This is a Rangers team in transition, and coach Alain Vigneault knows that. But entering his fourth season behind the Blueshirts bench, the expectations have not fallen off one bit.
Despite an influx of youth, and despite a handful of underachieving veterans still on the roster, Vigneault is confident in his club. In his first meeting with the press Thursday, after the players came in for their physicals, Vigneault made it clear that he thinks highly of his team — even if he is not entirely sure of what he has yet.
“We still believe that we’re a very strong hockey team,” Vigneault said at the Westchester practice facility.