2025-26
Record: 34-39-9, 77 points, 8th in Metropolitan Division
Playoffs: Missed Stanley Cup Playoffs
Key Losses
G – Jonathan Quick (Retired), F – Conor Sheary (BUF), F – Vincent Trocheck (Trade w/ UTH), D – Will Borgen (Trade w/ BOS)
Key Additions
F – Pavel Dorofeyev (Trade w/ VGK), F – Oliver Bjorkstrand (Signed via FA), D – Marcus Pettersson (Trade w/ VAN), D – Sean Durzi (Trade w/ UTH), F – Joe Veleno (Signed via FA), G – Joonas Korpisalo (Trade w/ BOS)
2026-27 Preview
Let’s face it, when you finish last in the league there isn’t anywhere to go but up. Rangers fans were ready to take this season out back like Old Yeller before January so any positive news is fantastic. Well Rangers fans, I’m here to tell you that at the very least, this team is going to be more competitive in year two of Mike Sullivan’s coaching tenure and Chris Drury actually made some good moves at the draft and during this offseason to at least put them into a conversation for a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference this year. First, we need to reminisce on last season one more time to see how we got here.
The New York Rangers had a 2025-26 season to forget, to say the least. They were the absolute bottom of the barrel in the NHL’s Eastern Conference last year and had some horrific stretches where they barely resembled a big league squad. To make matters worse, they had to sell players off at the deadline and continued their sell off deep into the offseason. Artemi Panarin was sent to “Tinseltown.” Vincent Trocheck calls Utah home. Defenseman Will Borgen and forwards Brett Berard, Brennan Othmann and Adam Edstrom were all sent packing in what has been a massive reshaping of the roster since the trade deadline last season. It was a season of horrors for the Broadway Blueshirts but since the offseason began, they’ve gotten a massive shot in the arm.
I’m not here to tell you the Rangers will be challenging for a division crown or the Stanley Cup this upcoming season, but I do believe they will be in the hunt for a wild card as they are currently assembled. So what has changed since the final period of the Stanley Cup Final ended and the Carolina Hurricanes hoisted the Stanley Cup? For Starters? Chris Drury kicked things off with a bang at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
With the fifth overall selection in the draft, the Rangers drafted Alberts Smits, a defenseman from Jokerit in Finland’s Liiga. Smits is seen as a prospect with a very stable floor but a ceiling as high as a top pair defenseman. Smits, a left-shot defenseman, is expected to begin the season on the Hartford Wolf Pack’s top pair and play in all situations but there are some who believe the talent he possesses can lead him to push for a spot on New York’s blueline this fall. The eyes of Rangers fans will certainly be on the 6’3”, 209 pound defenseman when training camp begins.
Yes, the Rangers left Chase Reid and Carson Carels on the board but Smits has a skill set different from those two that will, in my opinion, mesh better on New York’s blueline in the future. If Adam Fox wasn’t a Ranger I’d be upset they didn’t go with Reid, but Smits with his great size and great skating can mesh well with Fox and other offensive minded defensemen on New York’s blueline. Last season, Smits proved he could handle grown men; not just players his age. He scored 13 points in 28 games as a teenager in one of the best leagues in the world as a defenseman. Combined with some sneaky offensive skills to boot, it’s not a shock Chris Drury decided to take a chance on Latvian.
Smits wasn’t the only great pick that Drury had during the draft. I want to highlight two more players from their 2026 class that could someday soon make their impact in the NHL. First off, is defenseman Ben MacBeath who played for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen last season. MacBeath is a fantastic skater, and is extremely mobile on the blueline. He is a great puck mover and scored 51 points (7 goals, 44 assists) as a 17/18 year old last year and while the Rangers won’t see him for at least next season, he gets to refine his skills in college before hopefully making the pro jump sooner rather than later. The 6’2”, 192 pound defenseman is committed to the University of Denver for this upcoming season. One trend I loved with Drury this draft: he drafted guys who are fantastic skaters; something the Rangers system badly needed an injection of. The last guy I want to bring attention to is Tomas Chrenko.
Chrenko, another international prospect like Smits, has been called one of the steals of the draft and he fits the Rangers system like a glove. He’s a natural centerman, has fantastic puck skills and has great skating ability. Why did he fall in the draft? Easy: his size. He’s only 5’11” and 172 pounds so teams were reluctant to take him. When will GM’s learn that size doesn’t equate ability? Look what Cole Caufield did this past year. Drury took a massive swing on talent here and Chrenko, again like Smits, played against men last year and didn’t look out of place. He had 31 points (9 goals, 22 assists) in 44 games playing for HK Nitra in the Czech Republic. For an 18-year-old, that’s just ridiculous and he upped his game in the playoffs when he had 12 points (2 goals, 10 assists) in 19 playoff games as his team won the Czech Extraliga Championship. New York system was starved for center talent and Chrenko falling into their laps at the 81st overall pick couldn’t have been better.
Now these draft picks are one thing but Chris Drury also acquired some players who will 100% help this team next season. First off we need to talk about the marquee addition, the player who signed the shiny new seven year deal and who is going to be counted on to continue his goal scoring prowess under the bright lights of New York City. On June 26th, Chris Drury made one of his biggest moves as General Manager of the New York Rangers when he traded two first round picks and a third round pick to the Vegas Golden Knights for Pavel Dorofeyev. He then signed Dorofeyev to a 7-year 77-million dollar deal to lock the Russian sniper up for his entire prime. This was a good bit of business by Drury since he didn’t have to give up a single player from his roster and was able to add one of the NHL’s premier goal scorers. The draft pick loss will hurt a bit down the line but this is an impact player who will see time in the Rangers top-six and on the top power-play unit. Dorofeyev has scored 72 goals over the past two seasons and Drury, the Rangers and their fans are hoping that he continues that torrid pace during his tenure in New York. Look for Dorofeyev to get time playing alongside both J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad as coach Mike Sullivan see where he fits best.
Drury also completely re-built the Rangers second pair on defense with two nice moves. He traded a 2030 first rounder to the Vancouver Canucks for a Mike Sullivan favorite in Marcus Pettersson and got back Sean Durzi from the Utah Mammoth (with center prospect Cole Beaudin and a pick) for Vincent Trocheck. The Rangers hope that Pettersson, a defenseman with a more stay at home approach will complement the puck-moving skills of Durzi to form a formidable second pair for their defense. With Vladislav Gavrikov and Adam Fox entrenched as the top pair, the Rangers have a rock solid top four on their blueline now with the third pair being some combination of Braden Schneider and a camp battle winner for that sixth spot. The Rangers defense was not good last year, especially with Fox hurt for long stretches, but this revamping already looks to make the team more competitive than last season. Durzi gives the Rangers their first legit PP2 QB in years and offers a nice offensive upside behind Fox.
Another great move was the signing of Oliver Bjorkstrand. Bjorkstrand signed a one-year deal with the team and provides a nice scoring boost to the team as well. He’s currently slated to begin the season in the top-six forward group. Bjorkstrand has five 20+ goal seasons under his belt and could be a sneaky good addition to this Blueshirts squad.
They’re not quite a Stanley Cup Contending team yet, they won’t win a division crown but I fully expect this 2026-27 iteration of the New York Rangers to compete for a wild card and maybe make a little noise in the playoffs if everything breaks well for them. Chris Drury has made some terrible decisions earlier in his tenure but it seems that he’s finally maybe learned from his mistakes as he’s made a lot of smart decisions with good intent this offseason. Hopefully hockey fans in Manhattan won’t be turning off their TV sets by the new year and can be fighting for playoff position come spring time.
Projected Lineup
Offense
Gabe Perreault — Mika Zibanejad — Alexis Lafreniere
Pavel Dorofeyev — J.T. Miller — Oliver Bjorkstrand
Will Cuylle — Noah Laba — Tye Kartye
Adam Sykora — Joe Veleno — Jaroslav Chmelar
Defense
Vladislav Gavrikov — Adam Fox
Marcus Pettersson — Sean Durzi
Matthew Robertson — Braden Schneider
Goalies
Igor Shesterkin
Joonas Korpisalo