Sportsnet has released its top 50 NHL players for this 2025-26 NHL season, and three notable New York Rangers stars have landed on the list. The players are ranked in some interesting spots, and may not truly reflect their impact. It is possible the Rangers' poor showing last season has impacted the perception of their players, but they have the chance to prove their critics wrong this season. That said, let's get into the list.
Which Rangers were ranked?
Artemi Panarin, Igor Shesterkin, and Adam Fox were ranked by Sportsnet for their top 50 list. Fox was ranked ahead of Edmonton's Evan Bouchard and behind Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele, putting him in a rather interesting ranking, since most fans would think both the latter two have had better seasons the last few years than Fox.
Meanwhile, Panarin was placed between the two Tkachuk brothers, with Matthew one spot below the Breadman himself, and younger brother Brady ranked 23rd. Shesterkin, on the other hand, finds himself 27th, with two young defensemen in the Stars' Miro Heiskanen and the Sabres' Rasmus Dahlin around him.
Artemi Panarin - No. 24
Panarin scored 37 goals and 52 assists in 2024-25 for a total of 89 points, a decline from his 2023-24 campaign that saw him get 49 goals and 71 assists for 120 points, a career high for the 33 year old veteran winger. Panarin can still deliver despite his age, when many players of a similar position would not be able to replicate such numbers year after year. And of course, the points objective isn't the only thing on Panarin's plate, as he enters the final year of a 7-year, $81.5 million deal with the Rangers. He's definitely a key piece of the Rangers, and they cannot afford to have him go elsewhere if New York wants to make a run at the playoffs next April.
Igor Shesterkin - No. 27
Moving on to Igor, the 29-year-old Russian, much like his compatriot Panarin, had a decent 2024-25 campaign. In 61 games, the goaltender had a 27-29-5 record, posting a 2.86 goals against average and a .905 save percentage. Like Panarin, that's another sizable dip from the previous season, a 36-17-2 record with a 2.58 goals against average and a .912 save percentage. But let's get the obvious out of the way- everyone on the Rangers had a setback year, and that of course includes the big boy names. Still, having a .905 save percentage is pretty good for most goalies, even if the GAA was significantly higher for Shesty this season than in seasons past. But then again, not many goaltenders nowadays can replicate Igor's 2021-22 Vezina Trophy winning campaign of 36-13-4 with a 2.07 GAA and .935 save percentage. Insane stuff.
Adam Fox - No. 37
Now we finish off the details of Sportsnet's top 50 list with Adam Fox, a veteran defenseman that may have had somewhat of a shot at becoming the Rangers' next captain before J.T. Miller was given that letter "C". Fox posted 10 goals and 51 assists for 61 points last season, keeping up his high assist numbers while experiencing a drop in his other offensive statistic, since he had 17 goals last season.
Fox still has talent, despite the drop in performance, being a former Norris Trophy winner in 2021. He was given the award as league's best defenseman in a season where the 27 year old from Jericho, New York posted a season that you normally wouldn't think would win a guy the trophy. Fox managed just a few goals and yet 42 assists that campaign, finishing ahead of other stellar defensemen like Colorado's Cale Makar and Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman. He averaged 24:42 per game that season and was an absolute workhorse who delivered exceptional underlying numbers which bolstered his candidacy.
The New York Rangers' centennial season starts next Tuesday, with an opening night clash against divisional rivals Pittsburgh at 8:00 p.m. It'll be an interesting one as new Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan now finds himself coaching against his old team in the latest chapter between two regional divisional foes.