The New York Rangers are looking to improve upon their success from last season, a President’s Trophy-winning year that ultimately fell short in the Eastern Conference Finals. But if they are going to take the next step, there is one key weakness that needs to be addressed immediately.
NHL: New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins Mar 16, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) and center Mika Zibanejad (93) talk on the ice against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Rangers are too soft to be true contenders
The Blueshirts are filled with immense talent. Artemi Panarin is a world-class playmaker. Mika Zibanejad has an elite shooting ability. Adam Fox is one of the best defensemen in the NHL. But where New York is filled with skill, they lack in grit and physicality.
Teams that win the coveted Stanley Cup need to find success in a highly physical postseason environment. Once playoffs begin, adding strength to the lineup is a necessity. The Rangers are typically successful in a more relaxed regular season, but once playoffs begin, their softness becomes their undoing.
How can the Rangers address this problem?
New York has two massive forwards in their system that are heavily underutilized — Matt Rempe and Adam Edström. Rempe received a decent amount of playing time last year, but was surprisingly pulled from the roster deep into the playoffs.
Edström has a similar playing style to Rempe’s but adds a nice scoring ability to his game. Both of these forwards need to be inserted into the lineup to add a sense of physicality. Softness is the most common playoff killer, and the Rangers have a bad case of it. With Rempe and Edström in the lineup, they can hopefully take this team to the next level and finally hoist the Stanley Cup.
