At this point last offseason, the New York Rangers had just suffered a very disappointing first-round loss to the New Jersey Devils. They had made big moves at the trade deadline, signing superstars like Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane. They even took a 2-0 lead in that series, but then it all fell apart and changes had to be made. Kane and Tarasenko left as free agents, head coach Gerard Gallant was fired, and with little salary cap space left, the Rangers had to spend their money wisely.

They brought in experienced players like Blake Wheeler, Jonathan Quick, Erik Gustafsson and Nick Bonino and each of them signed for less than a million dollars. However, only two of those signings really paid off. Quick and Gustafsson were good for the team last season, but Bonino played very poorly and his contract was terminated, while Wheeler was a shadow of his former self, getting injured, missing the rest of the season and playing in one playoff game.

This offseason, the Rangers once again haven’t done much to sign new players. They will largely have the same roster that won them the Presidents’ Trophy and another Eastern Conference Finals appearance. Going into this season, it can be argued that the projected roster is better than last season’s, and in this article, we’ll go through some of the reasons why.

Reilly Smith will be better than Blake Wheeler

The Rangers’ biggest move this offseason came on Free Agency Frenzy Day, but it didn’t involve signing a free agent. It was a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins to get Reilly Smith. He spent one season with the Penguins, traded there from the Vegas Golden Knights after helping them win the Stanley Cup. He never really fit in with the Penguins and had a poor season, scoring just 13 goals and 40 points in 76 games. Before that, he was a very effective player for Vegas, scoring over 50 points in four of his six seasons with the team. He was also a very good playoff player, scoring 18 goals and 66 points in 88 games.

Before his injury last season, Wheeler spent most of his time on the right wing with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. While it didn’t really work out, the Rangers didn’t have many other options. Now, it looks like Smith will play first on that line and he’s an instant improvement over Wheeler. Wheeler could barely skate and didn’t look like the player he once was with the Winnipeg Jets. If the Rangers can get 55-60 points out of Smith, it will be considered a great trade by general manager Chris Drury.

A whole season full of experiences for Will Cuylle

The only rookie to make the team from training camp for the Rangers last season was Will Cuylle. He had a very impressive training camp and was coming off a very productive season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hartford Wolfpack. In the 2022–23 season, he scored 25 goals and 45 points in 69 games. He got his first full-time chance to play in the NHL and he was very impressive, even though he didn’t score many goals. He played in 81 games and scored 13 goals and 21 points. The most impressive aspects of his game were his speed and power. His 249 goals ranked seventh in the entire NHL, one behind Evander Kane.

See also: Rangers rely on Jonathan Quick as backup this season

After playing a full regular season and 16 playoff games, this season could potentially be Cuylle’s breakout season. He will continue to play his game, use his speed and power to his advantage and hopefully that will lead to him scoring more goals. It’s not impossible that he could score 20 goals in the NHL. Having a player like a healthy Filip Chytil on his line this season could be the push he needs to take the next step offensively.

Rangers know what they get with Jonathan Quick

When the Rangers signed Quick last offseason, it was a very puzzling move, as his performance had been declining over the past few seasons. When he was signed, he was coming off a season in which he posted a 16-15-6 record, .882 save percentage, and 3.41 goals-against average with both the Los Angeles Kings and Golden Knights.

There were many questions about his play, but he silenced the doubters with an incredible season for a backup goalie, posting a record of 18-6-2 with a .911 save percentage and a 2.62 goals-against average. His great play earned him a contract extension, and now, heading into this season, he will be counted on to have another great season so the Rangers can keep Igor Shesterkin fresh heading into the playoffs.

The Rangers have fewer question marks surrounding their roster entering this season than they did last season. With most of the same players returning, you know what to expect from them. If a team that had so many question marks last season could end up winning a Presidents’ Trophy, this season could be even better for the Rangers. If all goes according to plan, they could win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 31 years.