New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury let it be known back in January that he was planning on retooling the roster. From the trade deadline in March until the start of the offseason in early January, fans got a good look at what Drury meant by retooling the roster.
Gone are players like winger Artemi Panarin, center Vincent Trocheck, and defenseman Will Borgen, and entering are wingers Pavel Dorofeyev and Oliver Bjorkstrand, and defensemen Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson. On paper, the roster looks more competitive than the roster this past season. Given the field in the Metropolitan Division, a playoff spot is certainly feasible for the Rangers. But are they legitimate Stanley Cup contenders?
The Athletic's Harma Dayal looked at seven teams in the NHL that might be stuck in the middle. Unfortunately for Rangers fans, Dayal has the Rangers in that group, saying that while they could make the playoffs, he can't see them going on a deep run. In fact, Dayal believes the Rangers could be locked in as a "'mid' team for the foreseeable future."
The Athletic views the Rangers as a 'mid team' for the foreseeable future
"The current lineup isn’t close to the level of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Sure, there’s a long-shot scenario where Shesterkin steals a series if they squeak into the postseason, but the odds of a deep playoff run feel slim to none," writes Dayal. "The bigger issue is that their core is aging — Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, Fox, Shesterkin and Vladislav Gavrikov are all in their late 20s or early 30s — and there isn’t enough of a strong youth movement coming, as the team’s prospect pool is average and they’ve already traded away two of their next four first-round picks."
One of the main points that Dayal mentions as a reason for the team be stuck in the "middling" category is due to the lack of a deep prospect pool. That is one of the reasons why Drury decided to go with a retool, as the farm system, particularly in the AHL, struggled this past season. As part of their trades, they brought in prospects such as Liam Greentree, Jacob Battaglia, Cole Beaudoin. Not to mention, they used the fifth-overall pick on defenseman Alberts Smits. The hope is that they can contribute on the team in the future and for years to come.
As Rangers fans know, they can never tank if Igor Shesterkin is starting in net. With Shesterkin being one of the top goalies in the game, he is going to try his best to keep the team in games, regardless of how poorly they're playing. Last season was evidence of that.
Adam Fox, meanwhile, seems to have favorable thoughts on the direction of the Rangers. After being noncommittal earlier last season, he pointed to the youth movement on the roster as a positive aspect of the team and that he was looking forward to playing alongside them.
Let's face it, the clock is ticking for the Rangers to contend with both Fox and Shesterkin in the prime of their careers, and are two of the best at their respective positions. Fox is under contract through the 2028-29 season, while Shesterkin is under contract through the 2032-33 season.
So, the hope is that the Rangers can legitimately compete for the Stanley Cup in the near future. Luckily for them, the Metropolitan Division is relatively weaker than that of the Atlantic, so the Rangers could very well steal one of the top three spots.
Rangers are banking on a star breaking loose in the near future
For the Rangers, they did bring in Dorofeyev to be their top scorer, which he showed he can be during the past two years in Vegas. But they obviously still plan on a superstar breaking free at some point. One that would want to play for the Rangers.
This offseason, the Rangers tried to bring in the likes of Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin and Ottawa Senators winger Brady Tkachuk. Unfortunately for the Rangers, they were not on either players' wishlists. So, the Rangers have some work to do to prove themselves they are a worthy destination for any star player, like they were in the past.
There is the possibility that Connor McDavid could want off of the Edmonton Oilers, as he is under contract for only the next two seasons, and has already expressed frustration with the team after they went from reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025, to being eliminated in the first round this year. Make no mistake about it, if McDavid becomes available, every team is going to be in the market for him. The Rangers must prove this season that they are heading in the right direction, and that they are a McDavid away from winning a Stanley Cup.
So, this will be something the Rangers have to build towards this season. As of now, while the team is improved on paper, they don't look like a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.
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