The 2024-2025 regular season begins today at 430pm, and while the Rangers aren’t in action tonight, they will be tomorrow in Pittsburgh. A couple of key injuries aside, and some pending roster moves, the Rangers are entering this season with lofty expectations, despite what some models say. That’s why they play the season, of course, and I have my own bold New York Rangers predictions as we prepare for puck drop.
1. Reilly Smith will unlock Mika Zibanejad at 5v5
Mika Zibanejad is always going to have solid powerplay numbers. Reilly Smith won’t impact this. But the issue with Zibanejad in recent years–mostly since the Pavel Buchnevich trade–is producing at 5v5. Smith isn’t the flashy, standout player that many wanted, but he does the little things right and has the right skill set to be a good fit with Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.
The ask for Smith isn’t to be a top producing winger. The ask is for him to be more of a Jesper Fast kind of player, one that drives possession, opens space for Zibanejad and Kreider, and does the little things with the puck to move the play up the ice. If he does this, his skill as a passer will get this line over the hump and be a solid second line option in a hybrid offensive/shutdown role.
There’s certainly risk with Smith, but the Rangers will have options if this doesn’t work out.
2. Sam Carrick won’t be a Ranger for long
Sam Carrick signed a three year contract with the Rangers in the offseason as the “prized signing (that’s a joke, folks).” He brings a certain type of jam to the lineup, but that’s about it. The emergence of Adam Edstrom has made Carrick a bit redundant, and Jonny Brodzinski is the preferred 4C if the wingers are going to be Edstrom and a rotation between Matt Rempe and Jimmy Vesey. He just brings a bit more stability defensively and is a better puck mover than Carrick.
The roster that starts the season is never the roster that finishes the season. The Rangers will certainly give Carrick a lot of playing time, to the point where his playing time will dominate social media discussion the way every 4C’s playing time has dominated the discussion since the dawn of social media. Brodzinski will get looks and look better, but the Rangers will eventually upgrade this position at the deadline.
Carrick is a stop gap this season. The three year contract is baffling.
3. Victor Mancini will be an NHL regular by the end of the season
What a story Victor Mancini has been. He’s clearly getting an extended look while Ryan Lindgren is on the mend, and he will prove to be a far better fit for this team. Mancini will go to Hartford after Lindgren returns, this we know, but either by injury or trade, Mancini will be back and finish the season with the Rangers.
If it’s injury, the smart money is on Lindgren or Jacob Trouba getting hurt again in the January/February time frame. Maybe this time the Rangers will learn and not rush either one back before they are ready. Mancini isn’t proven yet, and we will get a far better look at him in October, going up against actual NHL players. He will impress, fine tune his game in Hartford, and be a midseason call up.
Handedness probably doesn’t even matter too much here. It’s a nice to have, for sure, but putting a right handed shot on the left side won’t make or break the Rangers blue line.
Mancini is that guy. It’s just a matter of when.
