Despite closing out the first month of the 2024-25 NHL season with a frighteningly subpar performance Tuesday, the New York Rangers had more scary good moments than bad during October.
The Rangers are 6-2-1 through their first nine games, and sit second in the Metropolitan Division with 13 points, one behind the New Jersey Devils (6-4-2) who’ve played three more games. New York’s overall points percentage (.722) is seventh in the League and its plus-16 goal differential is third best.
With Halloween upon us, let’s take a dive into some tricks and treats from the month of October for the Rangers.
Tricks, treats for Rangers in first month of NHL season
Treat – Igor Shesterkin’s brilliant play
Igor Shesterkin turned down an eight-year. $88 million contract offer that would’ve made him the highest-paid goalie in NHL history. Then he went out and proved again and again why he’s worth even more money to the Rangers.
The 28-year-old goalie has been New York’s best and most consistent performer night-in and night-out, even when abandoned by his teammates — like that 5-3 loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. His .923 save percentage is just a small indicator of how terrific he’s been so far this season.
Trick – D.C. dud
Yeah, that loss to the Capitals? Ghoulish doesn’t come close to explaining how frighteningly bad the Blueshirts were. Outshot 46-19, outchanced 34-14 at even strength, 30.8 percent xGF, outplayed, outhustled, out-everythinged except in goal. This was the worst game of the month.
Treat – Alexis Lafreniere contract extension
This is actually a double treat. Alexis Lafreniere’s team-friendly contract extension, worth $7.425 million annually, locks the young star up until 2032, when he’ll be 30. On top of that, Lafreniere has been excellent, ready to take his game to the next level, with eight points (four goals, four assists) in nine games.
Trick – Deja vu
That loss to the Capitals was downright ugly. But the one last week against the Florida Panthers is concerning, too, because it had deja vu written all over it. With a reworked bottom six and playing without captain Aleksander Barkov, the Panthers still hemmed the Rangers in, won most of the puck battles and took Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad out of the game — just like in the Eastern Conference Final last spring. And in similar fashion, the Panthers defeated the Rangers 3-1.
Treat – Surprising rookie Victor Mancini
Talk about surprising treats! Rookie Victor Mancini followed up a terrific preseason by earning a spot on the opening-night roster with Ryan Lindgren sidelined by a jaw injury. Not only did Mancini play in the opener, the 22-year-old has appeared in eight of the first nine games, including all but one since Lindgren’s return to the lineup. Mancini has four points (one goal, three assists) and proven to be a capable two-way NHL defenseman the past month. Not bad for a fifth-round pick from the 2022 NHL Draft.
Trick – Not so fast Zac Jones
After being an apprentice on the Rangers blue line the past few years and playing an NHL career-high 31 games last season, the path was cleared for Zac Jones to be a regular this season after Erik Gustafsson signed with the Detroit Red Wings. No so fast Zac. He played in the first four games, but only one of the past five, because of Mancini’s emergence. There’s still plenty of time for Jones to turn his season back into a treat, though.
Treat – Cuylle – Chytil – Kakko
This is an extra-special treat, because of Filip Chytil’s injury history and Kaapo Kakko’s struggles to get his career untracked. But the Rangers’ third line has been their best unit many times this season. They’ve outscored their opponents 10-0 at even strength, including 9-0 at 5v5. Both their puck possession numbers and defensive play are outstanding. Chytil has four goals, Will Cuylle three and Kakko has six assists and seven points. Their success helps give the Rangers one of the deepest forward groups in the NHL.
Trick – Mika Zibanejad 5v5
It doesn’t appear that Zibanejad has this 5v5 issue figured out. The star center has seven points in nine games, but five of those points are on the power play — which is obviously good for the special teams. But he’s been a ghost at even strength, even with each of his two goals scored at even strength. With Zibanejad on the ice (101:25 TOI), their shot for percentage is 40.34 percent and scoring chances for percentage is 40.0 percent, per Natural Stat Trick.
Treat – Lighting the lamp
We must end on a positive note because the Rangers did have a successful month of October, including one of the best starts in franchise history. They’ve also been exciting to watch offensively, averaging 4.11 goals per game, fifth-best in the League. They scored five goals or more four times, and under three only twice. Panarin has cooled off but still has 15 points (six goals, nine assists) , including points in eight of nine games. Chris Kreider has six goals. Chytil and Lafreniere have four apiece. And the defense is chipping in too (five goals).
