NHL Preview 2024-25 87 SportsForecaster.com

Forwards

Sam Carrick [C]

  • Age: 32
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 202
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ana/Edm 77 10 6 16 -11 102 0.21
Career 351 35 44 79 -32 398 0.23
Forecast 73 7 5 12 - - 0.16

He plays a lot more physically (167 hits in '23-24) than his size (6'0'', 200 pounds) would indicate. He provides a dose of tertiary scoring (10 goals in '23-24) and has the hockey sense and feistiness to match up against more talented centers. His active stick is useful on the penalty kill, and he generally plays to his limitations.

Filip Chytil [C]

  • Age: 25
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 210
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 10 0 6 6 0 4 0.60
Career 399 80 93 173 -18 104 0.43
Forecast 70 18 21 39 - - 0.56

A head injury (suspected concussion) essentially ended Chytil's campaign last November, though he did skate in six playoff games. It was a disappointing follow-up to his breakout 2022-23 season, when he reached the 20-goal mark for the first time. Chytil has an enticing combination of size, creativity and finishing skills–if healthy.

Will Cuylle [LW/RW]

  • Age: 22
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 212
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 81 13 8 21 -3 56 0.26
Career 198 41 41 82 1 128 0.41
Forecast 79 15 11 26 - - 0.33

He turned a 25-goal season in the AHL into a good NHL rookie campaign as a bottom-six forward. Cuylle is a physical force (a team-high 249 hits in '23-24) complemented by a wrist shot that can be an offensive weapon. Effective on the cycle, the 22-year-old winger is improving his skating and is more comfortable playing with the puck.

Adam Edstrom [LW]

  • Age: 24
  • Ht: 6-7
  • Wt: 241
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 11 2 0 2 2 2 0.18
Career 86 9 6 15 2 31 0.17
Forecast 34 8 6 14 - - 0.41

The 6'7'' Swede has not been a huge offensive presence on either side of the Atlantic, but the defensive ability he showed during his first AHL campaign earned him time with the Rangers last season–he scored his first goal late in his NHL debut. Edstrom is an excellent checker and penalty killer who also offers a gargantuan presence.

Kaapo Kakko [RW/LW]

  • Age: 23
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 205
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 61 13 6 19 6 24 0.31
Career 389 72 92 164 2 108 0.42
Forecast 75 15 15 30 - - 0.40

The Finnish winger has yet to produce offensively the way the Rangers expected him to, and he is coming off a 2023-24 season that saw him take several steps back. Kakko missed 21 games with a lower-body injury, watched his offensive numbers and ice time decline, and was even a healthy scratch once during the Eastern Conference Final.

Chris Kreider [LW]

  • Age: 33
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 230
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 82 39 36 75 19 26 0.91
Career 908 339 264 603 125 585 0.66
Forecast 80 38 26 64 - - 0.80

The 33-year-old Kreider has been a better player in his 30s than he was in his 20s. He is coming off his third straight season of 36-plus goals and set career highs in assists in 2023-24. He is one of the NHL's most dangerous forwards on the power play, largely because of his ability to deflect pucks. He is also a shorthanded weapon.

Alexis Lafreniere [RW/LW]

  • Age: 23
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 196
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 82 28 29 57 2 40 0.70
Career 411 99 111 210 -9 162 0.51
Forecast 79 30 31 61 - - 0.77

The talented forward is coming off a breakout season that saw him get close to 30 goals and 60 points, despite averaging just 17:16 of ice time. Lafreniere also excelled in the 2024 playoffs, tying for the squad lead in goals (8). He is equally adept at both shooting and passing and is getting more aggressive at getting pucks on net.

Artemi Panarin [LW]

  • Age: 32
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 177
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 82 49 71 120 18 24 1.46
Career 783 312 590 902 148 230 1.15
Forecast 82 35 62 97 - - 1.18

He will have a hard time equaling his output last season, when he was fourth in the league in points, fifth in goals and tied for third in power-play points. Panarin is an elite offensive talent who helped himself by shooting the puck more (a career-high 303 shots on goal in '23-24). He has never sported a negative plus/minus rating.

Matt Rempe [RW]

  • Age: 22
  • Ht: 6-9
  • Wt: 255
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 17 1 1 2 1 71 0.12
Career 68 5 6 11 9 145 0.16
Forecast 41 2 5 7 - - 0.17

He often looks like a forward who is out of his era; he would likely have been much more valuable back when NHL squads carried true enforcers. There is no question that the 22-year-old can hit and fight, but keeping up with the speed of play can be an issue. He must learn to pick his spots for big hits or else risk more suspensions.

Reilly Smith [W/C]

  • Age: 33
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 185
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Pit 76 13 27 40 3 18 0.53
Career 945 229 330 559 133 236 0.59
Forecast 74 16 24 40 - - 0.54

Did Smith leave his scoring touch in Vegas? He was dealt to the Penguins last season and his goals total dropped by half (26 in 2022-23 to 13 in '23-24). Although he had plenty of good scoring chances, his shooting percentage (8.6%) was the poorest of his career, and he scored only one power-play goal. The veteran winger may rebound.

Vincent Trocheck [C]

  • Age: 31
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 188
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 82 25 52 77 16 55 0.94
Career 818 228 364 592 10 537 0.72
Forecast 82 23 48 71 - - 0.87

The 31-year-old Trocheck followed an excellent regular schedule by being the Rangers' top skater in the playoffs. He can drive play off the rush, is defensively committed and is superb on face-offs (58.7% in '23-24). He was third on the team in average ice time (21:27 TOI/GP) and hits (175), despite limited size (5'11'', 187 pounds).

Mika Zibanejad [C/RW]

  • Age: 31
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 203
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 81 26 46 72 15 30 0.89
Career 961 325 439 764 17 263 0.80
Forecast 82 32 48 80 - - 0.98

Zibanejad's scoring totals were down in '23-24 from '22-23, mostly because he struggled to score five on five (eight goals). He excelled at the start of the playoffs, then went without a goal in his final 11 contests. He is still a great two-way center, capable of matching up against opposing top pivots and impacting all three zones.

Defensemen

Goaltenders

Adam Fox

  • Age: 26
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 180
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 72 17 56 73 21 36 1.01
Career 458 66 329 395 121 184 0.86
Forecast 79 15 58 73 - - 0.92

He missed 10 contests due to injury in '23-24 but still placed sixth among NHL defensemen in scoring. Few players are better at running a power play; he is an exceptional passer but can also beat goalkeepers from distance. Fox is great at controlling the pace of a contest, and his creativity is as good as any rearguard in the league.

Zac Jones

  • Age: 23
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 190
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 31 2 7 9 1 8 0.29
Career 115 4 24 28 -10 38 0.24
Forecast 80 4 15 19 - - 0.24

The 23-year-old Jones bounced between the NHL and AHL during each of the previous two campaigns but managed to stick as a No. 7 defenseman and log a career-best 31 games in 2023-24 (and showed improvement in his overall game). Jones' nine points were one more than he had registered in his first three campaigns combined; more to come?

Ryan Lindgren

  • Age: 26
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 194
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 76 3 14 17 22 36 0.22
Career 431 14 91 105 98 292 0.24
Forecast 69 1 11 12 - - 0.17

The 26-year-old Lindgren has never produced more than 18 points in any of his five NHL seasons; he makes his living because of what he does without the puck. He dished out 114 hits and blocked 103 shots in 2023-24. Lindgren plays a stay-at-home role that lets his partner jump into the play. However, he has had numerous injury issues.

K'Andre Miller

  • Age: 24
  • Ht: 6-5
  • Wt: 210
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 80 8 22 30 5 49 0.38
Career 389 38 106 144 52 174 0.37
Forecast 81 10 25 35 - - 0.43

Miller's offensive numbers dropped slightly in 2023-24. However, he was sixth on New York in hits (148) and fourth in blocked shots (117). His scoring totals would be helped by getting more power-play time. He is a strong skater who takes away time and space with his big frame and long reach. He is improving his reads and playmaking.

Braden Schneider

  • Age: 23
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 213
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 82 5 14 19 -1 16 0.23
Career 317 19 56 75 20 67 0.24
Forecast 82 6 16 22 - - 0.27

The 23-year-old is still developing but has already played three NHL seasons and not looked out of place. He is big (6'3'', 211 pounds) but moves well and plays heavy in the trenches. Schneider blocks shots (133, second on the team in 2023-24), dishes out hits (167) and kills penalties, while providing some offense from the back end.

Jacob Trouba

  • Age: 30
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 212
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NYR 69 3 19 22 -4 73 0.32
Career 854 79 258 337 59 674 0.39
Forecast 72 2 14 16 - - 0.22

He is seeking a reboot this campaign, after his play dropped off and he went from a shutdown role to a third-pairing defenseman slot on a number of nights in '23-24. He is still one of the NHL's most feared physical blueliners (191 hits in '23-24), and his 183 blocks led the Rangers. However, Trouba struggled badly in the postseason.

Jonathan Quick

  • Age: 38
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 220
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
NYR 27 18 6 2 2 2.62 0.911
Career 811 407 293 89 64 2.49 0.911
Forecast 25 14 - - 1 3.09 0.902

Going to New York revived Quick's career in 2023-24. The 38-year-old was the perfect backup behind elite starter Igor Shesterkin and proved he should still carry the load briefly when needed. Quick still plays low to the ice and relies on lateral quickness and his ability to read and react. He is now seven wins shy of 400 in the NHL.

Igor Shesterkin

  • Age: 28
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 195
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
NYR 55 36 17 2 4 2.58 0.912
Career 298 174 97 25 22 2.52 0.917
Forecast 58 38 - - 5 2.51 0.92

After a brief slump last season, Shesterkin ended up as one of the NHL's best 'tenders down the stretch and carried the Rangers to within two wins of the Stanley Cup Final. He is not huge (6'1'', 197 pounds) but is very athletic, tracks pucks well and moves laterally as well as anyone in the league. He can handle a big workload, too.