2016 Pool Projections: New York

The playoffs sure gave us a good look at what the New York Rangers can be, when they're rolling and the rolled pretty well, until they got struck by lightning.  With all that firepower on that team, it should make them into a sexy team to pick from as well this Fall, as I expect the Rangers will be going quickly and often.

And with the projections I have for them below, why not?

The Rangers managed to do a little bit of tinkering to their lineup this Summer, but with a lot of contracts already on the books, they didn't have to do a great deal to the core of the team.  A little bit had to happen, like dealing Carl Hagelin away to the Ducks, which opened up some cap flexibility, but in the grand scheme of things, it's a pretty solid foundation that they are working from.

I think it's fair to think that we're going to see a lot more of the Rangers in the 2016 season and it may be a wise decision to jump on board of their bandwagon, at least from a pool perspective.

Player	Pos	15/16 Proj	Rookie
Henrik Lundqvist	G	90
Rick Nash	F	65
Derick Brassard	F	60
Derek Stepan	F	60
Chris Kreider	F	55
Kevin Hayes	F	55
Keith Yandle	D	55
Mats Zuccarello	F	45
J.T. Miller	F	35
Ryan McDonagh	D	35
Dominic Moore	F	25
Jesper Fast	F	25
Kevin Klein	D	25
Marc Staal	D	25
Dan Boyle	D	20
Dan Girardi	D	20
Antti Raanta	G	15
Emerson Etem	F	15
Viktor Stalberg	F	15
Jarret Stoll	F	15
Brian Gibbons	F	10
Tanner Glass	F	5
Raphael Diaz	D	5
Chris Summers	D	5
Dylan McIlrath	D	5	Y

Table last updated on August 10th

Most Intriguing or Breakout Player

Not taken at all in the pool last year, Rangers now-sophomore forward Kevin Hayes has some real potential to be an excellent top six player on this Rangers team.

At 23, his sophomore season shouldn't see the kind of drop off that a 19 or 20-year old may see, due to a little bit more maturity.  I think this makes him very marketable at the hockey pool level.  I'm expecting a pretty good year from this kid and would be pretty pleased, if I found him in the middle rounds, still kicking on the available list.

First Round Picks

One of the more consistent players to be picked in the opening round of the draft lately has been Rangers keeper Henrik Lundqvist.  Last year, he was taken with the 20th overall pick and with onus on goalies being so high these days, I would imagine that he'll be swiped off the list much sooner than that this year.  All the elements are there for another great year for the 33-year old backstop,

Other Pool Worthy Forwards

Depending on how deep your draft goes (or mine, for that matter), you should be able to find a forward option from the Rangers through the rounds, but like a few of the other championship-like teams, this team doesn't have one scorer that is head and shoulders above the rest.  The numbers stay in a tight pack.  Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello and J.T. Miller are all my picks to be pool-ready in October and you can find some fringe players in there, like Dominic Moore or Jesper Fast, coming along, not too far behind.

Other Pool Worthy Defense

The defensive group for New York is quite impressive, but they may have been a little over-hyped recently, when you're looking at their scoring numbers.  A guy like Keith Yandle is still going to put up points in an 82-game season, but as pool-worthy as Ryan McDonagh, Marc Staal and Kevin Klein may have been, they didn't blow anyone away last year and they should just be considered solid again for this coming season.

Goaltending Situation

With the departure of Cam Talbot to Edmonton, the Rangers had to bring in a little bit of help and they tapped the current Cup champs for their new back-up, signing Antti Raanta to do the job for the coming year.  Lundqvist is a minute hog, so there might not be a lot of value in taking Raanta, especially since you can't bank on another long-term vascular injury to the team's number one goalie.  Tread carefully, when you're dealing with the back-ups here.

Possible Entries Into the Rookie Race

It looks like Rangers are going to go into this season with a very veteran heavy lineup, so I wouldn't expect to see too much for rookie points out of the Big Apple.

Team To Pick From Late?

Struggling late for picks?  Yeah, the Rangers may be a good team to select from this year.  If the draft goes deep, names are all looking about the same, there's a good chance that the depth of this team is going to contribute, at least in a sufficient manner.  I wouldn't be opposed to looking here for help later on.

Unsigned Players and Salary Cap

The Rangers are definitely a cap ceiling team, because they like to spend, spend and spend some more.  There is a good chance that they won't carry a 23-man lineup into opening night, rather 21 or 22 guys, just so they keep some sort of flexibility for a few days, at the very least.

As for unsigned players?  The Rangers have no pressing needs or potential holdouts that would be news worthy.  Carl Klingberg appears to be the only restricted free agent left on the books and if there is no available roster spot, I would think that going back to Europe is an option.