The New York Rangers begin their on-ice sessions today as training camps get underway around the NHL. The Rangers are looking for a fresh start after last season ended in major disappointment. With J.T. Miller now leading the way as the new captain, expectations for this team are high. Before we get there, here are three storylines to follow as training camp begins.
Which Young Players Can Seize a Roster Spot?
The lineup going into the season is nowhere near set in stone, so as training camp goes along, we are going to see some battles for roster spots among some of the younger players. When it comes to the forwards, there are three names to keep your eyes on: Brett Berard, Brennan Othmann, and Gabe Perreault. All three players played games in the NHL last season, but none were given a fair shot to make an impact. These three could be fighting for only one or two spots, so not all of them are guaranteed to start in the NHL. These three are also considered the Rangers’ prospects with the most potential, so it will be interesting to see how they stand out compared to the other players in camp.
Another forward who could surprise some people is Noah Laba. He made a great impact during rookie camp last week, and with him being a center and the Rangers’ third-line center role not yet set, he could be a player to watch as he tries to secure that spot. On defense, the young player to watch is Scott Morrow. He arrived in the trade that sent K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes in the offseason and played some games in the NHL last season, including five playoff games. The Rangers’ defense is not their strongest area, so Morrow is going to try to make his mark and earn his spot as training camp goes along.
Can Jonathan Quick Prove He’s Still an NHL-Caliber Goalie?
This season will be the third for Jonathan Quick as a Ranger, and not many thought he would make it this far when he first signed with the team back in the 2023 offseason. He was coming off a down season with the Los Angeles Kings and the Vegas Golden Knights, where he wasn’t even one of the goalies used by the team on their path to winning the 2023 Stanley Cup. The Rangers were taking a gamble on him, and it paid off in his first season with the team. He had a record of 18-6-2 with a 2.62 goals-against average (GAA) and a .911 save percentage (SV%). He was the reliable backup the team needed, and he signed a one-year extension during the 2023-24 season to return to the team last season.
Related: 8 Young Rangers to Watch This Preseason
With the rest of the team falling apart around him, Quick saw his numbers drop in all categories last season. He had a record of 11-7-2 with a 3.17 GAA and an .893 SV%. While the team around him was bad last season, he is now entering his age-39 season and will be 40 in late January. Is Father Time catching up with Quick, or will he be able to bounce back in what could be his final NHL season? If he isn’t able to bounce back, the Rangers may need to go out and get another goalie, as they don’t have much depth in their system besides Dylan Garand, who is going into his first season as the full-time starter for the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League (AHL).
How Will the Rest of the Defense Shape up Outside of the Top Pair?
The Rangers’ defense has been an area of weakness for many years now, and going into this season, the defense will look a lot different from how it looked to start last season. Of the six defensemen who played on opening night last season, only two will be on the opening night roster this season: Adam Fox and Braden Schneider. Fox is looking to have a bounceback season, and now, he is going to have a new defensive partner in Vladislav Gavrikov to help him. Gavrikov was signed as a free agent in the offseason, and he comes in to be on the top pair with Fox, and if all works out, they could be one of the best defensive pairings in the league this season.
The big questions come outside of the top pairing. Schneider had surgery in the offseason and won’t be able to participate fully in training camp. He is likely to play in only two or three preseason games. When he does play, will it be on his off-side on a pairing with Will Borgen, or will he still be the third pairing right-handed defenseman? What will the Rangers get out of Carson Soucy and Urho Vaakaninen, as both were not great after they got to the team last season? Will Morrow be able to earn a spot on the defense to start the season? Outside of the Fox-Gavrikov pairing, the defense is filled with more questions than answers, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out over the course of training camp.
The Rangers are on a mission to prove that last season was a fluke, and this season is all about moving forward and getting back to the playoffs. All of that starts during training camp, and while there are going to be more storylines and players to follow as camp goes along, these three are some of the biggest to watch out for.
