2015-16 Version Of New York Rangers Is The Best Yet

2. Incredible Depth

One of the major push-backs as it concerns this Rangers personnel comes when discussing star ability, or presence. Aside from the goalie, who is that stud superstar playing on Broadway?

At a certain point we thought Ryan McDonagh was going to be that guy. Injuries playing a major role or not, the captain simply hasn’t elevated his game to that Duncan Keith-like level.

Still though, he’s one hell of a defenseman, and we know this.

What we also know, however, is this squad is as deep, if not deeper than it’s ever been. One of the key signings in having the ability to claim that came when Gorton inked veteran Jarrett Stoll.

Stoll is a champion. He’s a guy who – while played an offensive role with Edmonton in his early days – understands the best way he can contribute these days. Playing on the fourth line with Dominic Moore creates one of the best defensive lockdown forward pairings in all of hockey.

Both guys can play center; both guys can kill penalties; both guys can take critical faceoffs; and both guys are championship players who get it done when it matters most.

From pairing one to three, line one to four, this Rangers team could be the deepest in the league.

They’re so deep that they actually improve as a squad when they sit the struggling, two-time All Star Dan Boyle in favor of youngster Dylan McIlrath.