from Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News,

"I had a tough year," said Stoll, known also in the entertainment industry as the boyfriend of broadcaster Erin Andrews. "I want to have the confidence to make plays and contribute offensively. That's what wasn't there last year, I think. That's what I'm trying to get back."

So Stoll, who helped the Kings beat the Blueshirts in the 2014 Cup Final, has to prove he can provide offense while adjusting to Alain Vigneault's preferred high tempo and a system that differs somewhat from LA's.

"The (Rangers) play a quicker style, so it's about getting in on the forecheck quicker, harder, faster, and they like the north-south game," he said. "The forwards are asked to get right up on the 'D'. (In Los Angeles), we'd bring five (skaters) all the way back. We moved everywhere in fives. Here there are a lot of stretch plays. But a lot is similar, too."

Vigneault has high regard for Stoll's championship pedigree. "That experience, those two Cups, that's a big thing," the coach said Tuesday. So the Canadian center is a clear favorite to make the team if he's skating well, only that would create a logjam down the middle.

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