Rangers season preview: High expectations abound

The 2022-23 NHL season starts Oct. 7. With training camps open, NHL.com is taking a look at the three keys, inside scoop on roster questions, and projected lineup for each of the 32 teams. Today, the New York Rangers.

Coach:Gerard Gallant (second season)
Last season: 52-24-6, second place in Metropolitan Division; lost to Tampa Bay Lightning in Eastern Conference Final

3 KEYS

1. Handling high expectations
The Rangers are one of the favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final after losing to the Lightning in six games in the conference final last season.
That's in part because we know what to expect compared to the beginning of last season, when Gallant was just getting to know the players, goalie Igor Shesterkin was largely untested in big games, and it wasn't clear what the Rangers might be capable of accomplishing following four straight seasons without a postseason win.
Now, New York is expected to compete for a Stanley Cup, and how it deals with that kind of pressure could make or break its season.
2. Shesterkin's encore
Shesterkin won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goalie and also finished third in voting for the Hart Trophy as most valuable player after going 36-13-4 with a 2.07 goals-against average and .935 save percentage (both first in NHL; minimum 20 games) last season
New York gradually improved its play in front of him as the season progressed, though there were many nights when Shesterkin had to be perfect or close to it to ensure the win. The hope is that the Rangers have learned from those games and can be a strong team in front of their goalie from the outset, but they are at their best when Shesterkin is the best player on the ice.
3. The kids becoming adults
The Rangers lost their top two right wings from their playoff run last season in Frank Vatrano (Anaheim Ducks) and Andrew Copp (Detroit Red Wings), who left as free agents. That opens the door for
Alexis Lafreniere
, 20, and Kaapo Kakko, 21, to potentially be regulars in the top-six forward group. Filip Chytil, 22, is again expected to be one of New York's top three centers and to build off his playoff performance, when he scored seven goals in 20 games, one fewer than he scored in 67 regular-season games.
In Lafreniere's case, he would have to move from his natural position as a left wing to the right side, but Gallant said the position change is nothing that should impact him because he will get more opportunities to be an impact scorer playing either on the top line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, or on the second line with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck.

ROSTER RUNDOWN

Making the cut
Unless they're able to sign a veteran, New York will have Zac Jones, Libor Hajek and Matthew Robertson battling for the sixth and final spot in its defense group. The top two pairs are set with Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox, and K'Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba, and Braden Schneider is the likely No. 5 defenseman. Jones (22 games), Hajek (94) and Lundkvist (25) have NHL experience; Robertson has yet to play in an NHL game.
In addition, Jaroslav Halak and Louis Domingue will compete to be the backup goalie behind Shesterkin.
Most intriguing addition
The Rangers signed Trocheck to a seven-year contract on July 13 to replace Ryan Strome, who signed with the Ducks as a free agent. However, they're hoping Trocheck has more impact on the game because of his ability to kill penalties and win face-offs, two things Strome did not do regularly. Trocheck will enter camp as the No. 2 center, and he is expected to be a factor on the power play and penalty kill, just as he was with the Carolina Hurricanes. He had 51 points (21 goals, 30 assists) in 81 games last season.
Biggest potential surprise
Vitali Kravtsov, who will have the inside track at winning a job in the lineup on opening night. The 22-year-old forward, who was the No. 9 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, has had an up-and-down tenure with the Rangers. He was one of the last cuts from training camp last season, and instead of going to Hartford of the American Hockey League, the Rangers loaned Kravtsov to Traktor Chelyabinsk of the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia. However, Kravtsov has been in New York training during the offseason, and he has a chance to be the right wing on one of the Rangers' top three lines.
Ready to break through
Lafreniere had an inconsistent second season but still had 31 points (19 points, 12 assists) in 79 games. He became a more consistent player in the playoffs, when he had nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 20 games and played with the physicality that the Rangers want and need to see from him at the start of this season. Lafreniere is entering the final season of his three-year, entry-level contract, and the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft has a chance to become a regular in the top-six forward group.
Fantasy sleeper
Chytil, C/RW (fantasy average draft position: 162.2) --He had nine points (seven goals, two assists) in 20 playoff games playing mostly on the third line with Lafrenière and Kakko. Trocheck will likely replace Strome as the Rangers' No. 2 center, but Chytil could still see an elevated role and has breakout appeal considering he was seventh in the NHL in 5-on-5 goals per 60 minutes (1.51; minimum 10 games) last postseason. -- Pete Jensen

PROJECTED LINEUP

Chris Kreider -- Mika Zibanejad -- Alexis Lafreniere
Artemi Panarin -- Vincent Trocheck -- Kaapo Kakko
Sammy Blais -- Filip Chytil -- Vitali Kravtsov
Barclay Goodrow -- Ryan Carpenter -- Ryan Reaves
Ryan Lindgren -- Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller -- Jacob Trouba
Zac Jones -- Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Jaroslav Halak