Expectations concerning what the New York Rangers can do
next season are rising daily and that is to be expected when you have the type
of offseason the organization did. The
franchise was able to bring in the top line center they were missing with Brad
Richards, bring and retain gritty forwards in Mike Rupp and Ruslan Fedotenko
and sign all of their key restricted free agents to multi-year deals. Between the assumed rebound for players like
Marian Gaborik and even Michael Del Zotto, the hoped for progression of the
young players on the roster, and the infusion of talent from Richards the talk
of how the Rangers will go in the standings has started.
Kevin Allen of USA
Today agrees that the Rangers should rise in the standings, but the question
is just how far can they rise because of other teams that were already ahead of
them.
The improved New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres should be moving up in the Eastern Conference standings, although it's difficult to project who is falling. The Washington Capitals? Penguins? Don't see it, but some do.
That is the big question on whether all the pieces will fall
in place for New York in order to overtake some of the better teams in the
conference who while maybe not as improved this offseason were starting from a
better position. Realistically I would
say that the Rangers are looking at a battle for 4-6 in the conference. Boston, Washington and Pittsburgh likely head
into the season as favorites in their divisions and the Rangers will be
battling with Buffalo and Tampa to be in that next group.
The addition of Vokoun to Washington only strengthens a team
that always seems to perform in the regular season if not the playoffs. A healthy Crosby and Malkin after what Dan
Bylsma got out of the team without them should certainly make them the
favorites in the Atlantic, though the Rangers do have a chance to unseat them. Boston, even coming off winning the Stanley
Cup, might be the most vulnerable of the three to having their preseason
favorite status taken away because of the combination of improvements Buffalo
has made to the roster and the two goaltenders involved. It is impossible to expect that Tim Thomas is
going to repeat the performance of last year, while Ryan Miller should be
better, especially with the defensive additions they made this offseason and
that alone could be enough to see them take the Northeast.
The Rangers have significantly improved in some areas this
offseason, but there are still question marks about how the lineup and roster
will fill out along with whether the chemistry between Gaborik and Richards
will be as many are hoping, as well as if all those who had career years last
season can repeat. With those questions
it is tough to see them going higher than a 4 seed in the East, but given the
lack of improvements by others, tough to see them falling below 6.
