The New York Rangers are entering another season of trying to win a Stanley Cup for the first time since 1994. They have many of the ingredients needed in order to make a deep run in the playoffs. They have an elite goalie in Igor Shesterkin, a very good group of defensemen led by Adam Fox, and a very good forward group led by Artemi Panarin.
What many people aren’t talking about is that the Rangers have a very deep center core and for the first time in years, there isn’t a question of if the Rangers have good enough centers to compete with the other teams in the Eastern Conference. When you compare the Rangers to other teams in the East and around the league, you can make the argument that they have the best group of centers in the NHL.
An Elite Number One Center
The Rangers have their elite number-one center in Mika Zibanejad. Ever since they traded for him back in the summer of 2016, he has gotten better each season. This past season was his best offensive season as he scored 39 goals (two shy of his career high) and 52 assists for 91 points in 82 games played. While he is great offensively, his defensive game is very underrated. He plays against other teams’ top centers every night and is one of the key penalty killers for the Rangers. It can be argued that he should be in the conversion for the Selke Trophy as the forward who demonstrates the best defensive game. Zibanejad is an all-around elite two-way center and will be the team’s number-one center for years to come.
While Zibanejad wasn’t great in the playoffs this past season, he has been a proven playoff performer since arriving in New York. In 42 playoff games, he has scored 14 goals and 39 total points. He is a player that can be relied on to play great in the biggest games of the season and while he has gone on slumps of not scoring in the playoffs, when he finally does, it makes him just that more dangerous. The trade for Zibanejad has been one of the greatest returns in Rangers history.
Two Great Middle-Six Centers
When referring to a team’s middle-six, it means their second and third lines. The Rangers have two great options for who to put in these positions. They have Vincent Trocheck and Filip Chytil. Let’s start with Trocheck. After signing a massive deal with the Rangers, he had an amazing first year with the team. He scored 22 goals and 64 points in 82 games played. He was also their best center when it came to winning faceoffs. He won 56.1 percent of his faceoffs during the 2022-23 season. The next best was Zibanejad at 49.5%, which was down from the previous season. Trocheck can be used in all situations and was a big addition to the Rangers’ penalty kill and power play. He can be used to shut down other teams’ top players and can still be relied on to score goals. He was a great addition to the Rangers last season.
Related: Trocheck and Chytil Will Battle For Second-Line Role
For Chytil, last season was a breakout year for him. After a great showing during the 2022 Playoffs, he followed it up with a career-best regular season. He scored 22 goals and 45 points in 74 games played. He reached career highs in all offensive categories and that earned him a four-year deal with the Rangers that he signed in March. Going into the 2023-24 season, the question will be, can he earn himself the second-line center position? He played mostly on the third line last season while Trocheck played on the second line. With a new coach in Peter Laviolette, Chytil will have the chance to impress and earn himself top-six minutes. It’s going to be a great internal battle to watch as training camp gets underway in September.
A Veteran Fourth-Line Center
The Rangers added a new fourth-line center this summer when they signed Nick Bonino to a one-year contract. They will now have a legitimate fourth-line center instead of having to play Barclay Goodrow at center. While Bonino won’t provide much offense at this stage of his career, he is going to be a steady presence that can be relied on to play well in his own zone. If he can score around 10-15 goals while being defensively responsible, this will be a great signing for the Rangers.
When looking around the league, the Rangers have one of the most balanced center cores that you can find. They have an elite number-one center, two great middle-six options, and a fourth-line veteran that you don’t have to worry about. The Rangers haven’t had a center core like this in a long time and with this team looking to win now, these players are going to play a big role in helping make that happen.
