The New York Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy last season thanks to their great play on special teams, strong goaltending, and stellar play of their Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere line. The trio has picked up where they left off last season in the first three games of 2024-25 and they have gotten the team off to a 2-0-1 start.
The Play of the Panarin, Trocheck & Lafreniere Line
Entering the 2023-24 season, the expectation was the Rangers would get similar production at even strength from their Panarin line and their line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. However, the Zibanejad line played well defensively but struggled to produce offensively, while Panarin’s line stepped up and consistently produced at even strength.
Filip Chytil began 2023-24 as the center for Panarin’s line but he missed most of the season injured and Lafreniere and Panarin quickly formed chemistry with Trocheck at center. All three looked to hold onto the puck and set each other up with cross-ice passes and all three finished with career-highs in points last season. All of them have good shots and Lareniere and Panarin both have great hands.
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In the season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 9, Panarin stole the puck in the defensive zone and made a nice pass to Lafreniere who scored on a toe drag to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. Later in the game, Panarin set up Lafreniere in the slot and though his shot was stopped, Trocheck was there to score on the rebound. They won the game 6-0.
In the Rangers’ 6-5 overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Oct. 12, Lafreniere set up Panarin who scored to tie the game at one. Trocheck assisted on his second goal of the game which came on a power play. In their 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 14, Panarin set up Lafreniere who scored on a nice wrist shot to take a 1-0 lead.
After dealing with a lower-body injury in the preseason, Panarin is off to an excellent start with two goals and five assists. Lafreniere has two goals and two assists despite rarely playing on the power play, and Trocheck has one goal and one assist while winning 60.9 percent of his faceoffs.
The Play of Panarin’s Line Takes Pressure off of the Rangers’ Other Lines
After their great play last season, Panarin, Trocheck, and Lafreniere have established themselves as the Rangers’ top line. That means they will usually be matched up with opposing teams’ top lines and defense pairs, which should create favorable matchups for the Blueshirts’ other lines.
The Rangers’ third line of Filip Chytil, Will Cuylle, and Kaapo Kakko is off to an excellent start, as they have generated a lot of scoring chances without allowing many. Chytil and Cuylle have each scored one goal in the team’s first three games. The second line also has three even-strength goals as Kreider has two and Reilly Smith scored his first of the season with a quick shot after Zibanejad won a faceoff in the win over the Red Wings. The fourth line chipped in as Sam Carrick scored on a deflection in the victory against the Penguins.
Last season the Rangers struggled to get secondary scoring in part because some of their forwards like Chytil and Kakko missed extended time. Blake Wheeler struggled when he got a shot in the top six and then ended up missing extended time with a lower-body injury. If they can stay healthier this season, they should get more secondary scoring from their second and third lines.
For the Panarin, Trocheck & Lafreniere Line Moving Forward
The Rangers’ top line was a big strength for the team last regular season and postseason, and they are off to an impressive start in the first three games of 2024-25. Trocheck is excellent on faceoffs, Lafreniere is getting better and better, and Panarin continues to produce at a prolific pace. The line has the team off to a strong start and the trio certainly has the talent and chemistry to put up big numbers once again this season.
