The Rangers return to the ice this month with another season of high expectations ahead of them.

Going from a captivating Eastern Conference Finals finish in 2021-22 to a disheartening first-round exit in ’22-23, the Rangers are caught somewhere in the middle of a Stanley Cup-contending team and a club that still needs to prove itself.

So what does a successful ’23-24 season look like for the Rangers?

If we’re measuring it in playoff results, the Rangers will have to at least make it out of the first round to feel like it wasn’t a total wash. That’s a bare minimum, and totally attainable, expectation for the Blueshirts to be facing.