"For the first time in a few years, reasonable expectations for the Rangers are lower. Despite bringing in a new coach with a championship pedigree, the Rangers missing the playoffs last season and icing mostly the same roster this season has fans chilling a bit."
"To answer that question, it's important to think about everything that went wrong last season. Igor Shesterkin was Igor Shesterkin whether or not the stats displayed that, so he wasn't the problem. Everyone else? Part of the problem. Artemi Panarin may have been excellent, but far too often he didn't look quite like himself. Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad looked slower and snake-bitten. Adam Fox played hurt and didn't play up to his usual level of play. We could go on and on."
"Almost every player on the roster this year wants to have a better season than the last, and almost every player on the roster will need to for this team to look better than last year's team. But if the individual statistics improve, will the fans be happy? I don't think so.You'd likely think the next step is making the playoffs."
Expectations for the New York Rangers sit modestly around a six-to-eight seed, with only a few predicting deep playoff rounds and almost none predicting a Stanley Cup. The team enters a less certain season despite hiring a coach with championship pedigree and largely retaining last season's roster. Several key players underperformed last year — Igor Shesterkin remained reliable while others like Panarin, Trocheck, Zibanejad, and Fox struggled or played hurt. Broad improvements across the roster, restored health, and greater consistency are necessary. A marginal statistical rebound or a low-seed playoff berth likely will not satisfy fans.
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