Breakout candidates, concerns and predictions

A new NHL season opened Tuesday night, but the New York Rangers will have to wait just a bit longer.

They’ll make their 2023-24 debut when they travel to Buffalo on Thursday to take on the Sabres, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m.

This season marks the 30th anniversary of the Blueshirts’ last Stanley Cup championship, with both the organization and its fans anxious to end that drought on a nice, round number. There’s added motivation coming off a disappointing first-round playoff exit at the hands of the rival New Jersey Devils.

In comes new head coach Peter Laviolette to try and help them accomplish that goal. This will be his 22nd season behind an NHL bench and sixth different team, but first chance with an Original Six club.

“It’s the New York Rangers,” he said following Tuesday’s practice at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown. “New York City, New York fans, new team, so there are lots of things to be excited about.”

Yes, there are. But how will these Rangers, whose core players largely remain intact, adapt to a new voice and deal with high expectations?

22 thoughts: One for every player who made the 2023-24 roster

Let’s examine some of the key players and primary concerns in the next part of the lohud.com/USA TODAY Network season preview, while also taking a crack at a few bold predictions:

3 X-factors

Filip Chytil

The talent is there for the 24-year-old to build on last year’s 45-point showing (22 goals and 23 assists), but the key will be keeping him on the ice. He missed time each of the previous three seasons with various injuries and had another scare earlier in camp.

The good news is he looks ready for opening night, with Laviolette prepared to give him a crack at centering the second line, which would, in turn, allow Vincent Trocheck to slide into a matchup role on the third line. If Chytil runs with that opportunity, the Rangers’ lineup will look significantly deeper.

K’Andre Miller

The 23-year-old defensemen seems like a perfect fit for Laviolette’s aggressive, lock system. He can use his length and mobility to hunt for takeaways, then wheel himself into scoring positions with those big, long strides.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pounder ranked second on the team in average time on ice per game last season, so he’s already been logging a heavy load. But his new coach is prepared to add power play to his list of responsibilities, giving Miller a chance to take his point production to the next level.

Artemi Panarin

It seems too obvious for the team’s leading scorer for four straight years to be listed here, but the 31-year-old winger has reached a career crossroads.

His regular-season production is unquestioned, but his playoff performances have left much to be desired. It was especially glaring this past spring when he failed to record a point in the final six games against New Jersey.

That stayed with him all offseason, with Panarin beating himself up publicly while painting the picture of a long, lonely summer in which he poured himself into training and video review. As he put it, though, “It’s probably only hockey that will help me” get over it.

All eyes will be on the Rangers’ highest-paid player to see how he responds, with few players as pivotal to their chances of winning the Cup.

3 concerns

Team speed

Let’s not forget how last season ended for the Rangers. They couldn’t keep up with the dynamic Devils, losing four of the final five games of their first-round series to enter summer vacation much earlier than they hoped.

Now the question is: Have they done enough to catchup to some of the super-skilled, super-fast teams who count themselves among the NHL’s elite?

An extremely tight salary cap situation limited how much team president could do with the roster. He did well under the circumstances, landing RW Blake Wheeler, LD Erik Gustafsson and a few other bargain veterans, but none of them register as burners – at least not at this stage of their careers.

Instead, the Rangers are banking on the biggest boost coming from Laviolette. He’s pushing this group to turn up the intensity and play a grittier overall game, with the hope that his systematic changes will lead to more puck possession, quicker decisions and a faster-paced attack.

We’re about to find out if that will be enough.

RW depth

Kaapo Kakko has grabbed the top spot on the depth chart with a strong camp (more on him in a moment), but there are question marks after that.

Wheeler should help, but he’s 37 and currently penciled in for the third line. The preference is to avoid asking him to do too much and let him maximize his shifts in a secondary role.

After that, it looks like the Rangers are going to ask a natural left wing − which is a much deeper position within the organization − to switch to their off-hand side. Alexis Lafrenière is first in line, but his underwhelming preseason amplified questions about whether he can handle the move. The options after that are either asking a LW prospect such as Will Cuylle or Brennan Othmann to give it a try, or elevating Barclay Goodrow or Tyler Pitlick from the fourth line.

None of those choices seem ideal, placing added pressure on Lafrenière to make it work.

Backup goalie

This may feel like an afterthought – until it isn’t.

In a best-case scenario, veteran backup Jonathan Quick will be limited to around 20 starts this season. But in the event starting goalie Igor Shesterkin has to miss time – which he did in each of his first three seasons before staying relatively healthy last year – it will become critical.

Quick is coming off the worst season of his career and hasn’t shown many signs that he’s about to bounce back. The 37-year-old allowed 11 goals on 57 shots faced this preseason, resulting in an ugly .807 save percentage. Give him time to work out the kinks with goalie coach Benoit Allaire, who has a long track record of getting results, but there are legitimate questions about whether the Connecticut native can regain his old form with such infrequent ice time.

3 predictions

Kaapo Kakko hits 60 points

Even though the 22-year-old blew past his previous career high by posting 40 points (18 goals and 22 assists) last season, it felt like he could have had much more. His strength on the puck and ability to create plays in high-traffic areas is unique and his left-handed shot is well above average. It’s a matter of turning those skills into better production.

The Rangers are counting on Kakko to fill the RW hole on the top line, which is a spot where he’s had notable success and lobbied for more time in. Now it’s his time to seize the moment, with Laviolette and others around the league believing he’s prepared to do it.

Igor Shesterkin contends for a second Vezina Trophy

The Rangers’ most important player has appeared clear-headed off the ice and sharp on it.

That could be a dangerous combination for the rest of the league.

Shesterkin was open to begin camp about being “too hard on myself” last season, with that frustration snowballing and resulting in what he considered a subpar showing. He finished the year on the upswing, though, and has looked at ease and on top of his game throughout camp and the preseason.

There could be no greater sign for the Rangers than that. The 27-year-old is in his prime and only two years removed from a historic, Vezina-winning season. Don’t be surprised if he adds to another trophy to this mantle by this time next year.

Metro Division standings

Here goes nothing…

1. New Jersey Devils

2. Carolina Hurricanes

3. Rangers

4. Pittsburgh Penguins

5. Columbus Blue Jackets

6. New York Islanders

7. Washington Capitals

8. Philadelphia Flyers

I have the Rangers finishing third for a couple reasons. The first is that I think the Devils and Hurricanes are really good − and both got better during the offseason. And the second is that I believe there will be some early growing pains associated with learning a new coach and a new system.

A slow start shouldn’t come as a surprise, and with the way I expect Jersey and Carolina − two teams who already have clearly defined identities − to rack up points, it will be difficult to keep pace.

Ultimately, a division title won’t matter. The Rangers will be judged based on what they do in the playoffs, and I believe this team is too talented not to get into the dance.

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY Rangers season preview: Key players, concerns, predictions