New York EASTERN CONFERENCE RANGERS METROPOLITAN DIVISION Henrik Lundqvist Offense When people remember the Rangers’ magical 2013-14 season, they do so in terms of the dramatic playoff run, which ended in a thrilling Cup finals series with the Kings, three games of which went into overtime. They won’t recall a season that was filled with offensive fireworks, because that is not how the Rangers get it done. Although New York wasn’t impotent by any stretch of the imagination, it relied heavily on a strong defense, backed by perennial stingy backstop Henrik Lundqvist, to get the job done. In the wake of the deep postseason run, the Rangers had to make some tough personnel decisions and ended up losing some key offensive contributors to free agency. Chief among them were center Brad Richards (20 goals, 51 points) and wing Benoit Pouliot (15, 36). And it’s not as if the Rangers replaced them with first-rate snipers. Dan Boyle may be a mobile defenseman, but he is 38 and scored just 12 goals last year. Meanwhile, Matthew Lombardi did register 50 points in 46 games last year—in the Austrian League. If the team seems a little weaker on O, it isn’t an illusion. This could be a concern. Lundqvist can only do so much. The good news is that power forward Rick Nash is back after leading the team with 26 goals last year. Of course, that was his lowest total in a full NHL season since his rookie year, but the big winger can still get it done. Mats Zuccarello isn’t going to overpower anyone, not at 5-7, but he is quick and scored 19 goals last year. He also tied for the team lead with Key Additions: LW Tanner Glass; RW Lee Stempniak; C Matthew Lombardi; D Dan Boyle; D Petr Zamorsky Key Subtractions: C Brad Richards; LW Benoit Pouliot; C Dominic Moore; C Brian Boyle Strengths: Goaltending, penalty kill Weaknesses: Scoring, power play Andy Marlin/NHL/Getty Images
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