New York Rangers: 5 burning questions for 2018-19 season

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 09: Henrik Lundqvist #30 and the New York Rangers look on after being defeated 4-2 against the Ottawa Senators in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) /

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NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 01: Paul Carey /

3. Can Brendan Smith bounce back?

This past season was a complete disaster for Smith. He played in just 44 games and had one goal and eight points before being waived and sent down to the AHL in February. His possession took a nosedive as his CF% was a lowly 46.7% this past season. That’s the lowest his possession has ever been throughout his career.

He’s going to need to have a huge bounce-back season to try and get some of his confidence back. He was playing in the top four when he was acquired from Detroit and if he can get back to that level, it will help the Rangers defense tremendously. It would help to take Kevin Shattenkirk’s minutes down as he’d likely be on the top pairing to start the season and he’s also coming off a major knee injury this past season.

There’s also a fresh coaching staff going into this season for New York which means it’ll be like someone’s first day of school with a new teacher. They’ll get to judge him based on how he does and he may get put back in the lineup. He’s a reliable defender who can move the puck up the ice and can also play sound defense when he’s doing his thing. New York is a much better team defensively when he’s on a roll.

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