HF: Rangers #9 Farm System

Hockey Future released their organizational rankings this week, and the Rangers rank #9 this year, which is up from #12 last season. The Rangers biggest strengths this year is depth at the forward position, specifically with their top four prospects: Chris Kreider, Evgeny Grachev, Derek Stepan, and Mats Zuccarello-Aasen. In fact, HF raves about the forward depth for the Rangers, saying “The Rangers are absolutely loaded up front, particularly at center…The wingers are also very strong…”

The Rangers defensive prospects have always been the strongest point, but with so many graduating to the NHL ranks, the Ranger are left with one (Ryan McDonagh) in the top-five, and two (Dylan McIlrath) in the top-ten. That doesn’t seem to be any cause of concern though, as the Rangers are loaded at the NHL level with young players. As for goaltending, HF lists this as a weakness, but in reality, the Rangers just need bodies in Hartford and in the system. They won’t need a new goalie for a long, long time.

The Rangers youth movement is in full swing, and the reinforcements just keep on coming. Pretty soon, we are going to be making fun of Dan Girardi for being the oldest guy on the team, and he’s just 26 right now.