If the Rangers are going to rev up their offense this season — and boy, do they ever need to — newcomer Christopher Higgins figures to be a key part of any renaissance.
“With my speed and anticipation, I create a lot of chances for players on …

During the Rangers’ training camp, defenseman Alexei Semenov talked about his NHL career with Rangers on Demand. On Sept. 30, he officially became a Ranger.

Rangers head coach John Tortorella speaks to reporters following the team’s practice on Sept. 30, just two days before the season-opener in Pittsburgh.

Rangers forward Sean Avery, who suffered a knee injury during the preseason, discusses his recovery after taking part in the team’s Sept. 30 practice.

We had much discussion Tuesday on the book “100 Ranger Greats” rankings. So I felt the need to give you the whole list (hopefully you’ll still get the book, because there’s a pretty well-written, well-researched story on each of…

The Rangers have their 22 on the roster and their 21 on the ice for practice today, and you could tell there is a meaningful game around the corner by the pace of today’s session. With Evgeny Grachev in Hartford, the forwards are set at least until Sean Avery returns from his sprained right knee, which appears all but out of the question for Friday’s opener. Avery worked out on a stationary bike today - a step up from the leg lifts he was doing with only his left leg on Saturday - but unless he takes a full skate tomorrow, should be safe to rule him out in Pittsburgh and possibly beyond, with the Rangers starting the season with three in four nights.

John Tortorella said last week that the group practicing today could be assumed to be the group that will hit the ice on Friday, and among the seven defensemen who remain with the club are Michael Del Zotto and Alexei Semenov. There has been no rush - and why should there be? - to make a move on either of those players: Semenov is still playing under a tryout agreement, while the Rangers will have to decide on Del Zotto’s season within nine games of the start, whether to keep him on Broadway or return him to juniors.

Both players said today that they are just trying to concentrate on their jobs with the Rangers, Semenov because he says he has no idea if a contract is coming. His current tryout agreement expires on Thursday, so he would need to have a deal in place by then, but the Rangers could ink him to another tryout deal to start the season.

Del Zotto, meanwhile, will have his parents in the stands among the screaming Igloo patrons on banner night Friday, and also for the Garden opener Saturday and Game 3 on Monday in Newark. The 19-year-old says he has tried to lay low a bit and hasn’t spoken much with his old junior teammates in London (the Knights, who had Nazem Kadri, the No. 7 overall pick of the ‘09 draft to the Maple Leafs, returned to them for the season, are off to a 4-3 start in Del Zotto’s absence). “I’ve actually tried to keep my phone off as much as possible,” Del Zotto said.

Del Zotto will become the first 19-year-old to debut for the Rangers since Brian Leetch on Feb. 29, 1988, who played his first game three days shy of his 20th birthday. He also will become the youngest to play for the Rangers since 18-year-old Dave Maloney suited up on Dec. 18, 1974. (More on Maloney in a bit.) Tortorella said today that the decision to keep him on to start the season, whether it’s for nine games or more, has only to do with the fact that he’s earned it.

“Right now he has made the club - based on his play, he has made the club. It has nothing to do with minors or junior. He’s had a good camp. Again, like I told you, we’re not looking at age or anything like that; we’ve felt he’s had a good camp. Are there going to be some bumps in the road with him? No question there will be. But right now we feel he’s played well enough to be with the National Hockey League team.”

As for Grachev, who is also 19 but who did have the option of going to Hartford rather than back to junior, the coach said: “He’s had a really good camp, but he’s not going to get 20 minutes here. He’s a 19-year-old kid who had a very good National Hockey League camp, but we’d rather have him playing down there and have some big minutes in the American League … instead of having four, five, six minutes here, which could have happened.

“Back to junior? I don’t think it would’ve helped him, so I’m glad he’s able to go back down to the American League and start becoming a man - he’s a young kid right now who’s going to grow up to be a man.”

Ten Rangers will present the Top Ten list on the “Late Show with David Letterman” tomorrow night, and those players are: Henrik Lundqvist, Sean Avery, Marian Gaborik, Marc Staal, Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, Donald Brashear, Dan Girardi, Brandon Dubinsky and Christopher Higgins. The other scheduled guests are Madonna and Harry Connick Jr. We’re sorry Tortorella’s not on that couch, too, if only to see the look on his face.

Back to Maloney: Word of the Rangers’ coming appearance sparked a little rinkside chat with the former Ranger captain about his own TV turn with Letterman, in 1984 when Letterman was on NBC doing “Late Night.” The host dressed up in full goalie gear and Maloney got to fire pucks at him on the ice at Rockefeller Center. Couldn’t find a clip of that show, unfortunately, so instead - ooh la la! - we’ll just settle for another Maloney TV appearance (he’s the one wearing the ‘C’), which wasn’t intended to be comedy but which … well … sorry, Dave.

Defenseman Michael Del Zotto will be the youngest Rangers defenseman to take the ice since Brian Leetch. The 19-year old was the Rangers first round draft pick in 2008. He can still be returned to his OHL London Knights. Head…

After registering one shot in the Rangers’ opening preseason game and not playing in the second, Artem Anisimov looked like anything but a lock for the Rangers’ roster.
But since then, Anisimov has proven he’s not only going to be on the team for …

After registering one shot in the Rangers’ opening preseason game and not playing in the second, Artem Anisimov looked like anything but a lock for the Rangers’ roster.
But since then, Anisimov has proven he’s not only going to be on the team for …