It would be a shock if the New York Rangers didn’t at the very least do enough in the upcoming regular season to qualify for the playoffs – but there is a lot of drama surrounding the team that will have to be overcome.
Related: 3 Final Takeaways From Rangers’ 2024-25 Preseason
Aside from trading Barclay Goodrow and losing Erik Gustafsson to free agency, relatively the same group is coming back for 2024-25. But this might be the last chance for this core Rangers group – even captain Jacob Trouba admitted in training camp to reporters that this season will be “the last crack.”
The Rangers are coming off a euphoric Presidents’ Trophy season that ended in heartbreak in the Eastern Conference Final. The pieces are still there to contend. However, the team must battle through a few issues early on.
Trouba Drama
Just because both the Rangers and Trouba are looking to put everything behind them, that doesn’t mean we can forget how awkward the situation was in the offseason. He was in the rumor mill and it felt like a trade to the Detroit Red Wings might happen. But it appears the captain used some of the leverage he had with his partial no-trade clause to block a move.
Both sides publicly even tried to ease things down in efforts to move on and focus on a vital regular season. General manager Chris Drury said in training camp: “Jacob and I talk all the time, as GM and captain should. I would even include [Peter Laviolette] in those conversations. Obviously, being captain, he runs our dressing room and is head of the leadership group. We’ve had a number of different conversations over the course of the summer, on a lot of different things. He is very clear as to where he stands with me and what I think of him as a player and as a leader. I think he’s done a real good job here” (from ‘Chris Drury addresses relationship with Jacob Trouba after dramatic offseason full of Rangers trade rumors,’ New York Post, Sept. 17, 2024).
That said, will fans put everything aside? Or will they let Trouba know how they feel in the home opener? New York can often be an unforgiving market. Even one of the most popular and talented Rangers of the 2000s, Rick Nash, was booed off the ice after being held goalless through the first several games of the 2014 Playoffs. While we aren’t condoning it, if the same thing happens to Trouba, the situation will escalate and make things uncomfortable. That’s not something that would be easy to play through. Things could get ugly here – but Drury and Trouba have done their best so far in efforts to avoid this.
Shesterkin’s Next Contract
Trouba isn’t the only player that dealt with drama in the offseason. The Rangers were likely hoping they could get a long-term deal done with Igor Shesterkin before potentially reaching free agency. With the star goaltender’s ask reportedly at $12 million per season, Mollie Walker of the New York Post said there will be no negotiating during the season (from ‘Igor Shesterkin’s Rangers contract talks will stop by season opener if no deal is reached as free agency looms,’ New York Post, September 24, 2024).
Opening night is just days away on Wednesday, Oct. 9 – so time is almost up. There’s a real chance the Rangers could lose him to free agency if the two sides fail to strike a deal by then. Not only that, but no deal could leave some unease and questions going forward about Shesterkin’s future. Would the mental aspect of not having an extension in place affect his play at some point? Let’s not forget that the Russian netminder struggled earlier last season – but re-found his game. The contract developments between Shesterkin and the Rangers are worth monitoring in the upcoming days until opening night.
Ryan Lindgren Injury
Injuries throughout the season happen and teams must be prepared – but the Rangers were thrown a curveball early in training camp with Ryan Lindgren’s injury. He will be out “at least a few weeks,” according to Vincent Mercogliano of USA Today Network. Behind Lindgren, we know K’Andre Miller and maybe Zac Jones can step up and take advantage of more minutes – but that’s it (from ‘Rangers lose injured defenseman Ryan Lindgren for ‘at least a few weeks’,’ lohud.com, Sept. 25, 2024).
Matthew Robertson was sent down and won’t be an option at least in Lindgren’s absence. While Victor Mancini may have played himself on the roster with his preseason play, asking him to play the left side as a right-handed defenseman is a tough request. But maybe the Rangers will be able to manage the situation by giving Mancini or Chad Ruhwedel more ice time.
It’s not ideal to start the season out, but on the bright side, it’s an opportunity for younger defensemen to get more playing time. The Rangers will be at their best, though, once Lindgren is back to full strength.
After an offseason of drama, the Rangers will need to overcome a ton of adversity early in the regular season compared to a year ago. While each situation isn’t ideal, there is still no reason to think the team won’t be able to find enough success in 2024-25. There’s enough talent to overcome it from Artemi Panarin to Adam Fox. As long as the Rangers qualify for the playoffs, which shouldn’t be an issue, the drama may not matter. Plus, keep in mind that other unfortunate events will inevitably happen like injuries.
