Despite having a young team, the New York Rangers performed well in the 2021-22 season with a 52-24-6 record and a trip to the Eastern Conference Final. With less than a month to go until preseason, let’s take a look at the New York Rangers and some key players (new and returning) to watch in the 2022-23 season.

In the crease, the Rangers have Igor Shesterkin — last season’s Vezina Trophy winner. Although it may be hard for Shesterkin to repeat the success of last season, he will provide excellent goaltending for the Rangers this upcoming season. Shesterkin proved himself, as he performed well while having big shoes to fill. Although Alexandar Georgiev was the goaltender in between Henrik Lundqvist and Shesterkin, Shesterkin had to live up to Lundqvist’s goaltending and ultimately showed everyone he was more than capable. Shesterkin surpassed the single-season franchise record Lundqvist set in the 2011-12 season with a save percentage of 0.935%. 

Fans are also excited to see Jacob Trouba play his first season as captain, as he was recently announced as the 28th captain in franchise history. Trouba never lets a game go by without leaving it all on the ice, as he was the team’s postseason leader in hits, and shots blocked. His aggressive gameplay stood out last season and should amplify with the new addition of “C” on his chest.

Alternate captains Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad worked together last season to score and assist countless goals. Both players are forces on their own, but when they are together, they’re unstoppable. Kreider and Zibanejad have an unbelievable ability that allows them to consistently connect passes on the ice. Much of the Rangers’ success last season can be accredited to the work of these two players on the stellar powerplay unit. Going into the 2022-23 season, however, Kreider’s wrist injury is something that will have to be carefully dealt with.

Elsewhere, alternate captain Barclay Goodrow ended the season with a lower-body injury but is expected to return this season.

Fans are also excited for the return of Artemi Panarin (nicknamed the “breadman”) and his high-kick goal celebrations. The alternate captain had an amazing season in New York and is expected to continue putting pucks past the opponents’ goaltender, like he did in Game 7 of the Rangers opening postseason series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

After falling short of the Stanley Cup in the last season, the New York Rangers have added some new additions to the team. 

Zac Jones, drafted from the Hartford Wolf Pack, will be fighting for the sixth and last defenseman spot. If he succeeds, he will be alongside Jacob Trouba, Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller and Braden Schneider. Jones has spent a great deal of time with the Wolf Pack and has been performing well at the rookie camp. 

Kalle Vaisanen has spent a decent amount of time on the ice at both the U-20 and professional level in his native Finland, averaging about 19 minutes a game. Vaisanen is coming from Turun Palloseura (TPS), the same team that fellow Rangers Kappo Kakko and Alexandar Georgiev have also played for. During his time with TPS, Vaisanen played 39 regular season games and six playoff games. The winger can play on the right or left and also has experience at center. Vaisanen’s ability to play on both sides may earn him more playing time with the Rangers. 

After winning the gold medal for Canada in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) U-20 Ice Hockey World Championship, Will Cuylle feels ready for this season. His time with the Windsor Spitfires in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) has prepared him well for his first season with the New York Rangers. 

With these new pieces in mind, the first game of preseason should fire up the rivalry against the New York Islanders. The game will take place at Madison Square Garden. Solid teamwork between the new and returning players is necessary to show hockey fans who the better New York team is. This is followed by a matchup with the Boston Bruins and two games against the New Jersey Devils and young phenom Jack Hughes. 

The Rangers have a lot of work to do heading into their “revenge tour.” Keeping up the effort that was put into last season while improving on their skills for this season is a challenge. The hardest part of all will be learning how to work as a team with the addition of new players to an already young group.