Admittedly, we're in the dog days of the NHL offseason. The draft is over, free agency has largely run its course, and most of the marquee signings are already in the books. Training camp is still about two months away.
But it's never too early to start looking ahead.
I've already heard more than a few self-proclaimed NHL experts on SiriusXM NHL Network predicting another miserable season on Broadway. Expect plenty of other pundits to echo those same lazy takes over the coming weeks... I see it differently.
From my perspective, Chris Drury quietly assembled one of the more productive offseasons in the league. Between his trades, free-agent additions, and draft haul, the Rangers are in a much better position than many people realize. I firmly believe this roster has the pieces to surprise a lot of people and legitimately challenge for a playoff spot in 2026-27.
But before we talk about what could go right, we need to understand what went so enormously wrong.
The Rangers' season unraveled under the weight of three problems they simply couldn't overcome. It started with disaster, with an early life threating ailment to Vincent Trocheck, coupled with simultaneous midseason injuries to Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin that sent the club into a tailspin it never recovered from. From there, Madison Square Garden became anything but an advantage, with historic home struggles turning one of hockey's toughest buildings into a place opponents expected to win.
When the injuries piled up, the cracks in the roster became impossible to ignore. There wasn't enough scoring depth or top-end support to weather the storm, leaving Mike Sullivan's club buried at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and watching the playoffs from home for a second straight year.
Losing your franchise defenseman and franchise goaltender for extended stretches is enough to derail almost any season. Add in the departure of Artemi Panarin—the Rangers' most dynamic offensive weapon over the previous six years—and it became a perfect storm that Lieutenant Dan couldn’t even navigate. This wasn't just bad hockey. It was bad timing, bad injury luck, and a roster that simply didn't have enough firepower to absorb those losses.
To make matters worse, the Rangers' defensive play was consistently porous, leaving Shesterkin hung out to dry on a nightly basis. Even the best goaltenders in the world can erase only so many mistakes before the dam finally breaks.
Sounds like a ship taking on too much water to stay afloat, right? ... Wrong.
The much-maligned and, in my opinion, unfairly criticized Chris Drury made enough corrective moves to steer this team back in the right direction while the organization’s retool continues to take shape.
The additions of Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson go a long way toward stabilizing the middle pair. They bring physicality, puck-moving ability, and veteran poise to a defense that desperately lacked all three. More importantly, they should cut down on the endless odd-man rushes that left Igor Shesterkin staring into the abyss far too often last season.
Even the third pairing has the potential to become a strength. Braden Schneider enters the season on a one-year prove-it contract, and nothing motivates a player quite like having something to prove. Whether he's skating alongside Matthew Robertson, Drew Fortescue, or eventually fifth-overall pick Alberts Smits, the Rangers suddenly have legitimate competition on the blue line.
The result should be simple: fewer pucks behind Shesterkin and more wins in what remains a very beatable Metropolitan Division. Drury also addressed the forward depth by acquiring Pavel Dorofeyev, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Joe Veleno.
I'll go on record right now: Dorofeyev is a 30-goal scorer, and he could flirt with 40 if he inherits Panarin's spot on the top power-play unit. He owns an elite one-timer, plays with an edge, and has a knack for delivering in big moments.
The projected top line of Gabe Perreault, Mika Zibanejad, and Alexis Lafrenière should continue building on the chemistry they developed late last season. We all saw the significant offensive and statistical strides Lafrenière made once Panarin was completely out of the picture. This upcoming season has the potential to be a true watershed moment in his career.
The real wild card, though, is J.T. Miller.
To his credit, Miller appeared to mature as last season wore on after his leadership was questioned by fans and pundits alike—myself included. If he embraces that leadership role and develops chemistry with Dorofeyev, the Rangers suddenly have another legitimate scoring line capable of making this team far deeper than it was a year ago.
Then there's the bottom six.
This group could become the heartbeat of the team—not because it's loaded with any stars, but because it plays with the kind of identity New York fans embrace. How many times did Will Cuylle, Noah Laba, Tye Kartye, and Jaroslav Chmelař rise Madison Square Garden to its feet by scoring ugly, hard-earned goals late last season?
They're the players who can make The Garden an intimidating building again. Last year's home-ice struggles weren't just about losing games. They were about a lack of personality, effort, and emotion.
New York fans appreciate talent. But they adore effort.
Win or lose, they'll rally behind players willing to empty the tank every night. This bottom six has every opportunity to become a fan favorite while making opponents think twice before chasing a puck into the corner.
And that's before factoring in the organization's young talent. Liam Greentree, Cole Beaudoin, Nathan Aspinall, and Jacob Battaglia are all hungry prospects pushing for NHL jobs. Internal competition makes good teams better.
Finally, here's the biggest reason I believe the Rangers will return to the playoffs.
The unpredictability of the Metropolitan Division.
Outside of the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, the answer is... not many.
·  The Penguins still have Sidney Crosby, and you never count out one of the greatest players to ever lace up the skates. But that roster is aging rapidly.
· The Flyers, Islanders, and Devils will always bring intensity because they're rivals, but none are without significant flaws.
· Then there's Columbus—a team that's perpetually competitive enough to hang around but rarely talented enough to truly scare anyone.
· Washington may be the biggest wildcard. The Capitals have done an excellent job strengthening their forward group, and Alexander Ovechkin continues to defy Father Time. The Russian Machine isn’t broken — but it’s finally showing signs of rust. He’s no longer deployed in defensive‑zone faceoffs, and he often drifts on the power play waiting for the puck to find his stick. Their defense and goaltending remain question marks, and that’s exactly the kind of vulnerability good teams can exploit.
When I put all of this together, I see a Rangers team that's being underestimated. The right pieces are in place to compete for a playoff spot, and I fully expect them to be playing meaningful hockey in the Spring.
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