The New York Rangers added another Russian forward, Pavel Dorofeyev, to replace Artemi Panarin, and signed Oliver Bjorkstrand in free agency on July 1st. Still, they did little else to upgrade their forward group from last season. Some prospects will get the chance to make the jump, but fans would like to see one more impact winger added through trade or free agency this offseason to increase their optimism heading into the season.
Daily Faceoff currently projects Dorofeyev, Bjorkstrand, Gabe Perrault, and Alexis Lafreniere as the team's top six wingers next season. It's a solid group for Mike Sullivan, but it doesn't give much confidence that they can contend in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, the UFA group is now a bit thin, and barring a trade, New York really has just three options to improve their winger depth.
Vladimir Tarasenko
Vladimir Tarasenko isn't a stranger to the Rangers, but his best days are behind him, which makes this addition to improve the top six a bit of a risk. He did have 47 points in 75 games with the Minnesota Wild last season, a 17-point jump from his year with the Detroit Red Wings in 2024-25, but still a far cry from his post-trade output with the Rangers during the 2022-23 season, when he had 21 points in 31 games.
The bright lights of MSG could inspire the Russian winger to put forth one or two more good seasons, but it would be a risky signing for Chris Drury. He could opt for a younger winger in hopes of reaching a higher ceiling, but the argument against it is that Tolvanen has never reached Tarasenko's total from last year in his first seven seasons.
Eeli Tolvanen
Eeli Tolvanen has been a sought-after asset in the NHL, but his actual output has always left some to be desired. The winger burst onto the scene with the Seattle Kraken in the second half of the 2022-23 season, recording 27 points in 48 games and then eight in 14 playoff games, but has totals of just 41, 35, and 36 points in three relatively full seasons since.
The Kraken, who are starving for offense, left Tolvanen unsigned this summer, which could tell fans everything they need to know about him. But the Rangers could take a chance here in hopes that the Finnish winger can get back to that 2022-23 level.
Patrik Laine
Speaking of risks, there will be no bigger one than the team that takes a chance on Patrik Laine. The winger played just 75 games over the past three seasons, playing just five games for the Montreal Canadiens last season before suffering another injury.
Laine isn't a top-six winger anymore, but one thing he can still do is be a force on the power play. A motivated Laine could add some depth to New York's lineup, but a bottom-six power-play scoring specialist may not be the Rangers' biggest need after losing just four power-play goals combined from last season with the departures of Panarin and Trocheck.
Add us as a preferred source on Google