New York Rangers 2009 Season Preview, Picks & Odds

With the NHL Hockey season just around the corner, we are providing season previews for all 30 teams to give you the betting edge. Follow the best NHL Hockey Handicappers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview. Use our comprehensive and insider info to bet successfully on the NHL in our recommend sportsbooks. View the rest of our 2009 NHL Season Previews here.

New York Rangers 2008-’09 record:
43-30-9, 95 points (4th in Atlantic, 7th seed in East)

New York Rangers 2008-’09 playoffs:
Lost to Washington Capitals 4-3

The Rangers had a moderately successful season, finishing with a 43-30-9 record, which earned them 4 th place in the Atlantic Division and the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The major offseason acquisitions of centers Chris Drury and Scott Gomez flopped as neither really found the scoring touch that defined their previous stays in Buffalo and New Jersey, respectively. No team that qualified for the playoffs scored less goals than the Rangers and it caught up with them as they were eliminated in the first round by Washington.

New York Rangers 2009 Preview

New York Rangers General manager: Glen Sather (1,062-891-289, 28th NHL year, 2nd team)

New York Rangers Coach: John Tortorella (251-232-77, 10th NHL year, 2nd team)

New York Rangers Captain: Chris Drury

New York Rangers Top Returning Scorer: C Chris Drury 22 goals, 34 assists, 56 points)

New York Rangers Top Returning Goalie: Henrik Lundqvist (38-25-7, 2.43, .916)

New York Rangers Key Additions: LW Chris Higgins; RW Marian Gaborik; LW Donald Brashear; C Brian Boyle; C Tyler Arnason; RW Ales Kotalik; RW Enver Lisin; LW Vaclav Prospal.

New York Rangers Key Subtractions: RW Colton Orr; LW Mark Bell; C Blair Betts; C Scott Gomez; RW Fredrik Sjostrom; LW Markus Naslund; C Nik Antropov; LW Laurie Korpikoski; D Paul Mara; D Derek Morris; RW Nikolai Zherdev.

New York Rangers Top Line:LW Ales Kotalik; C Chris Drury; LW Ryan Callahan.

New York Rangers Top Defensive Pairing: Marc Staal, Michal Rozsival

The Rangers will have a strong group of forwards up front, with Drury, Gaborik, Prospal and Kotalik joining with rising star center Brandon Dubinsky and notorious ‘bad guy’ Sean Avery to produce a mixture of grit and scoring. Don’t forget about winger Ryan Callahan, who scored 22 goals last year, and could be a breakout player this year. The Rangers should improve their scoring this season. Don’t underestimate’s Avery’s impact either: He will cause more than a few opponents to find their way to the penalty box this season and give New York chances on the power play.

On defense, the Blueshirts haven’t really upgraded their corps, which is anchored by the able pairing of Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival. Redden is due for a good season after a few disappointing years and Rozsival is a solid two way player. Youngster Marc Staal is ready to step into a featured role and Dan Girardi is the consummate defensive defenseman. However, this group is good but not really great and will have to deal with some serious scorers in their division, leaving me with some worries about their ability to get out of their own end heading into the season.

Luckily, the Rangers have Henrik Lundqvist as their starting goalie and he’s simply one of the best goalies in hockey. King Henrik will bail out any mistakes and should eat up the vast majority of the Rangers’ games. Expect another great year from one of the best players in the world.

2009 New York Rangers Goaltending:

Lundqvist posted a career-high 38 wins to become the first netminder in NHL history to win 30 games in each of his first four seasons. Superb agility and amazing reflexes make him tough to beat, especially on shots to the bottom half of the net. Incredible patient and poise. Won’t make first move, and combined with his excellent net coverage, this frustrates shooters.

2009 New York Rangers Player To Watch:

D Michael Del Zotto. Has huge upside. Tremendously skilled with the puck, averaged a point per season in junior. Hard shot and excellent passer.

2009 New York Rangers Offense:

Gaborik reached the 30-goal mark five times in eight seasons in Minnesota, including a carrer-high 42 in the 2007-08 season. He was limited to 13 goals and 17 games last season due to injuries.

New York Rangers 2009 Season Predictions

The soft Rangers of recent years are long gone now that hard taskmaster Tortorella is in charge. Lundqvist gives them a chance to win every night and if Gaborik can stay healthy, the offense should improve.

We predict that the New York Rangers will finish 4th in the NHL Atlantic, 6th seed in East: 94 points.

New York Rangers Betting

New York Rangers Stanley Cup Odds: +3000
New York Rangers Eastern Conference Odds: +1500
New York Rangers Atlantic Odds: +650

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