See, now didn't I tell you today's previews would be up in a more timely fashion?  Today we finish off the Atlantic division with it's last and, well, most likely least team, the New York Rangers.

Now comes the part where I say this: these previews will appear, two a day, until the season starts on October 5th.  They will be put on-site by division, roughly in order of predicted finish.  Note that the rookies listed are only those most likely to make the team, not necessarily ones who have already sewn up a spot, and surprises always occur in training camp.  The In/Out portion represents significant players added and lost since the end of the 2003-04 season.  And now, on with the show...

In: Marek Malik, Ville Nieminen, Jason Ward, Mikael Nylander, Martin Rucinsky, Martin Straka, Steve Rucchin, Michal Rozsival, Jason Strudwick

Out: Bobby Holik, Mike Dunham, Karel Rachunek, Boris Mironov, Sandy McCarthy, Dan Blackburn, Jan Hlavac, Eric Lindros, Chris McAllister, Mark Messier, Jamie McLennan

Rookies: Henrik Lundqvist, Fedor Tyutin, Jozef Balej, Maxim Kondratiev, Garth Murray, Dominic Moore, Nigel Dawes

Few teams seem as directionless as the Rangers right now.  After appearing to position himself to go with a team filled mostly with young prospects this season in an attempt to get the Rangers' youth some experience and win a high draft choice, GM Glen Sather apparently had a change of heart.  When the opportunity arose this offseason, Sather took the opportunity to add veterans Rucchin, Straka, Rucinsky, Nieminen, Ward, Rozsival, and Malik to go with last summer's signing of Nylander.  He did take the opportunity to buy out Bobby Holik's huge contract, but didn't for Darius Kasparaitus' not as huge but longer deal, nor did he rid himself of veterans such as Tom Poti or Kevin Weekes.  All of which has left Sather with a rather unimpressive roster without much depth or character featuring a bizarre mix of one star forward, a lot of youth, and some washed-up vets that won't scare anyone.

Strengths: 1. Anytime you have Jaromir Jagr on your roster, you have the possibility of creating great offense.  If the NHL is serious about opening up the game, especially in the offensive zone, then things look good for Jagr.  He has a talented centre who he's worked with before in Nylander and two of his favourite wingmen in Straka and Rucinsky, and with the Rangers lack of depth on the wing he could be looking at all the playing time he can handle, which he thrives on.  Jagr had a good season offensively in Europe last year, and this season may well hearken back to the days when he was among the league's most feared players.

2. The Rangers really do have a bright-looking future on the back end.  Good teams build from the goal outwards, and the Rangers could have a very good team in the not-too-distant future.  Young Henrik Lundqvist has absolutely torn up the Swedish Elite League the last two seasons and is the best candidate for Sweden's national team in the next Olympics.  His NHL debut is long overdue.  While Lundqvist battles Weekes for the starting goaltender's spot, Al Montoya will get some good seasoning in the AHL after leaving his college team, where he struggled some last season.  On the blueline, just-drafted defender Marc Staal may be a few years away, but the Rangers are already excited about him.  By the time he gets to the NHL, Fedor Tyutin and Maxim Kondratiev should already be well-established as top-four NHL defensemen.

Weaknesses: 1. The Rangers don't have enough established NHL players to put together an offense that will frighten anybody.  Ward and Nieminen are fourth-line players, but one will likely be forced into second-line duty.  Rucchin and Rucinsky are both 34 and their skills are in decline.  Outside of the top line the Rangers aren't skilled enough to compete with most teams offensively, but they aren't big or strong enough to scare any physically either.

2. While New York's forwards are a problem area, their defense isn't much better.  They're led by Poti, who was a huge disappointment his last season in New York, Kasparaitus, who actually looked quite good before a season-ending injury in 2003-04, and Malik, who is just big and slow enough that he could almost be called the league's least-likely player to succeed under the new rules setup.  Tyutin is a great talent and deserves to make this team, but the Rangers have to be careful not to burn him out, while Kondratiev may or may not be ready for the big leagues at this point.  The less said about the remaining options, Rozsival, Strudwick, and Dale Purinton, the better.

Don't be Surprised If: The Ranger's top power play is fearsome.  Jagr's talents are undeniable, and he makes a unit exponentially better with his presence.  Straka can play the point, and Poti, though good at few other facets of the game, isn't completely inept on a power play blueline.  With Nylander and Rucinsky joining Jagr up front, the puck movement could really be something to see.

Outlook: It'll take a 120-point season from Jagr to get the Rangers into the playoffs, and even that might not be enough.  This is a team caught between completely re-building with youth and re-tooling as fast as possible with free agents, but scared to commit to either.  What the Rangers really need are a few years with really high draft picks to stock their system; alas, Sather seems determined to put just enough talent on this team so that they miss the playoffs, but not so badly they finish in the bottom five.

Centres: 1. Michael Nylander  2. Steve Rucchin  3. Jamie Lundmark  4. Blair Betts  5. Dominic Moore

Wingers: 1. Jaromir Jagr  2. Martin Straka  3. Martin Rucinsky  4. Jozef Balej  5. Ville Niemenen  6. Jason Ward  7. Jed Ortmeyer  8. Garth Murray  9. Jarko Immonen  10. Nigel Dawes

Defensemen: 1. Tom Poti  2. Darius Kasparaitus 3. Fedor Tyutin 4. Marek Malik  5. Michal Rozsival  6. Jason Strudwick  7. Dale Purinton  8. Maxim Kondratiev

Goalies: 1. Kevin Weekes  2. Henrik Lundqvist

Restricted Free Agents: Karel Rachunek (D)