Players I'm most excited to see in camp / evaluate in pre-season games:
Kevin Hayes (competing for 3rd line spot)
JT Miller (competing for 3rd line spot)
Ryan Malone (can he regain form? How much does he have left? Can his legs keep up in a speed-based system? If so, where does he fit?)
Matthew Lombardi (can he put the injuries behind him? Can he re-discover his game at the NHL level? He certainly has the legs to keep up with the pace. In a bottom-9 (likely 4th line) role, is he reliable enough defensively? I think he may complement Dom Moore quite nicely.)
*Anthony Duclair (just to gauge how close he is as he's not likely to seriously challenge for a NHL spot this season)
*Ryan Haggerty (also to gauge how close he is; how he looks against older, bigger, stronger players. I don't see him making the team out of camp, but a mid-season call-up wouldn't be a huge surprise)
*Matthew Bodie (how does he look against NHL competition? He may end up eventually leapfrogging a guy like Skjei. He's a very good skater and was very impressive this past season in the NCAA. I'm definitely looking forward to following his progress in Hartford this season. He may be closer than initially expected.)
Note: I really think Hayes makes the team, either beating out Miller for the 3C spot or pushing Stempniak down or out of the lineup as the 3RW next to Miller. Also, don't count Oscar Lindberg out just yet. He could very well challenge for the 3C spot himself: while not as offensively gifted as Miller or Hayes, he's a very capable two-way center who understands his role in all three zones; very coachable player as well.
I'm also interested to see who makes the team as the 7th defenseman: Kostka, Hunwick? It's unlikely the Rangers would prefer to keep Allen or McIlrath as a healthy scratch with the NHL team rather than letting them continue to play top-pair minutes in the AHL.