The New York Rangers fell victim to the Presidents' Trophy curse in 2023/24 as they finished with a league-best 114 points before falling in the Eastern Conference Finals to the eventual champion Florida Panthers.
This year, with almost the entire roster from last season intact, they will look to go further and win their first Stanley Cup since 1993/94.
The Rangers have an experienced team, especially in their group of top six forwards. Four of the five top scorers on the team from last season are over 30, with the one exception being defenseman Adam Fox.
While the likes of Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck are all known quantities, head coach Peter Laviolette will want to see more from young forwards Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere.
Lafreniere was the first-overall pick in the 2020 draft and Kakko was picked second-overall the year before. Kakko's best season was 2022/23, when he scored 18 goals with 22 assists in all 82 games, while Lafreniere just had his best season in 2023/24 with 28 goals and 29 assists for the sixth-most points on the team.
Another question the Rangers must deal with is goaltender Igor Shesterkin's contract situation. The 2021/22 Vezina Trophy winner's contract expires after this season, and he's in line for a big deal with save percentages of .929, .931, and .926 in the past three seasons.
To Win NHL Stanley Cup +1300
To Win NHL Eastern Conference +700
To Win NHL Metropolitan Division +260
To Win Presidents' Trophy +1400
To Make the Playoffs -350
To Miss the Playoffs +260
Over 100.5 Regular Season Points -110
Under 100.5 Regular Season Points -110
Odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.