Jimmy Hascup

USA TODAY Sports

The New York Rangers took the league by surprise last season when they reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 20 years. Now, what will they do for an encore?

With Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan McDonagh, Martin St. Louis and Rick Nash on the roster, the Rangers will remain contenders. But their path to at least repeating as Eastern Conference champions will be more difficult after losing several important components in a salary cap crunch.

The Rangers had $17 million in cap space entering the summer, with seven unrestricted free agents and four restricted free agents to sign. Though general manager Glen Sather was busy patching holes, the result is a less-formidable team. It's the reality after five regulars left.

"The thing that's most exciting is we're still a relatively young team," Rangers assistant general manager Jeff Gorton said. "We have Derek Stepan, (Chris) Kreider, Ryan McDonagh still emerging (and) still haven't reached their ceiling.

"Derick Brassard and (Carl) Hagelin and other guys. There's room for improvement in all those guys, and I don't think we've seen the best of them even yet, so that's encouraging from the standpoint of going to the Stanley Cup Final and seeing that maybe they can get even better."

New York's depth and battle-tested roster was raided this offseason. Brad Richards was bought out, Derek Dorsett was traded to save cap space and Anton Stralman, Brian Boyle and Benoit Pouliot signed elsewhere. The Rangers thrived on coach Alain Vigneault's ability to use four lines, and that will be tested.

Sather filled holes, doing business mostly in the discount aisle. There are intriguing pieces among his most notable additions: veteran defender Dan Boyle, forwards Lee Stempniak, Tanner Glass, Ryan Malone and Matthew Lombardi and 22-year-old rookie Kevin Hayes.

"We didn't want to look slower," Gorton said. "When you looked at our team, a couple of our strengths were team speed and our depth. We looked at how we were going to bring guys in and not change that."

Still, the Rangers don't appear to have the horses at center, a position that the Los Angeles Kings exploited in the Stanley Cup Final, and they are without Richards and Brian Boyle. Though Richards' game has slowed, he ranked second on the team with 20 goals and third with 51 points.

The jury is out on whether Stepan (17 goals, 57 points) is a true first-line center. Brassard (18 goals, 45 points) will be elevated to the second line.

"He's proven in the last two playoffs to us that he likes the big stage," Gorton said of Brassard. "Derick is the kind of guy, if you're a good player in this league you want to play with, because he can move the puck, he's got skill, he's got poise, and he can score, too."

The bottom-six forward group, a strength last season, is a major question. Hagelin and Dominic Moore are the only players returning. Versatile winger Stempniak can fill Pouliot's role as a third-liner, but it would be a good sign for the Rangers if a youngster could take that spot.

There is no clear third-line center. J.T. Miller hasn't shown the consistency needed to be an NHL player. Lombardi is returning from a season in Switzerland. Oscar Lindberg, a two-way player, has no NHL experience. The team thinks Hayes can win a job out of camp after dominating in his senior season at Boston College with 27 goals and 65 points.

"When we looked at Hayes, one of the things we looked at is he has the ability to be a top-six forward — whether that's at center or wing in the long term," Gorton said. "In the short term, I think he can come in and play in our top nine — 6-5 with the ability to play center with hockey sense and skill; it should be a good fit with us."

Dan Boyle will replace Stralman in the defense's top four and takes Richards' role quarterbacking the power play. Boyle has better offensive instincts and more finish to his game than Stralman but the Rangers will take a hit in their own zone. Stralman became a bona fide shutdown defenseman last season.

"(Boyle's) a proven a winner, like Brad was," Gorton said. "Instant credibility when he walks into a room, like Brad. ... I think Dan is a nice fit for us because he's kind of a blend — he can play against the best players and can also score and be productive."

Despite the question marks entering the season, the Rangers possess a well-rounded roster, with a nucleus that Gorton says provides stability amid change.

New York has excellent goaltending, a dangerous group of wingers and a deep defense, plus an up-tempo, puck-possession game plan and personnel tailored to that style.

It's just hard to predict a repeat (or more) with so many new faces.

"There's always a few changes on your roster, some turnover," Gorton said. "In the end, we did a pretty good job bringing in a few guys that fit with what we're trying to do."

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