When the New York Rangers signed Artemi Panarin, traded for Jacob Trouba and drafted Kaapo Kakko, there was an assumption that the rebuild was over. Some prognosticators had the team contending for a playoff spot, but most had them falling just short. While the team is better, make no mistake about it, this is a rebuilding year.
It’s worth projecting the numbers for the first half of the season into a full 82 game schedule to see how this team compares to prior years. It does discount any improvement in the back half of this season, but it’s a useful exercise.