NHL.com is in the midst of their 31 teams in the 31 days of August series. Yesterday, they tackled the Rangers. Below are the tweets with the links for the various posts in the series, which included an overall season preview as well top-3 questions, fantasy impact etc.
NHL 31 in 31: The New York Rangers:
#31in31: Inside look at @NYRangers from @drosennhl https://t.co/KrK2b4zVEX
— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) August 20, 2019
Dan Rosen and Mike Johnson predict improvement from the Rangers this season, which is no shock. Their season-view is that the team will contend for a playoff spot but fall just short. I think we all have a similar view on contending with the end result depending on lots of factors, three of which are located just below.
Top-three questions facing the Rangers:
- Can @HLundqvist30 return to form?
— NHL (@NHL) August 21, 2019
- How will Kaapo Kakko be in his first season?
- Who will fill the No. 2 center spot?@NHLdotcom might have some answers for ya. #31in31 https://t.co/As76OXSgvw
NHL.com picked "Will Henrik Lundqvist return to his all-star form? How good can Kaapo Kakko be in his first season? Who will be the No. 2 center?" Given all we have discussed this off-season, do you view these as the top-three questions? Granted they are important, but in the prism of the season, are these the three main ones?
Top Prospects:
Kaapo Kakko is leading the charge for one impressive @NYRangers prospect pool. #31in31 (via @NHLdotcom) https://t.co/wGCWHH7qc9
— NHL (@NHL) August 20, 2019
NHL.com just ranked the team's prospect pool #1 in the league. Kaapo Kakko leads the charge but Vitali Kravtsov and Adam Fox are both highly regarded and should be on Broadway this season. Igor Shesterkin looms as the potential replacement for Lundqvist while K'Andre Miller may sign his ELC at the end of his season with the University of Wisconsin and several others are in the pipeline.
Fantasy Hockey:
Plenty of #FantasyHockey potential on the @NYRangers roster.
— NHL (@NHL) August 21, 2019
Check out @NHLFantasy for more information! #31in31 https://t.co/gDmDYHykn0
Obviously, Artemi Panarin is the one to get, but New York has several other interesting players to pursue. Mika Zibanejad took a step forward last year and now should play with Panarin. Jacob Trouba will run the PP in NY while Kaako may be on the top-line. Lundqvist is worthy of a roster spot, as likely a second or third goalie, depending on the depth of your league. Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich are the other two main targets.