New York Rangers depth chart: An early look at the 2023-24 lineup

April 28, 2024

After a surprisingly busy first two days of free agency over the weekend, when the Rangers added 10 players to the organization, it’s worth sorting out a depth chart even though we’re more than two months out from training camp.

That means that things could change, however remote the possibility. Restricted free agents K’Andre Miller and Alexis Lafrenière haven’t signed yet and may not for a bit, since there appears to be no threat of an offer sheet on either player. We’ve projected two-year bridge deals for both below.

Rangers GM Chris Drury could decide to trade someone off the current roster to create some cap space — though for whom is the question. Vladimir Tarasenko just changed agents after reportedly feeling unsatisfied with the offers he received and his first choice was to go back to the Rangers; there’s no cap space for him now but there could be if the Rangers moved someone (or two someones) out. But those moves take time and Tarasenko may not be that patient.

AHL defenseman Brandon Scanlin filed for arbitration on Wednesday, so the Rangers will have a second buyout window that opens three days after the last arbitration case is scheduled, approximately a month from now. CBA rules say a team can only buy out a contract with a minimum cap hit of $4 million, so Barclay Goodrow is not eligible for a buyout then.

Drury did what he could with the team’s limited cap space last weekend and none of the 10 players added will cause a cap calamity. The only issue now is that the Rangers appear likely to have to go with 22 players on the roster to start the season. That will also allow them to start banking cap space from day one in case they need it. Usually, they do.

Here’s where we’ve landed for the 22-man roster projected for opening night:

We’re playing it safe with this one to start. Lafrenière, who comes in at 2x$2.5 million in this exercise, may not start yet another season as the LW3 — maybe he gets a crack at the top line spot on the left, maybe he goes to the right side and moves up a line. Those moves will be sorted by opening night. For now, with a veteran coach in Peter Laviolette and the same GM who has seen all of Laf’s ups and downs, we’ll go conservative off the bat.

The same is true for Filip Chytil, who could very easily earn a 2C spot. If Laviolette had any influence in Drury’s veteran-minimum additions last weekend, you’d think the new Rangers coach would prefer a more traditional third line with a checking-style center. That says Vincent Trocheck more than Chytil, so we will see how that develops in September and early October.

If we were looking to shake things up a bit, here’s our alternate top 12:

Panarin-Zibanejad-Kakko

Lafrenière-Chytil-Wheeler

Kreider-Trocheck-Goodrow

Vesey-Bonino-Pitlick

The battle for the fourth line will be one to watch. Nick Bonino should have a clear track to being the 4C — he’s got familiarity with Laviolette from Nashville and he’s held that spot for a long time on a wide variety of teams. Jimmy Vesey might have higher aspirations than the fourth line on this veteran-heavy roster — even at 30 he’d be younger than all but four forwards in this group of 13 — but he showed last season he can fit anywhere, as Goodrow can. Tyler Pitlick, Alex Belzile and Riley Nash will all be in the mix for the right-side spot on the fourth line, with one of them likely grabbing the extra forward spot.

On defense, the only mysteries are what Miller will sign for and who gets the 6/7 spots. We’ve got Miller at 2x$3.9 million, which is maybe on the conservative end. A 22-man roster only leaves so much wiggle room so this deal seemingly can’t go above $4.4 million in AAV; if Drury can keep it to under $4 million per that’s a win for the GM.

Much like the thicket of over-30 depth forwards, the Rangers added more vets on defense than you might have figured heading into last weekend. Erik Gustafsson is an interesting one — he’s got some gaudy numbers over seven NHL seasons, including last season with Laviolette’s Capitals, and not too much of that was power-play padded. He can certainly move the puck and himself up the ice, which is something the Rangers did not get consistently from their second and third pairs last season.

They did already have Zac Jones to potentially fill that spot. Jones needs waivers now, so even if he doesn’t win a spot in the top six the bet is he sticks around over Ben Harpur or Connor Mackey, either of whom could be lost to a waiver claim. The extra bodies added could insulate against losing one or two when cuts are made.

Beyond the 22-man roster, here’s what we’ve got for the next group. These include players that count against the 50-man contract limit, so Gabe Perreault and Drew Fortescue aren’t on it. Neither is signed yet and Perreault may have a shot to turn pro after this coming season at Boston College, but he’s an unlikely candidate to rise up to the NHL level this season.

Brodzinski and Leschyshyn could also be waiver-claim candidates if/when they are sent down. Nash can play center and wing, so he probably has a leg up on either of the other two when it comes to the first call-up for those two positions. Cuylle is probably the first call-up on the left side if the Rangers need a bottom-six addition; Othmann’s future is largely dependent on what he does in training camp and what he does if he gets sent down, which is a near-certainty given he doesn’t need waivers. The Rangers will play it very safe with Othmann and Cuylle at the start of the season.

Mackey is probably behind Harpur here, not at the bottom of the LD chart. And Hollowell could be a sneaky addition as the Rangers have almost nothing on the right side below the NHL level. Ty Emberson isn’t on the list as he’s an unsigned RFA but he’ll be back and is the only other right-shot D in the organization.

Domingue may also end up being a Ranger this season. We’ll see if Quick can bounce back from his ugly 2022-23; if he’s unable to be a true backup for the first time in his storied career, the Rangers may need Domingue to jump in for a stretch.

(Photo: Brad Penner / USA TODAY Sports)

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