So here the Rangers sit, just 20 games into the season, facing the same conundrum that served as the underlying deterrent to their aggressive trade deadline — plus coinciding postseason run — last year. Injuries forced roster shuffling.

They’re teetering on the brink of being noncompliant with the salary cap, too.

The latest wrinkles unfolded Tuesday, with the Rangers placing forwards Kaapo Kakko (lower-body injury) and Filip Chytil (upper-body injury) on long-term injured reserve.

They’ll miss at least 10 games and 24 days each, with Chytil’s transaction retroactive to Nov. 3 and cap-related.

Kakko’s injury, which occurred in the Blueshirts’ 5-1 loss to the Sabres on Monday, isn’t believed to be season-ending, according to The Post’s Larry Brooks, but he’ll still miss significant time.

The Rangers also assigned defenseman Connor Mackey to the Wolf Pack, which cleared a path for defenseman Adam Fox, who practiced fully the past two days, to return Wednesday against the Red Wings.

They recalled forwards Jonny Brodzinski and Adam Edstrom from AHL Hartford, and they assigned Edstrom back to the Wolf Pack on Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s just the nature of the beast inside of hockey and the injuries that pop up,” Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette said of Kakko. “We’ll get [Kakko] back at some point, which is good news. But for the short term, he’s out.”

That prompted the Rangers, who lost for just the fourth time in regulation Monday, to shuffle their lineup again. It has become a common theme.

These were issues the Rangers dealt with last season, too.

Their quest to improve at the trade deadline — when they acquired Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko — turned into a salary-cap crunch to ensure they could actually maneuver around their limit.

When the Rangers activate Fox on Wednesday, the team will have slightly more than $5.69 million in its long-term injured reserve relief pool from the collective cap hits of Kakko and Chytil ($6,537,500), according to CapFriendly.

That’ll allow them to make roster transactions around their usual limit for the salary cap until Kakko and Chytil are activated.

It also served as an underlying reason for Chytil’s shift to LTIR, as he continues skating on his own with a targeted return date unclear.

“I’d be guessing,” Laviolette said. “But there’s been no setbacks. [Chytil] continues to improve.”

Kakko, who has recorded just three points in 20 games, started the year on the first line alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, but Laviolette shifted him to the third unit — promoting veteran Blake Wheeler — earlier this month.

He recorded two points in the Blueshirts’ first five games, but just one in their past 15.

Then, in the second period Monday, Kakko collided with Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson along the boards, and his leg twisted awkwardly.

He remained on the ice as play continued, eventually needing assistance to exit.

“It was unfortunate what happened last night,” Laviolette said. “Like I said, a positive, we’ll get him back at some point, get him back going again. But until then, somebody will have to fill those shoes and we’ll move forward.”

Brodzinski, who has appeared in 102 NHL games and already logged one appearance with the Blueshirts this season, earned the first opportunity.

He leads the AHL with 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists), and while Brodzinski only skated at center to start the season, he has played wing for most of his career.

He worked in Kakko’s spot on the third line’s right wing alongside Will Cuylle and Nick Bonino during Tuesday’s practice.

“Just play my game,” Brodzinski said of his next NHL opportunity. “Shoot the puck, play the way that I’ve been playing there because it’s been working [in Hartford] and it’ll work here. Don’t change much. Just keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

There are some adjustments he’ll have to make. Hartford doesn’t incorporate Laviolette’s neutral-zone trap, instead using more of a “wedge,” Brodzinski said. He’s more of a secondary player with the Blueshirts, not expected to score or contribute points as he is with the Wolf Pack.

But these windows of opportunities don’t last forever.

Brodzinski turned 30 years old in June. Kakko and Chytil will return from injuries at some point.

Brodzinski almost made the Rangers’ roster out of training camp, but then lost the spot and instead became a key piece in Hartford — “the story of the last couple years,” Brodzinski said.

This time, with the Rangers adjusting to life without Kakko for the foreseeable future and Chytil still out, Brodzinski has another chance.

And the Rangers’ quest to make an NHL-best start sustainable, amid more roster movement, could hinge on his transition, too.

“There’s always that pressure, but I’ve done it so many times now that I’m very comfortable here,” Brodzinski said.”