If it is true that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, then the Rangers enter this season as Men of Steel having risen from the virtual grave into which they were laid to rest last June by the Kings.
There was devastation in the runners-up room when the magical ride ended three games short — three excruciating overtime losses short — of the Stanley Cup and of a journey up the Canyon of Heroes. Empty stares and broken hearts abounded in Los Angeles.
But time heals, and in the three months between then and the opening of camp, so did the Rangers, who have left last season in the rearview mirror at which they look only when prompted.
There’s a sense of excitement, maybe even some destiny, among these Rangers; a sense of confidence and inner belief. No team other than the Kings has won more than the six playoff rounds the Blueshirts have over the last three seasons; no team in the East — not Boston and not Pittsburgh — has won as many. It’s L.A. 10, Chicago and the Blueshirts 6. Of course, the Kings (2012 and 2014) and Blackhawks (2013) have won Cups over that span.
Last season was no fluke. The Rangers are in with the Big Boys, presenting a core that essentially remained intact over the summer. They are strong at the back end, resourceful, fast and talented up front, unsurpassed in goal, and superior behind the bench.
The crowds for the three Garden exhibition games were louder and more enthusiastic than many of the crowds during the last regular season and even early in the playoffs. There’s a sense of anticipation surrounding this team; a sense this is the Rangers’ time and this is the Rangers’ town.
A year older, a year wiser, here are the Rangers, New York’s best pro sports team.
Offense
The Rangers are built to push both the puck and the pace, with speed and talent trumping size and strength in the personnel selection process. The Blueshirts’ talent guys (Mats Zuccarello, for example) can win one-on-ones and get in effectively on the forecheck (Chris Kreider, for one), but this is not a ground-and-pound operation.
Center was where the Rangers appeared most vulnerable entering camp, and are unquestionably most vulnerable entering the season in the aftermath of the broken leg sustained by Derek Stepan that will sideline the first-line center for at least the first 10 games of the year. So Marty St. Louis, offensively capable but defensively challenged in that role, will try to slide into that spot and join Derick Brassard, Dominic Moore, J.T. Miller and/or perhaps Kevin Hayes down the middle. Hardly Anze Kopitar-Jeff Carter-Jarret Stoll-Mike Richards.
The Blueshirts are strongest and deepest on the wing. Rick Nash, under the radar just the way he likes it during camp, is fitter and seems more determined and comfortable trying to get to the inside. A streak scorer most certainly good for 30-33 goals at a minimum, the Rangers need No. 61 to set a physical tone the way he did late last year upon his first visit to Columbus as a Ranger.
Much is expected from the Brassard-Zuccarello duo that developed chemistry over the second half of the season. Kreider, an immovable object and irresistible force in the corners and in front, is on the cusp of stardom. The Rangers would do well to exploit his scoot-and-shoot game by getting him the puck on the wing in open ice. St. Louis, who never quite was able to get on roll (or for that matter, find one) following his deadline acquisition, needs to produce. Carl Hagelin is a forechecking fiend who has become a legitimate scoring threat on the penalty kill. Anthony Duclair is a wild card with obviously superior offensive instincts, speed and talent. But is the 19-year-old ready to handle the speed and pace of the best league in the world? Likewise, Kevin Hayes is an NHL embryo with a world of upside.
Tanner Glass provides a perfect complement to Dom Moore and, perhaps when it shakes out, Ryan Malone on a fourth line that should be able to grind and create opportunities down low. Glass, who will take on the enforcer’s role, isn’t a heavyweight but he leaves an impression when he hits people.
Defense
The heart of the team beats through the Blueshirts’ Blue Line Big Three — Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi and Marc Staal — who are sturdy in their own end and can all make the first pass to trigger the breakout, freed of instructions to chip it out and chip it in.
The Blueshirts signed Dan Boyle to complement the attack and to run the power play. If trailing in games, Boyle could move up to McDonagh’s right side while Girardi and Staal reunite as the matchup, shutdown pair. The Rangers are waiting for John Moore’s hockey sense to catch up to his innate hockey skills, but he and Kevin Klein combine for a pretty good third pair.
Six deep, the Rangers are very strong but when and if they have to dip into the blue line reserve, there’s likely to be trouble.
Goaltending
Henrik Lundqvist is the name above the title on the marquee, the face of the franchise who has done it all in this league and for his team except for winning three more games in the final. Able to adapt on the fly, as last year’s dramatic rebound from an inferior first three months attest. Always at his sharpest the second half of the year, Lundqvist must come out of the gate strong to provide a foundation for his team that is going to need support to thrive without Stepan. Also needs to improve on breakaways after an unaccountably difficult 2013-14 on one-on-ones.
Coaching
Alain Vigneault, as comfortable in his skin as any coach in the league, has his players’ attention and commitment to the system he installed last year. The Blueshirts responded well to Vigneault’s style on and off the ice, with leadership in the room filling in the intentional blanks left by the coach. Vigneault treats his players like adults. The Rangers have responded accordingly.
Keys to the season
Most important offensive player: Derick Brassard. The Rangers are counting on Brassard, to whom they gave a five-year, $25 million contract over the summer, to produce consistently out of a top-six spot that will draw difficult matches. With Brad Richards gone to Chicago, Brassard and his line will get more offensive zone starts. With Derek Stepan down for the first month, Brassard will be called on to take more draws in the defensive zone, as well.
Most important defensive player: Ryan McDonagh, the captain, is the most indispensable given the combination of offensive and defensive responsibilities, but Dan Boyle may be the key to getting the puck up the ice cleanly and quickly as the blue line’s most accomplished puck-mover and game-changer. Boyle, too, has the burden of trying to fit into the role as Marc Staal’s second-pair partner handled so well in the playoffs by Anton Stralman before he went to Tampa Bay as a free agent.
Most important rookie: The Rangers may have hit a home run here with 19-year-old Anthony Duclair, but let’s see. Before it’s all said and done, Kevin Hayes could make the biggest impact if he can master the center position by the time the playoffs commence.
Key coaching decision:Â Alain Vigneault will have to massage and manage the center-ice slot the first month. Everyone understands it might not be pretty. The coach also must find the way to get Ryan Malone into the mix with meaningful ice time.
Prediction
The Rangers will be a work in progress, better in December than in October, better in April, May and June than in December. They present a psychologically strong unit that is all in on the quest for the Cup … that they will achieve. This year, the Rangers will get the overtime goals in the final. This year, the ride will include one up the Canyon of Heroes.