32-26-10-4 (78 pts.)
9th in East
19th overall

Greg de Vries, D (FA-Col); Paul Healey, RW (FA-Tor); Jan Hlavac, LW (FA-Car); John Jakopin, D (FA-SJ); Brian Leetch, D (FA-Edm); Steven MacIntyre, D (FA); Jussi Markkanen, G (T-Edm); Mark Messier, C (FA-SJ); Jed Ortmeyer, RW (FA); Martin Rucinsky, LW (FA-StL); Chris Simon, LW (FA-Chi); Chad Wiseman, LW (T-SJ)

Ted Donato, LW (FA-Bos); Nils Ekman, LW (T-SJ); Sandy McCarthy, RW (FA-Bos); Mike Richter, G (Ret); John Tripp, RW (FA-LA)

Mike Dunham passed the audition. Now can he ace the test?

Acquired early last season to fill the void left by Mike Richter, Dunham impressed management enough in his 43-game tryout that he warranted another season as the team's starting netminder. With a .924 save percentage and 2.28 goals-against average, he basically gave them no choice.

One of the most underrated goalies in the league, Dunham uses his big frame to cut down angles on shooters and is one of the few standup goaltenders left in the NHL.

What is it about New York that makes talent turn sour? Thanks to a limitless budget, the Rangers have assembled one of the most talented groups of forwards in the Eastern Conference, but they just can't get their act together.

On paper, the names pop out: Eric Lindros. Anson Carter. Alexei Kovalev. Petr Nedved. Unfortunately, all four of these names fell short of their potential last year. It will be up to head coach/general manager Glen Sather to motivate this group of high-priced athletes.

Mark Messier is back for his 24th season and looks poised to leap over Gordie Howe for second spot on the all-time scoring list. Pavel Bure would have helped the offence, but it looks like he might retire due to knee problems.

The Rangers defence looked like it was in good shape until Brian Leetch suffered another ankle injury in training camp. The blue line didn't look good without him last season. Still, the Rangers do have a number of good rearguards on their depth chart, including Tom Poti, Greg deVries, Vladimir Malakhov and Boris Mironov. Darius Kasparaitis will look to rebound from an awful first season with the Blueshirts.

Coming off the worst season of his career, Lindros came into a training camp with a new attitude and bulked-up physique. He's determined to quell rumours that he shied away from playing his prototypical physical game in order to avoid more injuries. Considered one of the top five players in the league when he's on the top of his game.