NHL: New York Rangers – 2025/2026 Review
The Rangers closed the season with a 34-39-9 record, good for 77 points and eighth place in the Metropolitan, out of the playoffs for a second straight year. That is a steep fall for a franchise that sat at the top of the league barely two years ago, and a sign of a club still trying to rediscover the identity that carried it to the Eastern Conference Final in 2024.
Key numbers
2025-2026 record: 34-39-9 (238 goals for, 250 against)
2025-2026 NHL ranking: 8th in the Metropolitan Division
Top scorer in 2025-2026: Mika Zibanejad (34)
Top playmaker in 2025-2026: Mika Zibanejad (44)
Top point-getter in 2025-2026: Mika Zibanejad (78)
Average age of the roster (2026-2027): 27.1 years
Available cap space (2026-2027): 1.55M$
Recent moves (offseason)
Arrivals:
- Pavel Dorofeyev (F)
- Joseph Veleno (F)
- Oliver Bjorkstrand (F)
- Joonas Korpisalo (G)
- Sean Durzi (D)
- Marcus Pettersson (D)
Departures:
- Adam Edstrom (F)
- Jonny Brodzinski (F)
- Vincent Trocheck (F)
- William Borgen (D)
Franchise outlook
New York Rangers – Future contracts and draft picks
The Rangers have gone for a reset rather than a full teardown, and the contract picture says plenty: Igor Shesterkin locked in through 2032-33, Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad firmly in place, and, above all, the arrival of Pavel Dorofeyev, landed from Vegas for a haul of draft picks including a first-rounder in 2028 before signing a seven-year extension at 11 M$ per season.
Chris Drury also cleaned house along the way, moving on from Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, two veterans who symbolised the old era, in return for younger pieces like Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson to shore up the blue line. The message is clear enough: New York wants to get younger and create flexibility, but it is not interested in a full rebuild, even if that means spending future draft capital to speed things up.
It is a risky bet, but the organisation seems determined to fix things quickly rather than sit through a long, painful wait.
Season of truth
Only two years ago, the Rangers were running the league in points and looked set for a long Stanley Cup run. Now they have missed the playoffs two years in a row, and Chris Drury has had to put his job on the line in a crucial offseason. The Pavel Dorofeyev deal, along with a seven-year extension at 11 M$ per season, sums up the gamble New York has taken: instead of stockpiling draft picks like a team in rebuild mode, it has chosen to sacrifice part of the future, including a first-round pick in 2028, in a bid to get back to the top faster.
The departures of Panarin, moved during the season, and Trocheck, sent out this summer after months of rumours, show that the club’s identity is changing fast. Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson arrive to help a defence that needed reinforcements, while Dorofeyev is expected to replace the offence lost with Panarin’s exit.
The gamble comes with real danger: if the blend of youth and expensive veteran help does not click quickly, Drury will not only have burned through his own future with the organisation, but also weakened the club for seasons to come after giving up draft capital that could have been a safety net if things went wrong. The big question is whether this accelerated reset is enough to get the Rangers back in the playoffs this season, or whether Drury has merely pushed the inevitable rebuild back by a year.
Player to watch: Pavel Dorofeyev (F)
Dorofeyev comes to New York off back-to-back 35-goal seasons, but with a fair bit of scepticism attached. In Vegas, he skated alongside Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner, which naturally raises the question of how much he can produce without that kind of support around him. The seven-year deal at 11 M$ per season leaves no room for excuses: the Rangers need him as their top attacking threat, a role he has never really had to carry on his own before.
His blend of power and instinct, plus the knack for scoring in traffic, fits the style Mike Sullivan wants to stamp on this team. But it all comes down to chemistry with his new mates, whether that is Alexis Lafreniere or a young winger like Gabe Perreault. If Dorofeyev delivers, Drury’s bet starts to look smart. If he does not, it could end up being one of the heaviest contracts in the league.
2026-2027 target
Projected New York Rangers lines 2026-2027
For the Rangers, the aim is simple: get back into the playoffs after two years out. Unlike plenty of clubs in this group, New York does not have the luxury of talking about slow progress or patience. The organisation has poured too many resources into this summer, from Dorofeyev’s contract to the draft picks it gave up, to settle for a transition year. In plain terms, that means pushing for a firm top-eight spot in the East, driven by a stronger attack and a defence steadied by the additions of Durzi and Pettersson.
Miss the playoffs for a third straight year, even after all those moves, and it would be hard to argue the issue is only about talent on the ice. It would also put Chris Drury’s future in serious doubt.
My prediction
I think the Rangers will climb a few spots. But this is a new-look team, with plenty of change in key areas, so the big question is whether the chemistry shows up in time. They still look short of a main playmaker up front. On paper, it is not a bad team, but there is work to do. Still, among the lower-ranked teams, this is the one most likely to surprise me. They have moved out a lot of players but brought in some useful pieces. If they sneak into the playoffs, I would not be shocked, but in my view they still need one or two more pieces and a proper blend before you can trust them. Right now, it is impossible to pin them down.
Photo credit: wallpapersafari.com | bwhite
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