It’s an NHL in which natural goal-scorers are at a premium, so why in the world is 25-year-old, low-cost, natural goal-scorer Brandon Pirri on his fourth team in 30 months?

“You know, there were different circumstances in each place, but I’m not concerned about the past,” Pirri, a $1.1 million free agent signee with the Rangers, told The Post before scoring twice in the Blueshirts’ 3-1 preseason victory over the Devils at the Garden on Thursday. “It’s all about this opportunity in front of me, making the most of this and making it stick.”

So far so good, the sniper getting one from in front on a backhand rebound and another on a four-on-three power play one timer. That’s three goals — two on one-timers — in two preseason matches for the shifty six-footer with the world-class release.

Selected 59th overall by Chicago in the 2009 entry draft, Pirri played a sum of 35 games for the powerful Blackhawks before going to the Panthers for a third- and fifth-round draft choice just before the 2013-14 deadline. Two years later, and following a rather remarkable 2014-15 “Cy Young” season in which he recorded a 22-2 stat line (22 goals, two assists in 49 games), he was off to Anaheim at the 2016 deadline for the diminishing return of a sixth-rounder.

Now, he’s a Ranger after the Ducks did not offer him a qualifier of just over $1 million.

“Chicago had a tough lineup to crack, and when I got called up they had me with top-end players. I don’t know if I was mature enough to handle it,” Pirri said. “In Florida, I got my confidence, but then I had a high-ankle sprain when I was traded and then after a few games in Anaheim, I suffered what they call, ‘an upper-body injury.’ It’s tough when you have, ‘an upper body injury.’”

And now Pirri is here, vying for a spot that may not exist on a Blueshirts top-nine that appears crowded but isn’t overloaded with snipers. The sample size is small, but the fact is that Pirri, with 49 goals in 159 games since 2013-14, is 72nd in the NHL with .31 GPG over that span (Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau, by the way, clocks in at .34 GPG with 55 goals in 160 contests in that time frame). Beyond that, Pirri’s 1.3 goals-per-60:00 ranks 13th overall, small sample size again to be noted.

So again, why has Pirri bounced around the way he has in an era in which goal-scorers are an endangered species?

One team executive told The Post that Pirri has had issues away from the puck. Another reported Pirri’s skating has been a drawback but, “Our guys like his hockey IQ quite a bit. He’s underrated.”

“I’m trying to make an early impression and stay consistent,” Pirri said. “I’ve been around long enough to know that consistency is the key.”

Coach Alain Vigneault made it clear that if Pirri is going to crack the lineup, he’ll need to do so as a top-nine winger. That appears a tall order, given the presence of Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich. That group doesn’t even include work-hound Jesper Fast, a top-nine all last season.

If Buchnevich earns an opening night slot, Pirri could be squeezed out, though the coach did say the team could start the season with a talent-oriented forward as the spare up front. And having an offense-minded extra would both mitigate the burden on Buchnevich as he adapts to his first North American pro experience and provide a push to the guys on higher depth chart rungs.

“I want to show the coaching staff that I can be trusted to play in all opportunities, and to do that I know I have to be more than a shooter or scorer,” Pirri said, a versatile sort who centered Buchnevich and Nathan Gerbe in this one. “I’ve been watching a lot of video on defensive play and a lot of my focus has been on backchecking and being in the right position in our own end to be able to make the quick transition.

“As the coach has said, you only get so many kicks at the can,” Pirri said. “If you ask me whether I want to crack the top nine, my answer is that I want to play on the first line. I don’t think you should sell yourself short, and that goes for anybody.”