What a whirlwind of a day it has been for fans of the New York Rangers. First, goaltender Igor Shesterkin is out for the rest of the 2026-27 season. Then, Joe Veleno and Joonas Korpisalo's return to action timelines were announced as being still months away. Now, head coach Mike Sullivan drops a little more water into that bucket of chaos with a lineup change.
The thing is, this change comes on the heels of two pretty important storylines so far in the early part of the 2026-27 season. Pavel Dorofeyev and Alexis Lafrenière have swapped spots on the first and second lines.
Interesting change to the #NYR top six:
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) October 10, 2026
Perreault - Zibanejad - Dorofeyev
Kartye - Miller - Lafrenière
Everything else looks the same.
Alexa, play "Kickstart My Heart" by Mötley Crüe.
Dorofeyev has to get going
Named as one of the Rangers that is sitting on the hot seat, Dorofeyev's hot start has cooled off completely. In six games, he still holds that lone goal and two assists for three points on the season. Not ideal for someone making $11 million AAV this season. He's getting his shots off, but they just aren't finding the back of the net yet.
This change gives Dorofeyev a chance to play alongside Mika Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault, who have both been fantastic this season. Both No. 93 and No. 94 have really anchored that first line, and now Dorofeyev can slide in to hopefully use their chemistry to his own advantage.
Now that Shesterkin is out for the rest of the season and Dylan Garand slides into the starting goaltending spot, for now, No. 16 has to become the goal scorer that general manager Chris Drury paid a fortune for. If not, this season is doomed.
Lafrenière's hot streak can help second line
Nobody on the Rangers has been hotter than Lafrenière, as he has four goals in the past two games. After notching his third career hat trick against the New York Islanders, he was able to score the lone goal for the Blueshirts against the Washington Capitals in the 3-1 loss.
Now, he can take those talents to the second line, consisting of Tye Kartye and captain J.T. Miller. Kartye has been a nice surprise this season, as a physical force. Miller can also really benefit from having Lafrenière on his right, much like he did with Dorofeyev. It can come across as a demotion, but I think it speaks to how Sullivan feels about him and his ability to be an impact player on a line that has been sputtering a bit.
The Rangers need this switch to spice things up, as the season is hanging on by a thread. There is no way that they can rely on Garand all season long, and then Korpisalo when he returns. Dorofeyev has to get back to his usual self and really turn things around, fast.
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