2024-25 Fantasy Hockey Team Preview: New York Rangers

New York Rangers

55-23-4, 114 Pts. 1st Metro, 1st Overall

3.39 GF/GP (7th), 2.76 GA/GP (7th), 26.4 PP% (3rd), 84.5 PK% (3rd)

Top scorer: Artemi Panarin. 82 GP. 49-71-120, 44 PPP, 303 Shots, 20:07 TOI/GP

2024-25 BetMGM Stanley Cup Odds:

Opening: +1300
Current: +1400 (as of August 22, 2024)
Ticket: 8.2%. Handle: 8.6% (as of August 22, 2024)

2023-24 Fantasy Recap

The Rangers certainly delivered the goods. They finished first in the standings and, in any other season, Artemi Panarin‘s 120 points would’ve been enough to win the MVP. After two consecutive 90-point seasons, and amidst arguments against Panarin that he’s not among the fantasy elite because of his lack of shot volume, he exploded with 49 goals and 303 shots, which ranked ninth in the league.

Panarin was the tide that raised all ships; center Vincent Trocheck scored a career-high 77 points, 215 shots, 175 hits and 881 face-off wins, making him one of the most valuable centers in multi-category leagues, and Alexis Lafrenière finally lived up to the billing with a breakout 28-goal, 57-point season.

Chris Kreider and Adam Fox had their third straight 30-goal and 70-point seasons, respectively, and Igor Shesterkin finished fourth in Vezina voting. Even backup Jonathan Quick got into the action, going 6-0-1 to start the season and remained a quality streamer for the rest of the season. Nearly every single Ranger met or exceeded expectations save for Mika Zibanejad, who dropped from 91 points to 72, no thanks to a lower shooting percentage, fewer shots and a slightly smaller role.

Related: 2024-25 Fantasy Hockey: Top 10 Left Wingers

2024-25 Fantasy Outlook

It’s funny to think that we were prepared to label Lafrenière a bust not to long ago. He scored just 91 points in 216 games through his first three seasons, and the incremental growth points but significant rise in hits raised concerns that he might be a complementary middle-six winger. Now, we’re wondering what Lafrenière’s ceiling will be, and a 40-goal season somewhere down the line is not out of the question.

No matter what happens, Lafrenière’s stock is definitely going up. However, it’s still Panarin’s show on Broadway, and he’ll be a worthy first-round pick. Had Panarin’s 120 points been scored without the significant jump in shots, we might be more skeptical, but he’s turned into a bona fide offensive star who can score goals just as well as he can create them for his linemates.

There are three things in the 2024-25 season that will help the Rangers maintain their spot at the top of the league and provide additional options in fantasy:

First, the return of Filip Chytil is great to see. It’s safe to assume the Rangers’ ‘Kid Line’ with Chytil, Lafrenière and Kaapo Kakko is no more; their career trajectories have put them on different paths. Chytil returns to the lineup as their No. 3 pivot behind Trocheck and Zibanejad, and while that caps his minutes, he no doubt has the ability to pot 50-plus points. Chytil can be a great late-round pick in most standard leagues. As for Kakko, he’s quickly running out of time to prove his worth, especially when he was compared favorably to Lafrenière prior to 2023-24. Leave him on the waiver wire since his best days may be with another team down the road.

Second, the addition of Reilly Smith should help bolster the top six and also makes him a sleeper/bounce-back candidate. He lasted just one disappointing season with the Pens where he scored just 13 goals and 40 points in 76 games, shooting a career-low 8.6 percent. On a deeper team with more offensive talent, Smith’s in a good spot to bounce back to 20-plus goals, especially if he can establish chemistry with Zibanejad.

Third, K’Andre Miller might be ready to break out. Though his offensive upside isn’t necessarily high, he’s on a path to become one of the most well-rounded defensemen in the league. His value in fantasy comes from his peripherals where he has the ability to notch 150 hits and 150 blocks. Tack on 40 points and he could be very valuable in multi-category leagues.

2024-25 Projected Lineup

Even Strength

Artemi Panarin – Vincent Trocheck – Alexis Lafrenière
Chris Kreider – Mika Zibanejad – Reilly Smith
Will Cuylle – Filip Chytil – Kaapo Kakko
Jimmy Vesey – Jonny Brodzinski – Matt Rempe

Ryan Lindgren – Adam Fox
K’Andre Miller – Jacob Trouba
Zac Jones – Braden Schneider

Igor Shesterkin – Jonathan Quick

ex: Sam Carrick, Brennan Othmann, Chad Ruhwedel

Power Play

Panarin – Zibanejad – Kreider – Trocheck – Fox

Lafrenière – Chytil – Kakko – Smith – Miller

Sleeper: Reilly Smith, RW

Smith just didn’t feel right in a Pens uniform. His 13 goals tied a career low and managed just one measly power-play goal. The Pens’ special teams suffered as a whole and Smith wasn’t alone, but he was the odd-man out with a franchise that’s beholden to their aging stars. He shot just 8.6 percent, well below his career average of 12 percent, even though his possession metrics remained steady.

On a new team with a higher offensive ceiling, Smith is ready to become a depth option in fantasy again. A 20-goal, 50-point season is not out of the question for the versatile 33-year-old winger.

Breakout: K’Andre Miller, D

Miller won’t be scoring points like Fox any time soon, but his play has been trending up the past few seasons. He’s been marvelous since joining the Rangers, and I think he can take the next step with more minutes, and with Erik Gustafsson now with the Red Wings, Miller has a chance to quarterback the second power play unit. A banger league with a deep roster of defensemen should have Miller rostered at all times.

Bounce-back: Filip Chytil, C

No doubt it was a very tough time for Chytil, who was limited to just 10 games last season following an injury suffered on Nov. 2 against the Canes. Originally termed an upper-body injury, Chytil even went back home to his native Czechia for rest and suffered setbacks in what was suspected to be a head injury.

He returned to play six games in the playoffs, averaging just 12:55 and finished with zero points and eight shots with a minus-3 rating. A healthy return in 2024-25 is already a big win for Chytil, but note he’s also shown flashes of high-end scoring ability in the past. Over an 82-game season, Chytil has the potential to be a worthwhile depth scorer in deeper fantasy leagues.

Bust: Kaapo Kakko, RW

The path to the top-six seems to have been blocked by the addition of Smith, and Kakko’s future with the Rangers looks bleaker by the game. It’d be unfair to compare him to Lafrenière, but the connection between the two is hard to separate. He scored just 19 point last season after scoring 40 in the prior season, and unlike Lafrenière who at least offered a modest volume of hits, Kakko doesn’t offer much else in the peripheral categories. With such an uncertain upside, Kakko’s not worth the risk in fantasy.

Goalies

Shesterkin should still dominate even though he doesn’t quite get the workload of a Connor Hellebuyck or Juuse Saros. Earning 30-plus wins should be an easy task, and he’s been quite the model of consistency. Over the past three seasons, Shesterkin ranks first in wins (109), sixth in saves (4,557) and second in shutouts (13). He’s a top-five goalie any way you cut it.

Jonathan Quick should be a capable backup, though I don’t expect Quick to replicate what he did last season. He was simply outstanding, looking like the peak Kings version of himself. Even if Quick isn’t sharp, the Rangers’ goal support should be good enough to earn him 15 wins.

Jason’s Top 5 Point Projections

(based on 82 games)

Artemi Panarin, LW – 42-63-105
Mika Zibanejad, C – 28-46-74
Vincent Trocheck, C – 28-46-74
Adam Fox, D – 15-58-73
Chris Kreider, LW – 35-28-63

Yahoo Pre-season Rankings

6. Artemi Panarin, LW
21. Chris Kreider, LW
38. Vincent Trocheck, C
51. Adam Fox, D
75. Mika Zibanejad, C
102. Alexis Lafrenière, LW/RW
263. Reilly Smith, RW
267. Kaapo Kakko, RW
287. K’Andre Miller, D
303. Filip Chytil, C
346. Jacob Trouba, D
448. Will Cuylle, LW
798. Matt Rempe, C
886. Brennan Othmann, LW

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