This offseason has been a unique one for the Rangers.
It was something that could be a bit of a shock to the team after a big run that won the Presidents Trophy, another loss in the conference finals and a short string of indications that big changes were coming.
While most of it never came to fruition, it made it clear that the Blueshirts were at a crossroads.
Three straight seasons finishing in the top three of the Metropolitan Division and two trips to the Stanley Cup Finals are no joke, but that fades when you consider that they haven't won a championship in over three decades.
This will be the core of what the Rangers will look to achieve in their bid to win.
It is also the core that has yet to be achieved.
How many seasons of “so close, but unfortunately not” is too many?
How do you break with something that has brought you so close in the past?
The question of whether the Rangers are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders will have to be firmly answered this year.
This is no longer about dealing with “high expectations,” a phrase often bandied about at the start of a season in recent years.
The club needs a whole new word to describe the situation they find themselves in, and that word won't go away until Lord Stanley is paraded through Manhattan's Canyon of Heroes.
Here are the major storylines to watch as training camp unfolds (in no particular order):
Can the Rangers once again answer the challenge of manager Peter Laviolette's tough work ethic?
The Rangers had vowed to begin hockey practices and playoff games last September, so there was no need to flip a switch when the time came.
Laviolette has been impressed with how his players have embraced his daily efforts and the Rangers have benefited greatly from this revamped approach.
It's one thing to meet the challenge when everything is new and shiny, but another to execute those habits consistently.
To keep BFFs together or not to keep BFFs together…that is the question.
It's unclear how Laviolette feels about inserting Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejed into the starting lineup.
Last season, Kreider and Zibanejad skated on the line together in 81 of 82 regular season games and all 16 playoff games.
The only game they weren't together was when Zibanejed missed it due to illness.
When Laviolette took over as manager of the Rangers, he said he wasn't tied to any of the lineups that had been in place.
It will be interesting to see if he continues on the same path he has been taking at the start of this season or tries something different.
What's next for Alexis Lafreniere?
Lafreniere is expected to reoccupy his spot on the right side of what was the Rangers' most consistent and dynamic line last season alongside Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck.
It would be foolish not to do so, and even foolish not to figure out how to get more out of Lafreniere.
It's a complicated debate considering how long the Rangers' No. 1 power play unit has been together and how effective they've been in the past.
But Lafreniere was one of the Rangers' most consistent forwards throughout last season.
If the 2020 No. 1 overall pick isn't utilized more, it will have a negative impact on not only the Blueshirts as a whole, but also Lafreniere and his progression.
Is Matt Rempe ready for a full-time role in the NHL?
Rempe's offseason was fitting for an NHL regular: He trained with perennial strongman Georges Laraque, signed autographs and was interviewed alongside Rangers greats Henrik Lundqvist and Mike Richter at a Fanatics event in New York City and represented the Blueshirts at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase.
Those are all great things, but only training camp will decide Rempe’s fate.
The 6-foot-8-inch forward will need to show off everything he's been working on all offseason to secure a spot in the lineup.
Decisions are not made based on popularity or novelty.
This will be a chance for Rempe to prove that last season was no fluke and that he's here to stay.
Could Zach Jones finally earn the sixth defenseman role?
The battle for the sixth defenseman position has been a recurring theme in Rangers training camp in recent years, but it should be a little different this time around.
Jones will likely lose the 6D spot.
The only defenseman signed to legitimately compete with Jones was trade deadline acquisition Chad Ruhwedel, who was ranked higher than Jones in depth last season out of the University of Massachusetts.
Laviolette showed his loyalty to Jones when injuries hit, and the 23-year-old defenseman reciprocated with a strong performance.
It has to happen again.
