With the start of the new season just around the corner, now is the time to start making bold predictions. Here are my three bold predictions for the New York Rangers in 2024-25.
Alexis Lafreniere Scores 40+ Goals, Over Point-Per-Game Player
Last season was the breakout campaign that everyone was waiting for from Alexis Lafreniere. He played consistent, top-six minutes alongside the other two best offensive players on the team, Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. He scored 28 goals and 57 points in 82 regular-season games.
He also followed that up with an amazing playoff performance, scoring six goals and 14 points in 16 games. He was the Rangers’ best forward during the Eastern Conference Final, and heading into this season, he must build off that performance and prove that he deserves to be with the club long-term.
This is why, with Lafreniere likely playing with Panarin and Trocheck again and, hopefully, earning consistent power-play time on the Rangers’ top unit, he will build off his breakout campaign and become an even more dominant player.
He was just three goals shy of 30 last season, and if he earns power-play time on what is already a very dangerous unit, he could easily score over 40 goals and become a point-per-game player. If he accomplishes this, the team will have another elite scoring threat, while Lafreniere can show why he deserves all the money and term on his next contract, as he is entering a contract year.
Adam Fox Scores over 90 Points, Wins His Second Norris Trophy
Despite missing 10 games due to injury last season, Adam Fox still had the second-best offensive season of his career, reaching a career-high in goals with 17, and his 73 points were one point shy of his career-high – his 17 goals also ranked sixth in the NHL among defensemen along with Norris Trophy winner, Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks. In a full 82-game schedule, he could easily have scored over 20 goals and shattered career highs in all categories.
Related: Kakko Has This Season to Prove He’s Part of Rangers’ Long-Term Plan
I predict Fox will score over 90 points this season, and because he is excellent on both sides of the puck, it will push him to the top of Norris Trophy voting. Fox should already have more than one Norris Trophy, but this season, he will prove why he is the best defenseman in the NHL, putting up great offensive numbers while still being an elite defender in his own zone.
Mika Zibanejad Breaks His Even-Strength Goal-Scoring Record
Last season was a disaster for Mika Zibanejad at five-on-five. He finished with 26 goals but only 12 were scored at even strength. This is unacceptable for the team’s “number one center” and he needs to prove that 2023-24 was an outlier. He can’t go 31 games without an even-strength goal again. He scored three goals in the playoffs and only one was at even strength (during Game 1 of the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes). If the Rangers want to win the Stanley Cup this season, they need more from Zibanejad.
His career-high in even-strength goals is 23, set in 2019-2020. This season, he will break that record and score the most even-strength goals of his career. This is because if Lafreniere gets top unit power-play time, Zibanejad is the easiest to take off that unit, and without the same power-play time, he will have to step up his game at five-on-five. This season, he must prove that he doesn’t need the power play to score goals.
These are some fun offseason predictions, and we’ll soon see just how right or wrong I was. Even if only one of these things happens, it will benefit the Rangers’ season overall.
