The 2017 NFL season will be kicking off on Sept. 7. Now, the teams are doing their best to become competitive contenders by the time the season starts.
The 2017 NFL Draft was held last April 27 – April 29, bringing in fresh new players to the league. The New York Rangers were among the many teams who had, as what most analysts would say — the “high potential picks.” But are they?
The Rangers’ Need of Fresh and Young Players
The New York Rangers rank as the third-best team in the Eastern Metropolitan Division, which isn’t that bad, knowing that there are eight teams in the category. With this, it can be seen that they’re doing just fine.
However, that’s not the case as they have their problems when it comes to their blueline and center positions. It’s because of this lack of “firepower” and “explosiveness” for these two roles that they need to choose their picks wisely. Now that the Draft has been done, the team needs to ask themselves if they’ve got the right picks.
- Linas Andersson
Linas Andersson is among the top favorites in the 2017 Draft batch. Fortunately, the Rangers were lucky enough to get him as the 7th overall pick during the First round. Weighing 201 pounds, the 5’11” playmaker is best known for his high hockey IQ which prioritizes offensive plays. He also has an excellent shooting form, making him a very good pick for the Rangers.
- Filip Chytil
Chytil is the 21st overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft. This 6’2” Czech-national is one of the youngest draft picks, aged only 17-years-old. But despite his young age, he has a huge body frame which is just what the Rangers need.
The team needs to have a legit center, and Chytil would most likely do well in that role. He’s also got a lot of room to grow and improve, knowing that he’s still young. Though he’s not that fast due to his huge size, it isn’t that much of a problem as the Rangers has an arsenal of fast and agile small players.
- Brandon Crawley
Then there’s the 6’2” Englishman, Brandon Crawley who hails from London. He is the Fourth round, 123rd overall pick.
Most analysts call him lucky to have been chosen for the Draft class because he plays more of a defensive style of game and some people question his versatility. However, a jack-of-all-trades kind-of-player is not what the Rangers need.
What the team is searching for is a reliable big man that can easily guard the goal against smaller and faster skaters. Being 6’2” tall and weighing only 203 pounds, one can say that he has the potential to be faster as long as he maintains his current weight.
- Dominik Lakatos
The 6-footer Czechoslovakian, Dominik Lakatos, is the Sixth Round 157th overall pick of the Rangers. This 20-year-old player is best known for his agility and offensive gameplay.
Aside from that, he can also do well in making plays and in playing a physical game against much larger opponents. Perhaps it’s because of this rare capability that the Rangers decided to draft him anyway.
What the Future Lies for the Rangers and their Online Betting Odds
With all of these being said, it seems that the New York Rangers will still be able to maintain their decent standing in the NHL. The team’s current picks from the 2017 NHL Draft seem to be beneficial for them, even if it means waiting a year or so before the players become NHL-ready.
Despite that, the roles which are reserved for the freshly acquired players are most likely going to be vacant in the near future. By then, they’ll have the chance to showcase their skills and talent in the sport.
Ice Hockey is the biggest sport in Canada which is why it has a lot of fans throughout the country as well as in the U.S. Because of this; online betting has also grown in popularity as a result of the sport’s influence.
With this, it makes perfect sense to be updated on the latest NHL betting odds. There are a lot of betting markets for NHL games, giving bettors a lot of options to choose from, whether it be an individual game, a “Money Line” game, or an over/under bet.
There is also the Handicap betting market which makes use of ice hockey’s Puck Line. The Highest Scoring Period and the Correct Score are also some of the other betting games one can choose from.
The New York Rangers had won 2 of their last 5 games, which puts them in quite of a tough position for bettors next season. The latest odds of the Rangers were +1.5 against the Ottawa Senators, with a -193 line odds during their last encounter on May 9.
With this, it’s pretty likely that the Rangers are going to remain as the underdogs next season. The team’s current odds for the 2018 Stanley Cup are 14/1 and 15/2 for the 2018 Eastern Conference.
With the latest newcomers to the team, it’s safe to say that despite them being an underdog, there’s still room for them to grow in the offseason. It’s pretty hopeful that they’ll win more games in the next season.