The New York Rangers are heading into a very important season for the near future of the franchise, as the team did not look good in the playoffs at the end of their postseason and after firing their coach and dealing with the Brad Richards situation, things could be at a tipping point if they take a step back.
Richards will remain with the team after rumors of his departure in the offseason after former coach John Tortorella benched him in the playoffs and now the team is hoping that captain Ryan Callahan will be healthy when the season begins. According to ESPN.com, Callahan said that he feels he should be ready for the opening game of the season, but he is not 100 percent sure yet after dealing with shoulder surgery in the offseason. If Callahan misses time heading into the start of the season that could be a big issue for the Rangers as they try to start off with a good opening stretch.
The start of the season is still a couple weeks away and the tough part for the Rangers is that they once again will open with a long road trip for nine games and the season will start with the Coyotes in the desert. Callahan had shoulder surgery after being eliminated from the playoffs and he is one of the most important players for the Rangers, scoring 16 goals and 31 points last season and they are expecting more this year after the lockout.
The Rangers struggled to make the playoffs and then went down early before advancing and then losing to the Boston Bruins and the Rangers now will also have to concentrate on signing goalie Henrik Lundqvist long term. Last season the Rangers won 26 games during the lockout shortened season and had trouble scoring all year, averaging under three goals per game, while Lundqvist helped the team rank fourth in goals against. The team has high expectations this season and hopes Callahan is healthy for it.
