Where Rangers, Metro rivals stand ahead of 2024-25 NHL season
The New York Rangers are a week away from dropping the puck on the 2024-25 NHL season. But before before they open up against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Oct. 9, there’s still a preseason game to be played and roster decisions to be made.
It’s a perfect time to break down exactly where the Rangers and their Metropolitan Division rivals stand with the start of the season right around the corner.
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Assessing Rangers, division rivals before start of 2024-25 season
So, going in order of last season’s finish in the standings, let’s see where each Metropolitan Division team stands today
New York Rangers – Last season: 114 points – M1 – Presidents’ Trophy
It’s a Stanley Cup or bust season for the Rangers, after reaching the Eastern Conference Final in two of the past three seasons. The defending Presidents’ Trophy winners run it back with largely the same lineup, but count on rebound seasons from Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko, who each have played well in the preseason.
The Blueshirts have had a good start to the preseason, with a record of 4-1-0. However, they did lose top-pair defenseman Ryan Lindgren and depth forward Jimmy Vesey to injury, and star forward Artemi Panarin left their most recent game with a recurring lower-body injury.
A few prospects have made names for themselves in Rangers camp and may be called upon to fill the void created by injury. Defenseman Victor Mancini (2022, Round 5) is surprisingly contending for a spot on New York’s blue line with two goals and an assist in the preseason. Forwards Brennan Othmann (2021, 16th overall), Brett Berard (2020, Round 5), and Adam Edstrom (2019, Round 6) are all pushing for the final forward spots as training camp begins to wind down. Edstrom has three goals and Othmann has four points (two goals, two assists).
Carolina Hurricanes – Last season: 111 points – M2
The Hurricanes had some tough decisions to make this offseason, as nearly half of their roster were UFAs in need of new contracts, but were constrained by salary cap. Because of this, they have a slightly different look, especially on defense after losing mainstays Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei.
The Canes have played in three preseason games thus far, with a record of 2-0-1. To start the season, Carolina turned to former Blueshirt Jack Roslovic to play on their top line alongside Sebastian Aho. Roslovic was dealt to the Rangers at the trade deadline last season to add depth to their roster, but New York opted not to re-sign him in free agency.
Prospects Felix Unger Sorum (2023, Round 2), Bradley Nadeau (2023, No. 30 overall, and Jackson Blake (2021, Round 4) seem to be the front-runners among rookies who could potentially land a roster spot. Carolina still has three more preseason games to make those decisions.
New York Islanders – Last season: 94 points – M3
The Islanders are looking to make a deeper run in the playoffs this year after losing to the Hurricanes in the first round. They’ve added Anthony Duclair to their top line, and are hoping that Mathew Barzal can have another impressive campaign.
With just one preseason game to go, the Islanders are 3-2-0, and have had some bright spots shine through in their lineup, including 26-year-old forward Maxim Tsyplakov, who scored 31 goals in the KHL last season. He has just one assist thus far in the preseason, but may provide a boost to the Islanders forward group, and could even find himself in their top six.
Star goalie Ilya Sorokin has resumed skating at training camp. But it’s highly debatable if Sorokin will be ready when the regular season begins. That’s a major question mark.
Washington Capitals – Last season: 91 points – WC2
The Capitals narrowly made the playoffs last season, but made a quick exit after being swept by the Rangers in the first round. After adding Pierre-Luc Dubois, Jakob Chychrun, Matt Roy, and Andrew Mangiapane, they look more fortified, both at the forward and defense positions.
Washington has a 2-3-0 preseason record with one game to play as it triues to lock in new lines for the upcoming season, the 20th season for Alex Ovechkin, who is hunting down Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record of 894.
Pittsburgh Penguins – Last season: 88 points – Missed playoffs
The Penguins have missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, and they signed captain Sidney Crosby to a contract extension this summer. That means Pittsburgh is doubling down on its veteran core, which includes Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson.
The Penguins are 2-3-0 in the preseason and lost goalie Alex Nedeljkovic to injury in their game against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday. In addition, Karlsson, the Norris Trophy winner two seasons ago with the San Jose Sharks, endured a setback after being injured to start training camp. It’s been an ominous start to 2024-25 for the Penguins.
Philadelphia Flyers – Last season: 87 points – Missed playoffs
There is new life in the Flyers organization after missing what seemed like a guaranteed playoff spot last season when they ended 2023-24 with a horrible stretch of losses.
The Flyers wrapped up their preseason with a 3-3-0 record, but the main story of their camp is Matvei Michkov. The No. 7 pick in the 2023 draft came over from Russia earlier than expected and is already making an impact in Philadelphia.
The 19-year-old forward had three goals and four assists in the preseason, and has made a strong case to be inserted into the top six. Expect him to have a big rookie season in Philadelphia.
New Jersey Devils – Last season: 81 points – Missed playoffs
The Devils are expecting a big bounce-back season after being very busy in the offseason. Additions like goaltender Jacob Markstrom and defensemen Pesce and Brenden Dillon should help solve some of the major issues from last season, when they shockingly missed the playoffs.
The Devils are 1-5-0 in the preseason with one game to play, though their NHL roster is overseas in Prague for the NHL Global Series against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday and Saturday. Rookie defenseman Seamus Casey is with that group, and the 2022 second-round pick could be in the opening-night lineup with Luke Hughes sidelined.
Columbus Blue Jackets – Last season: 66 points – Missed playoffs
The Blue Jackets are looking for a better year after earning just 66 points last season — and they’ll have to do so after the tragic death of forward Johnny Gaudreau and the trade of Patrik Laine to the Montreal Canadiens.
The Blue Jackets are 4-2-0 with one preseason game left to play. Adam Fantilli and Mathieu Olivier share the NHL lead in preseason goals with four; they will be a big part of the roster along with newcomer Sean Monahan.
New general manager Don Waddell said Columbus is still looking into upgrading its talent base. The Blue Jackets have money to spend after the Gaudreau tragedy; the Jackets are slightly below below the salary cap floor, according to PuckPedia, but reportedly have been given permission to start the season that way, with the expectation that they will have to get to the floor eventually.
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