3 Rangers players to watch in preseason showdown with Islanders

As the Rangers and Islanders face off in preseason, all eyes will be on three players looking to make their mark ahead of the regular season.
New York Islanders v New York Rangers
New York Islanders v New York Rangers | Bruce Bennett/GettyImages

The next rendition of the New York Rangers 2025-26 preseason schedule goes down on Monday night with another feud with the New York Islanders on Long Island. This is the second of the home-and-home series, with both teams teetering toward making final decisions on the opening night roster.

With the lineup announced, it seems like this might be the final chance for a lot of the hedge players before either staying on or being sent down to Hartford.

Here are three of the players to watch on that list, and how important this game is to them. The best part about these three is that even though they won't be together, one day they could very well make up the next version of "The Kid Line".

Brennan Othmann

Brennan Othmann is probably the front-runner of this group to make it onto the opening night roster. He has shown maturity in his game this preseason and training camp, and that has boosted his placement on this team.

The Rangers are in need of left wingers, and with his skill set, he makes a perfect addition to the third line with a center like Juuso Parssinen or even another name that could be further down the list for the regular season. He will have a lot of eyes on him against the Islanders.

Brett Berard

Another young gun that should be on your watch list against the Islanders is Brett Berard, who was not afraid to use his body in the last meeting between these two teams.

Berard had a great run last season and continues to show it in the preseason. He can easily slide in and out of the lineup once the regular season comes, and should be a must-watch against the Islanders.

Noah Laba

Remember that center earlier that could be paired with Othmann, insert Noah Laba. This kid has been electric in his short time with the Rangers this preseason and training camp.

Laba has shown quite a bit of skill in his game, notching an assist against the New Jersey Devils, two assists against Boston, and then another assist in the most recent meeting against the Islanders. He has caught the eye of Vincent Trocheck, and this could be a mentorship/student-type situation that could be very beneficial for the Rangers.

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