The Rangers kicked off training camp Thursday but training is the operative word. Pucks haven't been seen yet, as the first few days consisted of physicals and on-ice workouts. That will change Saturday when the players are broken into groups for scrimmages. Heading into the start, here are my key questions/concerns:

1) Sniper, sniper, my kingdom for a sniper.

GM Jeff Gorton clearly improved the bottom-six with all the depth signings. Doing so should allow coach Alain Vigneault to roll three offensive lines and one more focused on defense and forechecking. But is there enough elite offense?

Of course, this could also be called the "Whither Rick Nash and Chris Kreider question." Nash was brought in to be that sniper. Other than the 42 goals he scored in 2014-15, his overall production has been underwhelming and at times, he has been invisible on offensive. His two-game is great but if Nash doesn't revert back to close to that 2014-15 form, then someone else has to step up.

That someone should be Kreider. We have been waiting on a Kreider breakout from nice player to force for several years. If others produce as expected or above expectations, the Kreider can go on with scoring 22-25 goals. But if not, this is the year he needs to take that next step. Committing four years to Kreider is a sign that the Rangers believe he will take that next step, now, let's see him do it.

2) I am the Warrior and heart to heart to win..

Last year, the defense feel off a cliff. The precipitous drop was largely keyed by the fall off on play of Dan Girardi and Marc Staal. Whether it was injuries and ineffective play or ineffective play resulting from the injuries or just wear and tear from several seasons of hard usage, both players regressed dramatically.

The current spin is that the longer offseason allowed both players sufficient time to fully heal, which will result in an improvement in play. That better be the case, because other than Nick Holden and maybe Adam Clendening, no one else was brought in to augment the blue line. The hope is that Brady Skjei can replace Keith Yandle and be an upgrade defensively while Dylan McIlrath continues the upward projection we saw at times last year.

But if the glimmer twins fail to produce, the growth from Skjei/McIlrath and seen in #xx below won't matter much.

3) Is Hank Still Money in the Bank?

The season ended in embarrassing fashion for Lundqvist and the Rangers. Lundqvist was chased from several games and looked to be a shell of his former self. While he has to bear the brunt of some of the blame, the defensive structure from blue liners to forwards failed him and the team, leading to way too many high quality shots on net. But coming into the season, that decline in play has to be a question.

Lundqvist has answered some of those questions in the World Cup. A 36-save shutout against Finland followed a 45-save performance in a 4-3 overtime loss to Team North America were solid signs he still ha sit. Granted, he benefits from playing behind an elite group of Swedish d-men but is also facing top quality talent and has come up big when needed.

AV has indicated he wants to play Lundqvist 55-58 games with the remaining contests handled by Antti Raanta. New York has talked for years about limiting Lundqvist's workload. But other than the year he was injured, we really haven't seen it. My view is it will be the same this year, unless the team is really committed to it and a last minute scramble to earn a playoff spot is avoided.

4)Are the kids alright?

As noted above, Gorton has added several forwards to the mix, which should result in strong competition for roster spots. More important, the perception of this being an old team can now hopefully be put to rest. A good portion of this team is under 27 years old, with several much younger than that.

But it remains to be seen if the youth will result in production. Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich enter camp as favorites to earn spots in the top-nine; Vesey likely more than Buchnevich given his age and belief he may be more NHL ready. But others, including Robin Kovacs and Malte Stromwall, who showed their Swedish League chemistry in Traverse City, Boo Nieves, currently dealing with an upper-body injured suffered in the final game of the Traverse City tourney, Nick Jensen and Marek Hrivik should get a look see in camp. Brady Skjei is technically a rookie, but he is likely written into the lineup in eraseable but close to permanent pen.

If one or several of those kids come through, that deepens the lineup and might result in depth getting traded for defensive help.

5) World Cup Bump or Hangover?

Seeing what we have witnessed to date, I am going with Bump. Ryan McDonagh showed lots of flashes of his 2013-14 self for Team USA, which has me thinking this could be that breakout season which we all expect. Derek Stepan won't get the same bump, but more important, should enter camp in excellent shape and a step ahead - figuratively not literally - of others due to prepping for the tourney.

The same can be said for J.T. Miller, who got to play with some elite young talent for Team North America. McDonagh, Stepan and Miller all should be at camp on Wednesday. That leaves two more still remaining in the World Cup.

Mats Zuccarello has enjoyed the big stage, raising his game. He gets another chance Sunday against Sweden, where lo and behold he faces Lundqvist. One Ranger advances and one goes home. Whichever one advances could play until next Sunday, meaning they get a later than usual jump on training camp. If Lundqvist, he should be in mid-season form thanks to the work he has received and competition faced.

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