<p>The New York Rangers fell short of their ultimate goal this season, which cannot be argued — but something that can be said is they laid the groundwork and created a foundation for what’s to come in the 2024-25 season.&nbsp;</p>



<p>After a disappointing&nbsp;first-round exit in the playoffs, many questions needed to be addressed. The 2023-24 Rangers had a lot to prove to not only the league but also to themselves.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“I think our guys are confident in themselves. They know exactly what we did this year. They know how we work — they know how we went about our business and I think that they’re disappointed and angry,” said coach Peter Laviolette said on the team’s break-up day Tuesday. While this year may have felt magical, it was still a learning experience for everyone under a new coaching staff.&nbsp;</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="139"></div>



<p>Players took on new roles, some emerged while others couldn’t quite get it going when it mattered most, but it would be naive to not recognize that we’re talking about a team that has made the Eastern Conference Final in two of the last three seasons. They’re knocking on the door, but there’s now a new standard.</p>



<p>One of those players that stepped up in this postseason was two-time Stanley Cup Champion, right winger <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/news/barclay-goodrow/2395">Barclay Goodrow</a>. “From the belief and the confidence that we have in the group, I think the standard is always to win the Stanley Cup,” Goodrow said. “We came into the year with that goal and expectation, I’m not going to say it’s a complete failure if you don’t get there, but you’re not satisfied unless you do.”</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="132"></div>



<p>It’s okay to feel angry, it’s okay to be disappointed. but once the pain goes away you can look back on this team and feel good about what they accomplished this season.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“For fans watching — after five years here I have never felt like what everyone expected from us this year. I feel like the whole hockey world wanted us to win,” said left winger <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/news/artemi-panarin/2519">Artemi Panarin</a>. “Every series against Washington, Carolina, Florida — the guys who work in the building, they were Rangers fans and they told me every time ‘Let’s go!’ and I was so proud of that because I’ve played in other organizations. Of course, I couldn’t make them happy this year — but thank you.”</p>



<p>“I think this is the start of becoming our identity. This year started to mold our identity. The more we continue at what we’re doing now — the more it will continue to get better,” said center <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/news/vincent-trocheck/2006">Vincent Trocheck</a>. This can be looked at in two different ways, in one way it’s the end, in other ways, it is just the beginning.”</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="182"></div>



<p>Trocheck was the middle man on one of the best lines that has ever worn the New York Rangers sweater. He, Panarin, and <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/news/alexis-lafreniere/28771">Alexis Lafreniere</a> had a fantastic season. </p>



<p>“I wish I scored 15 goals”, Panarin said about his postseason, ye he is not going into this summer with the same level of disappointment that he had last year. “I can see things that we can work on as a line. I’m sure everyone wants to play better on our line, but everyone can build a good foundation for it in the summer. We can come in and try to play better than this year.”</p>



<p>“Laf [Lafreniere] made huge strides this year, I think he’s a superstar in the making,” Trocheck said about his right-winger. “Playing with Bread [Panarin] and Laf the whole year — I had a blast. It was a lot of fun. Two special players. The most fun part about it was the chemistry we built over the year — we got to talk about our game daily and continue to make ourselves better every day.”</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="3" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="180"></div>



<p>Trocheck was a guy who was slotted in as the third-line center to start the season, but an injury to <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/news/filip-chytil/2811">Filip Chytil</a> 10 games in changed the entire course of his season and left him nothing but excited for what next year might bring. “Everything about it. The fact that we got this far, the empty feeling that I have right now — the season that we had, the chemistry that I built with those two. It all has a burning feeling in my stomach. You want to get back, you’re excited for next year already.” Trocheck said.</p>



<p>It’s become evident that the Rangers feel this is one of the strongest locker rooms that they have had in years. From the coaching staff to the leadership down to the guys who are in and out of the lineup, this team built that belief in one another, and with that comes accountability.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="4" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="151"></div>



<p>One player who didn’t have the year he had hoped for was right winger <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/news/kaapo-kakko/30605">Kaapo Kakko</a>, but both he and Laviolette felt responsible for his lack of production. Laviolette had spoken to Kakko over the summer of 2023 and informed him that he would have a chance on the Rangers top line with <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/news/mika-zibanejad/1751">Mika Zibanejad</a> and <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/news/chris-kreider/1926">Chris Kreider</a>. </p>



<p>“I felt pretty good about that”, Kakko said.&nbsp;“All those games we played together — it never worked out that well. If you’re playing those minutes, you have to score some goals also. We never scored that much, so I can’t say I didn’t get the chance with those guys.”</p>



<p>“I didn’t find it with him, I think he’s a good player that we were all hoping would take another step. My responsibility as a coach is to unleash these players as well,” Laviolette said. “You hope that happens with all of them, but [for][ some it doesn’t and I’ve got to figure out a better way to get him involved.”</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="5" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="169"></div>



<p>“The belief was there, it’s not a ‘hope.’ We weren’t going into the playoffs hoping to compete or be good. There’s a belief that we could win,” said Rangers captain<a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/news/jacob-trouba/2099"> Jacob Trouba</a>. “When you have that belief, dedication, and effort — all the time you put in, it makes it hurt more. It sucks, but at the end of the day it’s probably a good thing that we have that belief — and it should hurt.”</p>



<p>The message is clear going into next season. The job is not finished.</p>



<p>“They wanted more. They wanted to go further, that was the mindset”, Laviolette said. There’s nothing we can do about it now. I just get the sense that we’re going to come back — have a good training camp, it’s going to be sharp and we’re gonna get back to business.”</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="6" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="140"></div>



<p>It will be a long summer of what ifs, and more importantly, How. As in, how can the Rangers get over the hump? How can they become a stronger 5-on-5 team, more balanced and less dependent on power play success and <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/news/igor-shesterkin/25267">Igor Shesterkin’s</a> play in net? Those are questions for GM Chris Drury to explore this offseason. And come October, just like Laviolette said, it’s back to business.</p>



<p>_____</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.dailyfaceoff.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F04%2F727x404_bFIX.png&amp;w=2048&amp;q=75" alt=""></figure>



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<p>Hey, hockey heads! Get ready for&nbsp;<a href="https://games.dailyfaceoff.com/games/playoff-parlay-challenge" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Daily Faceoff Playoff Parlay Challenge</a>! Each game day, answer four playoff prediction questions like who will win the first game, will points be over or under or what will be the highest-scoring period? Daily winners snag gift cards, while each round’s champs pocket cash! Play now at&nbsp;<a href="http://games.dailyfaceoff.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">games.dailyfaceoff.com</a>&nbsp;and prove your puck prowess! It’s fast, it’s fun, and it’s all about hockey! Let’s go!</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="7" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="138"></div>



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Vincent Trocheck, Jacob Trouba and Alexis Lafreniere