiveness will force Henrik Lundqvist to make saves rather than his teammates diving in front of shots. This will be the more critical of the two mainly because many of these Rangers were brought up under Torts’s system and might be susceptible to falling back into old habits.

However, this change is one that will wind up being for the better because the Blueshirts have the talent and personnel to flourish under AV’s system. Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, and most importantly, Brad Richards will have a tremendous chance to shine in the Rangers’ new system.

So, without further-ado, here is the Rangers’ season preview broken down into positions.

Forwards:

One of the most productive aspects of the Rangers’ offseason was their commitment to adding depth players in order to shore up their third and fourth lines. The signings of Beniot Pouliot and Dominic Moore cannot be over-stated when talking about New York’s odds of going far in the playoffs. What has been their problem the past two postseasons? Not being able to match up with the opposing team’s fourth lines. They fixed that problem over the summer. Their top-six (with Derek Stepan finally being signed) has no major issues. Nash, Derek Brassard, Chris Kreider, and Cally and Hagelin (once they return from injury) make up a very solid top two lines.

Grade: A-

Defense

The Blueshirts boast one of, if not the top, defensive units in the entire NHL. Marc Staal, Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Michael Del Zotto, Anton Stralman, and John Moore are all either all-star or very capable defenders with impressive résumés. Even in Vigneault’s offensive-oriented style of play, these six should keep the Rangers at the top of the league in goals against.

Grade: A

Goaltending

New York’s goaltender is really nothing special. All he has to his name is a Vezina Trophy, four other nominations, 276 career wins, a .920 save percentage, and a 2.25 goals-against average.

Ok, so maybe he’s alright. In all seriousness though, King Henrik, as he is affectionately called around New York, is the best goalie in the NHL, and maybe even the world right now. The Blueshirts will go as far as their all-world netminder carries them, and if his track record is any indication, Ranger fans should get excited.

Grade: A

Overall:

On paper, as they were last year, the Rangers look like a team ready to make a run in the playoffs. In what will be a highly-competitive Eastern Conference, 95-100 points should get you into the postseason. Expect New York to finish right around that number, but possibly higher if their offensive playmakers have big seasons. This is a big year for the Blueshirts, anything less than an Eastern Conference Finals appearance will be looked at as falling short of expectations. This squad looks up to the task.

Grade: A-