Back in the New York Groove

When the Rangers left MSG Training Center for the final time in May of 2021 to close out the 2020-21 season, they did so knowing full well that their mission for the 2021-22 season would be to become a playoff team. Focused on a collective goal to make the playoffs, and with a mindset of putting team before self, the Rangers won 52 games during the regular season and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final.
This past June, the Rangers headed home for the summer proud of the steps they took, both individually and collectively as an organization. But as the Rangers return to MSG Training Center for the start of Training Camp today, just over three months since Game 6 of last season's Eastern Conference Final, they are as hungry and determined to prove themselves this year as they were 12 months ago.
And they know the work starts right now.

"We know we're starting at 0-0-0 like everyone else," Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury said. "We've got to come in with the right mindset of mentally and physically being ready and (to) get better every single day."
The Rangers' roster for the 2022-23 season features much of the same core that led the team one year ago. Igor Shesterkin, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, will once again be the team's number one goaltender. The Blueshirts' blue line features some of the team's indispensable leaders, such as Jacob Trouba, who enters his first season as the team's captain, one of the top point-producing defensemen in the NHL in Adam Fox, and the "warrior" on defense, Ryan Lindgren. At forward, the Rangers are led by Artemi Panarin, who had a team-high 96 points and 74 assists one year ago, Mika Zibanejad, who is one of the NHL's best two-way centers, and Chris Kreider, who became the fourth Ranger in franchise history to score at least 50 goals in a season by tallying 52 in 2021-22.
In addition, the group of young players in the Rangers lineup showed vast improvement throughout last season, and the 20 playoff games the Rangers had during their run to the Eastern Conference Final also provided invaluable experience to several of those players, many of whom were experiencing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time. K'Andre Miller became one of the Rangers' stalwart defensemen during the playoff run; Fox was the only Ranger who played more minutes than him in the playoffs. Alexis Lafrenière, Filip Chytil, and Kaapo Kakko impacted the game in all three zones for the majority of the playoffs. And Braden Schneider, who made his NHL debut in January of 2022, earned a regular role in the lineup for the second half of the regular season and throughout the playoffs as a 20-year-old.
The mix of talent, experience, and energy that the Rangers had in 2021-22 helped them put together one of the most memorable seasons in franchise history. The "No Quit in New York" marketing tag line proved to exemplify the team's mentality, as the Rangers set a franchise record with 27 comeback wins in the regular season, and in the playoffs, they rallied from a three-games-to-one deficit against Pittsburgh in the First Round and a three-games-to-two deficit against Carolina in the Second Round.
"It was really inspiring what they did (last year)," Drury said. "I know it excited our whole fan base and everyone in the organization. I know we learned a lot and went through a lot of different experiences. I'm certainly proud of the season they had, and I'm looking forward to this season, and what guys come back with, and how excited they are to do it again."
As the Rangers look to build on the foundation they established last season, they will do so with the help of additions they made during the off-season. Vincent Trocheck, Ryan Carpenter, and Jaroslav Halak all signed with the Blueshirts as free agents this past summer. Trocheck and Carpenter, who both previously played for Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant in Florida and Vegas, respectively, will help bolster the team's depth at center, while Halak provides a veteran presence in goal to help Shesterkin throughout the season.
"We're excited about the additions we made," Drury said. "With Trocheck, Halak, and Carpenter, we're looking to have them slide in seamlessly, and I think they'll fit in well. It seems they already are (fitting in), which is great."
Trocheck, Halak, and Carpenter are among the Rangers players who have made their way to New York over the last few weeks for informal "Captain's Skates" at MSG Training Center. The number of players who returned before the official report date for Training Camp highlights the eagerness the team has to get back on the ice and get the season started.
During his end-of-season interview three months ago, Lindgren said that last year's playoffs were "the most fun I've ever had playing hockey." That sentiment was unquestionably felt by several of his teammates who also advanced to the third round of the playoffs for the first time in their careers.
And it will be the desire to get back to that point - and beyond - in 2022-23 that will motivate the team this season.
"I think we've got a lot of talent and a lot of guys who are hungry," Drury said. "When you have that combination, I think it sets you up to have some success."