The New York Rangers were one of the more aggressive teams this offseason, trying to both bring in win-now players while also adding some prospects to their pipeline. The hope is that their additions will help propel the Rangers out of the basement of the Eastern Conference and back into playoff contention in what is a wide open Metropolitan Division.
While last season was a disaster for the Rangers, there were some bright spots. There was the top line of Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafrenière, and Gabe Perreault. Then, there was the promising play of some of their prospects like forward Adam Sykora and goalie Dylan Garand. After returning from the Olympic break, the Rangers went 12-10-2.
J.T. Miller believes late season surge will help out Rangers in 2025-26 season
Rangers captain J.T. Miller spoke with reporters on Thursday after practice and scrimmage on the first day of training camp. Miller believes that the Rangers have some momentum carrying over from last season.
"We had a good last little bit of the season last year that we felt good about leaving, and I think we want to build off of that," said Miller, (h/t The Athletic's Vince Mercogliano). "We thought we were harder to play against down the stretch last year. We had a good start to the season last year with our tempo; we just had trouble putting the puck in the net. It's a new year. I think we're ready to turn the page from last year. It seemed like the (2025-26) season never ended, and there's a lot of excitement around the room right now. It’s a good environment."
Yes, while Miller wants to put the previous campaign behind him, he also wants the Rangers to use the positives that emerged. It was notable that their infusion of young players and prospects did help the team out in terms of on-ice results and team morale. The likes of Sykora, Garand, Jaroslav Chmelar, and Drew Fortescue all shined. Heck, even defenseman Adam Fox spoke positively about the direction when he previously appeared non-committal about his future.
There was also the top line of Zibanejad, Perreault, and Lafrenière, with the trio outscoring the opposition 14-10 in 27 games together, according to Money Puck. The chemistry was there, and the fanbase knew that they had their top line set before the offseason.
Rangers have to hope that new additions can help out in 2026-27 season
While they are banking on the momentum from last season, the Rangers also brought in some new additions, ones that are probably going to take spots away from some of the younger players that debuted last season.
The forward group has four new additions. Pavel Dorofeyev was brought in to be New York's new top forward, where he is coming off of back-to-back 35-plus goal seasons. Then there's Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen, who slot in as the right wings on the second and third lines. Finally, there's Joe Veleno, who is likely going to be the fourth line center.
As for the defense, the Rangers have a new second pairing defensive duo in Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi, both of whom were acquired by trade. Not to mention fifth overall pick Alberts Smits could be in line to make the roster as well with a strong enough training camp. So, that could leave the likes of Matthew Robertson and Fortescue on the outside looking in.
For frustrated Rangers fans, they are hoping that these moves made by President and General Manager Chris Drury pan out. If not, the Rangers' contention window could be shut closed for a long time.
As for Miller, he needs to show that last season was an anomaly and that he can return to his usual form, as shown during his time with the Vancouver Canucks and after returning to the Rangers during the 2024-25 season.
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