With training camps about to begin around the NHL, the start of the season is getting closer and closer. For the New York Rangers, they are entering another season where the ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup and end a 31-year drought. In order for this to happen, they need to create the best roster possible and that starts with training camp and seeing what players fit where in the lineup.
Even though the Rangers will mostly have the same team they did last season, they did make a few new additions over the offseason and will have some prospects looking to fight for a roster spot to the start the season. In this piece, we will look at four Rangers to keep an eye on as training camp gets underway.
Reilly Smith
After the Rangers missed to on signing a top-level free agent, they turned their attention to the trade market and acquired Reilly Smith from the Pittsburgh Penguins. He spent one season with the Penguins after he was traded there from the Vegas Golden Knights after winning the 2023 Stanley Cup. Smith never really seemed to fit with the Penguins and had a down season offensively, scoring 13 goals and recording 40 points in 76 games played. In his final season with Vegas, he scored 26 goals and had 56 points.
Smith will likely get the first chance to play on the right wing on the line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. He is the next of many names who have played in the spot over the years. It will be interesting to see how he fits and plays with them as training camp goes along and hopefully, he can build some chemistry with Kreider and Zibanejad because it he can’t, the Rangers don’t have many other options to fill that spot. Smith needs to seize this opportunity and run with it and show that last season’s drop in production was just a fluke.
Kaapo Kakko
A player many thought would not be here for the start of the season, Kaapo Kakko is entering his last-chance season with the Rangers. After getting an opportunity to play consistent top-six minutes to start last season, he was not producing and was moved down the lineup before getting injured. He played a third-line role the rest of the season and was not effective offensively at all. Many thought he would have been traded over the offseason, but instead got a one-year deal to prove he can be more for the Rangers going forward.
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Kakko is projected to start once again on the third line playing with Filip Chytil and Will Cuylle. If he can show that he can produce in a bottom-six role to start the season, maybe he will earn himself a look in the top six once again. This truly his last chance to show he can be more than what he has been so far because if he doesn’t, this will be his last season with the Rangers. That would truly be a disappointing end to such a promising player who had so much potential.
Brennan Othmann
One of the Rangers’ top prospects who is fighting for a roster spot in training camp is Brennan Othmann. He was picked 16th overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, has been improving each year, and has worked his way towards this opportunity. He did play three games with the Rangers last season, but barely got any ice time and never got to truly show off his skills. He scored 21 goals and had 49 points in 67 American Hockey League games with the Hartford Wolf Pack. He has the offensive talent and now, he needs to prove he deserves a permanent spot on the Rangers.
He brings speed, skill, and physicality with his game. Even thought he’s not the biggest player, he plays with the biggest heart and is willing to throw the body and even get into fights if he has to. He is a true competitor and he will likely be one of the last-remaining players with the Rangers when training camp gets closer to ending. Like Cuylle did last season, Othmann will have to earn his spot with team and there is a very good chance that it will happen.
Zac Jones
After losing Erik Gustafsson in free agency to the Detroit Red Wings, the Rangers opted not to sign another NHL-level defenseman. This showed that they had full faith in Zac Jones to take that spot and become a full-time NHL defenseman this season. He was the seventh defenseman last season and only got to play when other players got injured. In 31 games played, he scored two goals and recorded nine points. He is more of an offensive-minded player and sometimes isn’t as good on the defensive side of the puck, but now he has a chance to work on both of those parts of his game and show he deserves this spot.
He is projected to start on the third defensive pair with Jacob Trouba and this could be very good for him. Trouba played with K’Andre Miller when he first got to the NHL and he helped Miller transition very well to playing at the highest level. While Jones isn’t a rookie, he hasn’t played much at the NHL level and Trouba could be perfect mentor to help him; Jones can keep playing his offensive game while Trouba can stay back and remain a hard-hitting, shutdown defenseman. This could end up being a very good paring for the Rangers if they work well together.
While there will be more players to keep an eye on during training camp, these four players have something to prove heading into the season. They have to earn their spots and show they belong with the Rangers and are pieces who can help bring this team to Stanley Cup glory.
