It’s time to start making audacious predictions because the new season is almost upon us. These are my three audacious forecasts for the 2024–25 New York Rangers.
Alexis Lafreniere is a player that averages over 40 goals and points per game.
Alexis Lafreniere’s breakthrough season was the one everyone had been waiting for. Alongside Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, the team’s two best attacking players, he contributed reliable top-six minutes. In 82 games during the regular season, he scored 28 goals and 57 points.
He then put on an incredible playoff showing, tallying 14 points and six goals in 16 games. He was the Rangers’ best forward in the Eastern Conference Final, and going into this season, he needs to build on that accomplishment and demonstrate that he is deserving of a long-term contract with the team.
For this reason, Lafreniere will ideally build on his breakout season and become an even more dominant player now that he is back playing with Panarin and Trocheck and getting regular power-play time on the Rangers’ top unit.
Lafreniere Alexis Rangers in New York
New York Rangers’ Alexis Lafreniere (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
He was only three goals short of 30 goals in the last campaign, and he could easily score over 40 goals and establish himself as a point-per-game player if he is given power-play time on an already extremely dangerous unit. If he succeeds in doing so, the team will have another outstanding scoring threat, and because Lafreniere is about to enter a contract year, he can demonstrate why he merits the entire compensation package and length of the deal.
Adam Fox wins his second Norris Trophy after scoring more than 90 points.
Adam Fox had the second-best offensive season of his career last season despite missing ten games due to injury. He scored a career-high 17 goals, one goal short of his previous high, and his 73 points tied Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks for sixth place among defensemen in the NHL. He could have easily scored over 20 goals and broken all career highs in the 82 games he played.
Related: Kakko Must Show This Season That He Is a Part of the Long-Term Goal for the Rangers
Because of his superior play on both wings, I believe Fox will earn more than 90 points this season, which will propel him to the top of the Norris Trophy vote. This season, Fox will demonstrate why he is the finest defenseman in the NHL by producing excellent offensive stats and remaining a top-tier defender in his own zone. Fox should already have many Norris Trophies.
Mika Zibanejad Shatters His Record for Even-Strength Goal Scoring
Mika Zibanejad had a terrible season in five-on-five. Although he scored 26 goals in all, just 12 of them came at even strength. The team’s “number one center” must demonstrate that 2023–24 was an anomaly because this is unacceptable. He cannot again go thirty-one games without scoring from even strength. Just one of his three playoff goals came in Game 1 of the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes, when he was playing at even strength. Zibanejad needs to give the Rangers more if they are to win the Stanley Cup this year.
In terms of even-strength goals, he reached a career high of 23 in 2019–2020. He’ll smash that mark this season and post his most number of goals at even strength. This is due to the fact that Zibanejad is the simplest player to remove out of a unit if Lafreniere receives top unit power-play time; if he does not, he will need to perform better in five-on-five situations. He has to demonstrate this season that he can score goals without using the power play.
We’ll soon find out if these entertaining offseason forecasts were correct or incorrect. The Rangers’ season will benefit even if just one of these things occurs.
Leave a Reply