Projecting the New York Rangers' Opening Night Roster

The season begins tonight! After a long wait, players are finally lacing up their skates and strapping on the pads for some NHL action. In the case of the New York Rangers, their games don't start until Wednesday, so they'll have some extra time to tinker with their roster setup. They're looking to improve upon last year, which saw their young squad take a step forward but still finish the year outside the playoffs. The Rangers are hoping that will change this season, and with their star-studded roster, it's a good bet to assume they'll make even more progress in '21-'22. With that said, let's take a look at how the lineup has rounded into form, starting with the forwards:

Alexis Lafreniere - Mika Zibanejad  - Chris Kreider

Artemi Panarin - Ryan Strome - Kaapo Kakko

Barclay Goodrow - Filip Chytil - Julien Gauthier

Sammy Blais - Kevin Rooney - Ryan Reaves

Dryden Hunt

Greg McKegg

According to head coach Gerard Gallant, Ryan Reaves will be ready for opening night after sustaining a lower-body injury during pre-season. That's good news, as the Rangers brought him in hoping to build some toughness in their bottom 6, and losing him to start the year would be a tough way to kick things off. What may be a harder pill to swallow is the current situation surrounding 2018 1st-round pick Vitali Kravtsov. He was assigned to the AHL in the final round of roster cuts and did not take it well. Kravtsov has said he refuses to report to the Hartford Wolf Pack, and the Rangers have given him the option to look for a trade partner, as they'll likely be suspending him from their roster. It's a shame because Kravtsov had played well in pre-season alongside Goodrow and Chytil, and looked ready to make an impact in the top 9. From the outside it looks like a paper decision - Kravtsov is waiver exempt, Hunt and Rooney are not - but Gallant gave the impression he thought the rookie had been outplayed for a roster spot. Either way, things continue to be dramatic in New York. The good news is new acquisition Barclay Goodrow appears to be fitting in well with his new club, and the Rangers appear to like what they've seen from sophomore Alexis Lafreniere on the top line, which bodes well for them heading into the season.

On the blueline, the Rangers added even more grit to accompany their budding young talent: 

Ryan Lindgren - Adam Fox

K'Andre Miller - Jacob Trouba

Patrik Nemeth - Nils Lundkvist

Jarred Tinordi

Libor Hajek

Anthony Bitetto

While the top 4 remains relatively the same as last season, the Rangers went out and added Patrik Nemeth and Jarred Tinordi to built some toughness on their blueline. It's likely to be effective, as both players have a history of effective shutdown play that carries a bit of a mean streak along with it. Meanwhile, Nils Lundkvist had a strong camp and won himself the 6th spot on the blueline, a good sign for Rangers' fans pulling for the young rookie to make the roster. This will be Lundkvist's first taste of NHL action, and he'll be expected to make the most of it. Libor Hajek is still trying to fight his way onto this roster as well. He managed to avoid being cut through all of training camp, now the question becomes if the opportunity arises, will he capture it? There's a lot of talent ahead of him, and he'll need to get his game to another level to push his way onto the team.

In net, the same duo as last season returns, looking to build on their young careers and help the Rangers take another step:

Igor Shesterkin

Alexandar Georgiev

Keith Kinkaid

Dubbed the Rangers' "goalie of the future," Shesterkin had a strong first season as a starter in 2021. He's a year older, a year wiser, and will be expected to carry a heavier workload this year. Georgiev played well as his 1B last season but has shown himself more suited to play as a backup at this point, although he's young enough that that could change quickly. Keith Kinkaid comes in as the Rangers' third-string netminder and will split time between the NHL and AHL as needed. His veteran presence can only help the two younger netminders as they progress in their NHL careers.

What do you think of this Rangers' lineup, and what would you change?

Photo credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports