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2024-25 New York Rangers Predictions and Odds to Win Stanley Cup Finals

by Ryan Cobbett - 9/19/2024

New York Rangers predictions Igor Shesterkin

The 2023-24 NHL season was very rewarding for the Rangers last year. They won the Presidents Trophy as they led the league with 114 points, one more point than the Dallas Stars. They dominated at home last year, going 30-11, which was tied with Edmonton as the best performance on home ice (60 points). New York had a cake walk in the first round as they swept Washington, finishing with a +8-goal differential. Then they moved on to face Carolina, where they quickly went up 3-0. Carolina battled back to take the series to six games, before their comeback efforts fell short. The Rangers were then eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup Champions in the Florida Panthers, dropping the series 4-2.

To be the best, you have to be well rounded, and that’s exactly what the Rangers were last season. They finished seventh in GF/G, scoring 3.39 GF/G. The Rangers ranked third in the league in PP% as they cashed in on 26.4% of their man advantages, while their Penalty Kill also ranked third in the NHL, as they finished with a PK% of 84.5%. Artemi Panarin dominated last season. He led the team with 120 points, which also ranked fourth in the NHL. He finished with 49 goals and 71 assists, where he ranked fifth in each respective category. Behind him, there were four Rangers skaters that finished with more than 70 points. Vincent Trocheck finished second on the team with 77 points and 52 assists. Chris Kreider finished third on the Rangers with 75 points, and second on the team with 39 goals. Adam Fox (72 games) and Mika Zibanejad finished with 73 and 72 points, respectively. Budding star Alexis Lafreniere finished with 57 points on 28 goals and 29 assists.

The parallels for this 2023-24 team continue with the goaltending. The Rangers also ranked seventh in GA/G as they allowed just 2.76 GA/G and their .912 SV% was tied for the fifth best mark in the NHL. Igor Shesterkin finished 36-17-2 across his 55 games played while allowing just 2.58 GA/G on a .913 SV%. Behind him was veteran Jonathan Quick, who finished 18-6-2 allowing 2.62 GA/G on a .911 SV%.

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Seasons come and go, so now it’s time to take a look at what we can expect from the New York Rangers in 2024/25:

New York Rangers Key Additions/Losses

The roster remains intact from last season, with a few minor exceptions. Blueliner Erik Gustafsson, who finished with 31 points last season, left for Detroit, while center Jack Roslovic (eight points) is also off the roster. Right wing Blake Wheeler, who tallied 21 points on nine goals and 12 assists, is also a free agent.

The Rangers replaced Wheeler with Reilly Smith, who they picked up in a trade with Pittsburgh. Smith finished with 40 points last season on 13 goals and 27 assists. The only other significant addition to the roster was Sam Carrick, who notched 16 points in 77 games last season.

New York Rangers X-Factors

Age- The Rangers first two lines are old. Artemi Panarin (32), Vincent Trochek (31), Chris Kreider (33), Mika Zibanejad (31), and Reilly Smith (33) are all over 30, leaving just Alexis Lafreniere (22) as they lone sub-30 skater within the top two lines. Their fourth line projects to be Jonny Brodzinski, Sam Carrick, and Jimmy Vesey, all of whom are 31 and older. Jacob Trouba is 30, and backup netminder Jonathan Quick is 38. Regression and injuries loom over this Rangers roster. Their championship window is closing, and they need to stay healthy while investing at the deadline to put themselves in the best position to win the cup.

New York Rangers Goalie Outlook

Shesterkin and Quick are both back and slated to be the tandem for the Rangers. Quick had an incredible turnaround last season in a backup capacity. In his 2022-23 season, he had allowed 3.32 GA/G before returning to his dominant form and allowing just 2.62 GA/G last season. Quick will likely only need to play in 25-27 games this season, as Shesterkin has averaged 55 starts over the last three seasons. Shesterkin himself has been one of the best netminders over the last three seasons, as he has allowed less than 2.60 GA/G in each of his last three seasons, and he has a career SV% of .921. This tandem could be one of the better pairs in the league this season.

Grade: A

New York Rangers Key Schedule Stretch

December 17th- January 14th: This near month stretch is a tough one for the Rangers in the middle of the season. This collection of games features 13 games, nine on the road and four at home. Their nine road games include trips to Nashville, Dallas, New Jersey, Tampa Bay, Florida, Washington, Chicago, Vegas, and Colorado. Their home games include Carolina, Boston, Dallas, and New Jersey. The home games give no rest while their lone “easy game” is on the road against the exciting and improving Chicago Blackhawks. With age and injury a factor, it will be interesting to see how the Rangers perform over these 13 games.

New York Rangers Notable Odds

Stanley Cup Champions: +1300

Conference Winner: +600

Division Winner: +2600

Hart Trophy- Artemi Panarin: +4000

Hart Trophy- Adam Fox: +10000

Vezina Trophy- Igor Shesterkin: +600

Norris Trophy- Adam Fox: +600

New York Rangers Prediction

I love the Rangers to repeat as Metro Division champs. This team did not lose much, while adding Reilly Smith boosts the offense. Though age is a factor, their core players (minus Fox and Trouba) played in 76 or more games last season. Shesterkin has been one of the best goalies in the league, so getting him at +600 for the Vezina Trophy is a good value pick, while the over on the team point total seems highly likely, as I do not see how the Rangers lost 14 points between last season and now.

Over 100.5 Team Total Points

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