The New York Rangers ended last season with a disappointing second-round playoff loss to the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Boston Bruins. The team then spent the summer dealing with coaching drama and internal turmoil amongst management as New York let go of former coach John Tortorella and nearly hired the former Ranger Mark Messier. The NHL legend served as a special assistant to general manager Glen Sather for nearly four years but left the organization once it became clear that the Rangers were not planning on hiring him.

The team went on to hire Alain Vigneault, an experienced and successful former coach of the Vancouver Canucks. New York opted to go with experience rather than name recognition by choosing Vigneault, who brings along an impressive resume that includes six playoff appearances in a seven-year span, six division titles and a Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Let’s take a closer look at New York’s futures odds and figure out just how good they will be this season. Odds come form Bovada.

Title odds: +2000; Eastern Conference odds: +1100; Division odds: +600

The Rangers are not expected to be a powerhouse by any means and realistically are not a legitimate threat to win a title. New York has been a perennial playoff contender and has qualified for the postseason in four of the last five seasons, so they are not completely out of the title picture. However, the team has never had enough firepower to make a deep playoff run, and things do not look to be any different this year. The Rangers will also have the added difficulty of making the transition from a defensive-minded coach to an offensive-oriented one.

The oddsmakers are a bit torn by the Rangers, and it seems that they do not know just how good they will be. Bovada has New York at 20/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup, which is the 11th best in the league. However, the oddmakers at Sportsbook.ag have the Rangers at only 10/1, for the fifth-best odds in the league. If some experts believe that New York is the fifth-best team in the league, then wagering on them at +2000 is not a horrible idea.

New York Rangers Regular Season Points:

“Over/Under” 98.5

New York ended last season with 56 points and was on pace to score 96 points during a full 82-game schedule. This year the team is expected to be much more offensive oriented and play at a higher pace. New York might struggle at the beginning of the year adjusting to their new coach and figuring out how to play in certain lineups. The team is supposed to score more this year, but the under seems like the way to go. There are too many variables with a new coach and offensive style.

Will the New York Rangers Make the Playoffs?

“Yes”: -800
“No”: +500

The Rangers are a favorite to make the playoffs, but they are going to have a hard time doing it as a division winner. New York is in the unfortunate position of being in the same division as the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are the strong favorite to win the Metropolitan Division at -120. The Rangers have a new coach, a new style and are playing in a realigned division. There is a chance that the team fails to put everything together and misses the playoffs. At 5/1 there is definite value wagering on New York to miss the playoffs

Read more articles by George Monroy