Where Rangers forward group ranks ahead of 2024-25 NHL season

The last few seasons have seen some of the most talented forward groupings in New York Rangers history.

It certainly doesn’t hurt to have Artemi Panarin for the past five seasons, arguably the most talented forward in Blueshirts history with a franchise-record 1.32 points per game that tops even Jaromir Jagr.

Beyond him, there are longtime staples Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad as well as Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere, the latter two coming off of career seasons playing next to Panarin, who posted 120 points and finished fifth in Hart Trophy voting.

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Even with questions surrounding Zibanejad’s declining play and a new right wing in Reilly Smith, it’s still a very talented unit that should continue to produce at a quality rate. But is that enough to make them the best group in a deep Metropolitan Division with no shortage of skill?

Let’s find out.

Where Rangers forwards rank in Metropolitan Division

Here are all the forward groups in the Metropolitan Division ranked from worst to best.

8: Columbus Blue Jackets – Notables: Gaudreau, Monahan, Fantilli, Marchenko

The first two seasons of the Johnny Gaudreau experience with the Columbus Blue Jackets have been nothing short of a complete failure.

It may have been fool’s gold to expect Gaudreau, who signed a 7-year, $9.75 million AAV contract in 2022, to top his 40-goal, 115-point season from 2021-22. But who could’ve expected such a sudden dropoff in production? After scoring 60 points and a career-low 12 goals in 81 games, it’s hard to expect that he’ll bounce back to his elite ways.

Even if Gaudreau was playing like a superstar, this unit still needs some work. Kirill Marchenko (42 points) and Boone Jenner (35 points) are coming off solid seasons compared to the rest of the group, but that doesn’t move the needle a ton.

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Adam Fantilli, the third overall pick in 2023, was limited to 12 goals and 27 points in 49 games, a mixture of injuries and adjusting to the NHL level in his rookie campaign. A leap from him in his age-20 season would make a big difference. Plus, the addition of Sean Monahan in free agency, coming off a 59-point year, is a game-changer.

That’s enough to think this group should take a jump from last year, but it’s still not very deep, and the main core needs some work.

7: Pittsburgh Penguins – Notables: Crosby, Malkin, Rust

It’s a very strange feeling to say that the Pittsburgh Penguins, even with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, have the second-worst forward group in the division.

It wasn’t that long ago that the Penguins would’ve topped a list like this consistently. But Pittsburgh has entered a new phase, perhaps most clearly indicated by the decision to ship Jake Guentzel at the trade deadline to a division rival.

Even at 37 years old, Crosby is still one of the best forwards in the sport, coming off a 42-goal, 94-point season that saw him finish Top 10 in both Hart and Selke voting for the fourth time in his career. Unfortunately, there’s not a ton of help around him.

Malkin will be 38 next season, and the future Hall of Famer may have lost a step, putting up 67 points while playing all 82 games. Perhaps he’s due for a bounceback year — after all, he did score 83 points the year before — but it’s hazy to project right now.

Bryan Rust and Michael Bunting are returning 50-plus point scorers, but there’s just not a ton of scoring or skill beyond Crosby and Malkin. General manager Kyle Dubas also traded his fifth-highest-scoring forward (Smith) to the Rangers this offseason. They likely won’t embrace a full-on rebuild until Crosby retires, but Pittsburgh is clearly headed in that direction.

Crosby should still be excellent while Kevin Hayes and Anthony Beauvillier are solid bottom-six additions, but when you line this unit up to the others in the Metro, it just doesn’t have enough.

6: Washington Capitals – Notables: Ovechkin, Strome, Wilson, Dubois

While no one should be shocked if he rattles off 42 goals this year and surpasses Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record, it does seem that age is catching up to Alexander Ovechkin. He was held without a point and limited to just five shots in the postseason, essentially invisible in a four-game first-round sweep versus the Rangers.

Alexander Ovechkin rebounded from an uncharacteristic slow start and finished the season with 31 goals. He’s managed to score 30-plus goals in 18 of his 19 NHL seasons, with the lone exception being the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.

Washington made the playoffs last season, but they didn’t get much help from an offense that produced the fifth-fewest goals in the NHL. Dylan Strome is a very nice top-line center, leading the team with 67 points last year, but with Tom Wilson coming off a down year, there’s not a ton of confidence in this group.

They certainly don’t have a player who matches up with Crosby now that Ovechkin’s decline has begun. However, the addition of Pierre-Luc Dubois, an intriguing X-factor if he can finally put it all together again, as well as middle-six players like Andrew Mangiapane and Sonny Milano give them more upside going into the upcoming season.

5: Philadelphia Flyers – Notables: Konecny, Michkov, Tippett, Couturier

The Philadelphia Flyers may have lost steam down the stretch and missed the playoffs after holding down the third spot in the Metro for most of the season, but it’s still hard not to feel good about where they’re at going into their third year under former Rangers coach John Tortorella.

Travis Konecny signed an 8-year extension to remain in Philly after posting both team and career highs with 33 goals and 68 points. Owen Tippett scored 28 goals and 53 points in his age-24 season. Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, and Scott Laughton all return. Really the only notable loss is Cam Atkinson, who signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning this offseason.

There’s a clear core forming here with a defined identity. The one thing they’re lacking is a superstar goal scorer. But that could change quickly.

Promising Russian prospect and former No. 7 overall pick Matvei Michkov has arrived in the United States and is expected to make his NHL debut as a 19-year-old. While it’s no guarantee that he’ll make an impact, he has the potential to immediately spark their forward unit.

The Flyers finished 2023-24 with the sixth-fewest goals in the NHL. It’s still a long path to becoming a high-producing offense, but the arrival of Michkov and the continuity of a largely similar core should bode with Philadelphia’s trajectory on the rise.

4: New York Islanders – Notables: Horvat, Borzal, Nelson, Palmieri, Duclair

The New York Islanders are a frustrating example of a team whose production hasn’t quite matched their talent the last few years. Since 2018-19, they haven’t finished higher than 19th in the NHL in scoring. In four of those six seasons, they finished in the bottom 10.

This roster has undeniable skill, especially following the addition of Anthony Duclair, who closed out his 2023-24 season strong after being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Duclair next to Bo Horvat and Matt Barzal makes a very good top line, and with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri coming off very solid seasons, it’s a very representable top six.

Led by 34 goals from Nelson and 33 from Horvat, both of whom recorded 30-plus goals for a third consecutive season, and 30 goals from Palmieri, the Islanders have reliable scorers. With Barzal coming off a career-high in goals (23) and his most points (80) since his Calder-winning rookie season and the addition of Duclair, there’s reason to think this group can have a solid season.

Keep in mind, Horvat scored 52 points in his final 60 games after a brutal start to his season. If he is a consistent force, you’re looking at two potential 80-point scorers along with Barzal.

Maxim Tsyplakov seems to be NHL-bound after scoring 31 goals in 66 KHL games last season. He’s even more of a question mark than Michkov, but it’s another supporting piece that could strengthen the bottom six and potentially work into a larger role.

The Islanders don’t have the depth or high-end talent to match up with the top three teams in the conference, but they’re a good step ahead of everyone else, barring a big leap from the Flyers.

3: Carolina Hurricanes – Notables: Aho, Jarvis, Necas, Svechnikov

The Carolina Hurricanes came up short in the Jake Guentzel sweepstakes, unable to lure him back to Raleigh as he signed for eight seasons in Tampa. That wasn’t the only casualty in this forward group this offseason, losing Tuevo Teravainen and Stefan Noesen in free agency while Evgeny Kuznetsov announced his return to the KHL.

But even with the departures, this is still an excellent group with impressive high-end talent.

Martin Necas ended months of rumors that he was seeking a change of scenery by signing a 2-year, $6.5 million AAV extension to stay with the Hurricanes, keeping the 25-year-old in Carolina after two strong seasons.

It’s a big player to lock up as Carolina couldn’t have suffered another loss to the top six. Even with the losses of Guentzel and Teravainen, the Canes still return four of their top five scorers: Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Necas, and Andrei Svechnikov.

Aho led the team with 36 goals and 89 points while the 22-year-old Jarvis is coming off a 33-goal season. Still, it’s the weakest the top six has looked in a while, with a combination of the frustrating Jesperi Kotkaniemi, free agent signings Jack Roslovic and William Carrier, and maybe even 2023 first-rounder Bradly Nadeau vying for those last two spots.

If Jesper Fast’s neck injury lingers into the start of the season, you might have to worry about the bottom six as well, even in coach Rod Brind’Amour’s effective system. It’s certainly the weakest we’ve seen in some time.

Only the Rangers and New Jersey Devils can go toe to toe with the skill of Carolina’s top six, but the culmination of their losses puts them firmly behind those two in the Metro.

2: New Jersey Devils – Notables: Hughes, Bratt, Hischier, Meier, Mercer

It’s a close one between the Rangers and Devils for the prestigious top spot, but the Blueshirts just barely edge New Jersey.

Reuniting with Tomas Tatar and Stefan Noesen in free agency, this group is more balanced and should be better and tougher defensively. It’s the right type of addition for a team that has no shortage of skill and finesse, led by Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt.

A potential third line of Tatar, Noesen, and Erik Haula likely tops the Rangers’ third line of Will Cuylle, Filip Chytil, and Kaapo Kakko. The top six, however, falls a little short next to New York.

Make no mistake, it’s a very talented group. Bratt’s coming off a career-high 83-point season and is one of the best wingers in the conference. A combination of injuries and underperformance kept Hughes from matching his 99-point 2022-23 season, but it’s still a toss-up between him, Aho, and Crosby for best center in the conference. And when you throw in Hischier as well, that’s probably the best one-two down the middle in the entire Metro.

A slump season from Timo Meier and quieter years from Dawson Mercer and Ondrej Palat leave this group shrouded in a bit more doubt than the Blueshirts. A rebound year from Hughes and a return to form from Meier and Mercer would help narrow the gap, but even without it, this group has plenty of talent and should help return the Devils to the elite level they reached in 2022-23.

1: New York Rangers – Notables: Panarin, Zibanejad, Kreider, Trocheck, Lafreniere

Led by the best forward in the Metro, the Rangers boast the top forward group going into the 2024-25 season.

With his 49 goals and 120 points, Panarin led the division in goals and was the first Metro player to record 100-plus points since Crosby in 2018-19. Boosting his linemates Trocheck and Lafreniere to career seasons, they should be due for another very successful season.

Even with questions surrounding Zibanejad’s production as a top-line center, Kreider still posted 39 goals while playing on his line all season long, giving the Rangers two of the top three goal scorers last year in the Metro.

They’re also the only team in the division to have four different forwards surpass the 70-point mark. After a promising season and strong postseason, Lafreniere could be in line for a leap as well.

Smith isn’t an inspiring addition to the top six, but there’s enough talent there that it’s not necessarily crushing. A healthy season from Filip Chytil and a bounce back from Kaapo Kakko would boost production in the bottom six, and while the third and fourth lines don’t pop off the page, they’ve got solid depth with role players like Will Cuylle and Jimmy Vesey. Let’s also not forget the intriguing idea of 6-foot-8 Matt Rempe getting a full season on the fourth line.

Panarin may not top his fifth-place Hart Trophy season from last year, but he’s been an elite producer in every season as a Ranger, and there’s more than enough skill around him for this group to make it one of the top offenses in the League once again.

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