4 Rangers to Watch During the Final Stretch

The New York Rangers clinched their second consecutive playoff berth on March 27. They have high expectations following last year’s postseason in which they reached the Eastern Conference Final. The expectations this year heightened further following their trade deadline additions of Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane.

The 2022-23 regular season is winding down and the Rangers are aiming to end the year on a high note. The club will continue to get accustomed to the top six featuring Tarasenko and Kane. Let’s take a look at four players to watch during the final stretch to the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Filip Chytil

Filip Chytil is having his most productive season in his sixth NHL campaign with 22 goals and 21 assists in 68 games played. He had a good postseason last year with seven goals in 20 playoff contests for the Rangers. He tends to produce points in bunches and has developed the reputation of being a streaky player. Five of his seven tallies in the 2022 Playoffs came in three consecutive games and he had a stretch of seven goals in five games this season from Jan. 23 to Feb. 8.

He was due to be a restricted free agent (RFA) in the offseason but the Rangers agreed to a four-year, $17.75 million contract extension with Chytil on March 29. The 23-year-old forward is happy to remain with New York, the club that drafted him 21st overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. “That’s what I was focusing [on] the most, staying with this team. Happy for four more years. I know what player I can be. I see how much progress I make every year. So for me, nothing changes. Keep doing the same things. Keep working hard and just make myself better” (from ‘Filip Chytil happy ‘hard work pays off’ with Rangers contract extension,’ New York Post, 3/31/23).

Chytil may not be featured in the Rangers’ top six frequently, but his production is significant because it takes the pressure off of their top players such as Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, and Chris Kreider. He is more experienced than his other young linemates in Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko but all three of them are critical to New York’s future. Chytil’s continued development will be worth watching in the remaining regular season games to see if he enters the 2023 Playoffs playing well.

Ryan Lindgren

Following leaving the Feb. 25 contest against the Washington Capitals due to a shoulder injury, Ryan Lindgren has played in one game…