The New York Rangers haven't had the smoothest of starts so far in the 2025-26 season. They had a rough first seven games at Madison Square Garden, going winless. Yet, they are one of the best road teams in the NHL, going 9-1-1 so far this season as the away team. Thus far, the team is 10-8-2, good enough for 22 points through 20 games.
The Rangers' outlook looks much better than it did at the very start of the season. But there is still room for improvement for them to really take that next step, with Mike Sullivan leading things behind the bench and Chris Drury from the front office.
Here are three moves the Rangers should consider after getting a month into the season.
Trade for a bottom six center
One of the Rangers' big issues so far early this season has been their inabiility to score. Most of those struggles happened at home, but overall, the team had one of the lowest goals per game averages across the entire league. It was a major cause of concern.
Things have gotten a bit better for the Rangers, especially since center Vincent Trocheck made his return from an injury suffered in the second game of the season. Since returning, the offense has its chemistry back. But, they could still use help on the bottom line, especially at center.
The Rangers saw some early success from prospect Noah Laba, who impressed the team enough in training camp to earn a spot on the regular season roster. Laba has three goals and three assists in 20 games played thus far in the season. The other bottom six center the Rangers have is Sam Carrick, who has one goal and four assists to his credit.
The Rangers could stand to add a bottom line center to add more points to the board. Whether that comes from AHL Hartford or elsewhere.
Find someone to fill the role of offensive defenseman
If there is one thing that the Rangers have improved on since Sullivan took over, it's their defense. The team overhauled it a bit by moving on from K'Andre Miller and bringing in Vladislav Gavrikov on a seven-year, $49 million contract in free agency. Gavrikov has been paired with Adam Fox and is one of the top defensive pairings in the NHL. Plus, Will Borgen has turned out to be a diamond in the rough for the Rangers, and is one of the best defenders in the league.
Through 20 games this season, the Rangers defense has allowed just 2.45 goals per game, which is the second best in the entire NHL. That is a shutdown defense.
But if there's one role the Rangers need, it's to bring in a scoring defenseman. Fox is the leading points-getter on defense, earning 16 points (three goals, 13 assists). The next top scoring defenseman is Gavrikov with six (two goals, four assists).
Maybe Scott Morrow could fill that void for the Rangers as Borgen works his way back from the injury. But the most points Morrow has put up in a season is six through 14 games in the 2024-25 season.
Acquire a top six forward
The Rangers' main issue has been the lack of scoring at the start of the season. During their seven game home losing streak, the Rangers were shutout five times. Granted, the Rangers only had Trocheck for one of those games due to an upper body injury.
Looking for a spark, the Rangers called up top prospect Gabe Perreault to provide a spark in the top six. Perreault didn't make much of an impact with the Rangers on the top line, as he recorded one assist in three games with 39:01 total minutes of ice time. Perreault was sent back down to Hartford this past weekend in a move to bring up Morrow. Perreault could probably do for a bit more playing time in the AHL before receiving another call-up.
The offense has been rejuvenated with Trocheck back in the top six and with Artemi Panarin shaving his hair. But if they want to further improve the offense, they could stand to add a top six forward by the trade deadline. Let's be real here, all the great options in free agency next summer are off the board. If the Rangers want to make a splash for a push towards a Stanley Cup title, it's at the trade deadline. Names like Steven Stamkos and Ryan O'Reilly are recent forwards who have shown up in trade rumors. Could these be the names that the Rangers pursue to help improve their offense?
Either way, the Rangers should explore external options to improve their offense.
There is still so much time left in the season, and the Rangers have been trending in a positive direction as of late. But for fans, they want to see some consistency with their better play. Regardless of how the season goes, if the Rangers are still in the hunt for a playoff spot, they will need to make a splash if they want to contend for the Stanley Cup.