It doesn't take a genius to now that the New York Rangers fanbase was happy to see former head coach Peter Laviolette go.

The Rangers added a crucial piece to their D core in Vlad Gavrikov. He will effectively replace K'Andre Miller and likely slot into a top pair role with top defenseman Adam Fox. They also added some depth to their offense with the addition of Taylor Raddysh and others.

The National Hockey League season is set to commence on October 7 with a tripleheader, featuring Mike Sullivan's debut as head coach of the New York Rangers against his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Thirty two players participated in the early July event, including 20 forwards, nine defenseman and three goaltenders. Ages range between the players from 17 years old, all the way up to 23 years old. The number 32 is interesting but also expected after this year's draft, as last year Director of Player Development Jed Ortmeyer only invited 29.

Going into the offseason, it was clear that New York Rangers General Manager Chris Drury had to make a lot tough decisions and changes. After being the best team in the league in the 2023-24 season, the Blueshirts missed the Stanley Cup playoffs in convincing fashion last season.

Not long ago, Kaapo Kakko left the New York Rangers for the Seattle Kraken. Now he's seeking help from the NHL in a contract dispute with his current team.

Gavrikov had 30 points (five goals, 25 assists) and was plus-26 in 82 regular-season games for the Los Angeles Kings last season. He also led them with 140 blocked shots and played 23:05 per game, second behind Drew Doughty (24:08), who only played 30 games.