Who have been the Best Rangers so Far?

However, Ranger fans want to know which of their several superstars have kept up the good work and which players have improved. Enjoy reading my ranking of which players have performed above and beyond their duties during the 2022-23 season, through 49 games. Without further ado, let"s dive in!

K"Andre Miller

There are not many varying opinions when it comes to which are the most important positions on an ice hockey team. As a general manager once said, ‘build your team from the center out" and that means a first line center is the most important position in hockey. I would deem a good shut down defensemen ahead of a first line center because shutting down the other team"s Sidney Crosby is key to winning when the opposition has a superstar in their ranks. Look at how first pair d-man, Jacob Trouba influenced last year"s eastern conference quarterfinal, but more and more it is looking like K"Andre Miller.

On January 12, the Rangers beat the Dallas Stars in overtime in what was an improbable comeback. Miller scored on a miraculous shot that sent the game to overtime where his team won. This is K"Andre"s third year in the NHL and for the third straight year, he has averaged the second-most ice time on the Rangers behind only Adam Fox. On top of this, Miller has proved he is not just a physical, defensive defenseman, but actually someone who can make a great offensive play when the opportunity arises. It will be interesting to see how well this promising young defenseman will play for the remainder of the regular season and in the playoffs with all the experience he has gained so far.

Mika Zibanejad

Let"s cut right to the chase here; Mika Zibanejad might do more to help the Rangers win on a nightly basis than Igor Shesterkin does. This may seem like a crazy claim but the reasoning is that Zibanejad is a first line center who checks so many boxes for his team. Zibanejad has 14 power play goals this season, which is the third-most in the league this season. Right now, he looks like one of the top ten centers in the NHL but five years ago, Ranger fans were not so sure about this guy who scored about 20 goals per year. But since then, Zibanejad has proved them wrong when he reached 41 goals during the 2019-20 season for the first time.

Fast forward to this season and Mika is on pace to score 40 goals again, as he currently has 24 goals and 28 assists, which are good, although not great numbers, but that"s just it. Zibanejad is the type of player who is intelligent enough to not take all his team"s scoring opportunities for himself, and to shoot when it counts, on the power play and in big games. In addition, his closeness with linemate, Chris Kreider has paid huge dividends for a Rangers team that made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. As long as #93 and #20 are penciled into the lineup, the Rangers have a chance to win.

Artemi Panarin

Artemi Panarin has led the Rangers in points each of the last three seasons, since signing a long-term deal in 2019. Simply put, ‘the Breadman" can be boiled down to one key asset; a really, superb playmaker. Ever since joining the team, Panarin has helped boost the Ranger Power Play as evidenced by the 17 power play assists he has put up this season, which rank in the top-15 among NHL skaters this season. However, Panarin is not number one on this list, because there are holes in his game that cannot be overlooked and one of those is instrumental to playing winning hockey.

Panarin is and will never be a guy who gets involved in the physical game, but he could skate harder in his defensive zone. Case in point, Panarin"s meager backcheck on the Senators; Brady Tkachuk cost his team the game in overtime. Unfortunately, the Breadman"s strengths and weaknesses are not going to change. He is a great offensive player, who is proven at the NHL level, but not a great two-way player. At the same time, his value to the Rangers is great enough that he still will be a big part of the team"s success because he can create offense at such a high level.

Igor Shesterkin

Igor Shesterkin is the starting goaltender for the Rangers and won the award given to the best goaltender for his performance, last season. During that season, Shesterkin posted great numbers all around. He went 36-13-4 with a .935 save percentage (SV%) and 2.07 goals-against average (GAA)– both of which led the league. But enough about Shesterkin"s Vezina season. This Russian netminder is the backbone of the New York Rangers because he is not worried as much about his stats as he is about making saves and winning games.

This year, the player known as ‘Igor" has posted a SV % of .918, which ranks seventh in the league. He also has won 21 of the 36 games he has played in, and neither of these numbers make his performance as dominant as it was during the previous season. However, there is no doubt that if the Rangers have a strong second half and win the Metropolitan division, Shesterkin will be the reason why. He is built to be the starter on a Stanley cup contender because he is so well-trained, so mentally tough and so good.

Filip Chytil

This player has taken his lumps since being drafted by the Rangers 21st-overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. However, that criticism was unfounded because he is now only 23-year-old. Now, in his fifth NHL season, the Rangers third line center has started to attract some attention for producing offense and playing a sound, two-way game. After all, Fil ‘the thrill" Chytil notched seven goals during the 2022 playoffs, which was good for third on a team that was two wins away from making it to the finals.

As of today, Chytil has ten goals in his last 14 games and has really stepped his game up. But not only has the young center been playing better offensively, he has been skating hard every game. Chytil also has great chemistry with his linemates– and his linemates have changed a lot this season. He started the year on the third line with Barclay Goodrow because the other ‘Kid line" members, Kakko and Lafreniere had been promoted. But as of the Rangers" last game, the kids are back together and have kept on being one of the team"s best forward lines.

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