After a successful regular season, the New York Rangers are off to a good start in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They won the Presidents’ Trophy, finishing with the most points in the league, and they dominated Game 1 with a 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals. Despite their success, a few players on the roster performed below their standards during the regular season.
As we move further into the playoffs, three players will be worth keeping an eye on. They are all pivotal to the Rangers’ success, and if they want to make a run to the Stanley Cup, they need them at the top of their game.
Jacob Trouba
It was an up-and-down season for the Rangers’ captain. He started strong, playing some of his best hockey as a Ranger and adapting well to head coach Peter Laviolette‘s system. He could jump into the play when needed but was also reliable defensively in his own zone. However, his good play didn’t last. When the team went through a slump in the middle of the season, Jacob Trouba’s play declined. He was constantly beaten due to his lack of speed, and he wasn’t as impactful in the defensive zone as earlier in the season.
Around the trade deadline, it was announced that Trouba would miss around 2-3 weeks with a lower-body injury. During this time, the Rangers’ defense started to play well again. Players like Zac Jones and Braden Schneider stepped up and played the best hockey of their careers. But when Trouba returned, he was put back into a top-four shutdown role and played extremely poorly. At the end of the regular season, he was moved to the third pairing with Erik Gustafsson, and so far, he looks better in that role. As the playoffs continue, we’ll see if this diminished responsibility will benefit his game or if he will continue to be an overpaid liability on the backend.
K’Andre Miller
Touba’s defensive partner, K’Andre Miller, also had a season below standards. Again, he started strong and was a great fit for Laviolette’s system. But during the team’s midseason slump, his play took a turn for the worst. Last season, he set career highs with nine goals and 43 points in 79 games. This season, he scored eight goals and 30 points in 80 games. By the All-Star Break, fans were worried his game was headed in the wrong direction.
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When Trouba went down with injury, Miller was paired with Schneider, and together, they were arguably the team’s best duo this season. Their games complemented each other. When Trouba came back, he was immediately reunited with Miller, and they became the team’s worst defensive pair. Laviolette noticed this and put Schneider back up with Miller and moved Trouba to play with Gustafsson. These are the pairings that started the playoffs, and so far, Miller has looked great with Schneider. If they continue to play well, he may have found his new partner for the foreseeable future.
Mika Zibanejad
Arguably, the most disappointing player for the Rangers this season was Mika Zibanejad. After coming off a 39-goal and 91-point campaign, he took a massive step back with 26 goals and 72 points in 81 games. Although his defensive game stayed strong, his even-strength goal-scoring was ice-cold, with a 31-game even-strength goal-scoring drought. He tied with Kaapo Kakko and Will Cuylle for sixth on the team with 12 even-strength goals – Jimmy Vesey had more, with 13. This was one of the major storylines for the Rangers throughout the season and when fans thought he would finally explode offensively, Zibanejad went back to being quiet.
Zibanejad started the playoffs by letting Martin Fehérváry of the Capitals get to the goal and the puck went in off Zibanejad’s skate for the Capitals’ only goal of the game. However, he did have the primary assist on Chris Kreider‘s goal in the third period, and he will be key to the Rangers’ postseason success. The team needs their top center to start producing like he has in the past. If he does, no one will remember his poor regular season.
The Rangers have enough top talent to lead them on most nights, but these three players are the most important. If the team wants to get far in the playoffs, they need these players at their best. If they can do that and the rest of the team clicks, the Rangers should become the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.