Coming into the 2017-18 season, the center position was seen as a weakness for the New York Rangers. The team had traded their number one center, Derek Stepan, and failed to replace him, leaving question marks all throughout the lineup.
The team was relying on both Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes to have big breakout seasons. Players like David Desharnais would fill in as the fourth line center while mixing and matching on the third line. With all of the questions coming into the season, it seemed impossible that the center ice position would be a strength at the end.