The New York Rangers will enter the 2026-27 season at a crossroads. The club made a strong push to upgrade crucial areas. For example, the revamped second blueline pairing should give the Blueshirts much more cover and support than last season.
And while the club also added a high-end goal scorer, it may not be enough to lift the Rangers out of mediocrity. That’s the narrative that one pundit has put forth in a recent article in The Athletic.
Harman Dayal took to an August 4 piece in which he expounded on teams risking getting caught in the spin cycle that is the dreaded “mushy middle.”
The mushy middle is a catchphrase that signals teams good enough to make the postseason, perhaps not every year, but which don’t have the wherewithal to make it past the first round.
Overall, the Rangers have a good core. But as Dayal noted, the decent core just isn’t in the same conversation as the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
“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. 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.”
So, there’s a lot to unpack here. The biggest issue has to be the club’s aging core.
Rangers need infusion of high-end talent
Chris Drury has tried to thread a very fine needle with his offseason moves. On the one hand, finally jettisoning Vincent Trocheck allowed the club to recoup Sean Durzi and Cole Beaudoin. Beaudoin is the sort of player who might really turn into something. But that’s no guarantee. The same goes for Noah Laba, Gabe Perreault, Carey Terrance, and even Jaroslav Chmelař.
If all of these players work out, the Rangers could have one heck of a young core. That’s only an “if” at this point. The only prospect who looks close to a sure thing is Alberts Smits. But we shall see.
Beyond that, the Rangers are devoid of the sort of prospects who can really step in and help gradually turn over the roster. Drury will have to find additional picks and prospects to help avoid a full-on retool.
Shesterkin can’t win every game
Yes, there’s always the possibility that Igor Shesterkin could steal enough games to get the Rangers into a playoff spot. That’s entirely plausible, especially if he gets average defense in front of him.
But if the Blueshirts go up against a team like the Tampa Bay Lightning or Carolina Hurricanes in the first round, would they really stand a chance?
That’s what Dayal warns. The Rangers just don’t seem to have the depth needed to compete with someone like Carolina, Tampa, Florida, or even Buffalo in a head-to-head series.
Shesterkin may be enough for an extra five or six wins. But is it a realistic strategy to hope that he can play out of his mind all the way to the Stanley Cup?
Scoring will be an issue again
Scoring will be the biggest issue for the Rangers moving forward. Yes, Pavel Dorofeyev should help. However, he’ll need a lot more help. Perhaps Alexis Lafrenière blows past his current ceiling. Maybe Zibanejad and Miller take a sip from the Fountain of Youth. Perhaps there’s one magical run that can turn the Blueshirts into a serious contender.
The problem is that if the scoring isn’t consistent, much like it was last season, the Rangers could easily turn into a pumpkin well before midnight.
In the end, the Blueshirts will be better next season. The only question is if will be good enough to make the playoffs. And even if they do, will that be good enough to make any serious noise.
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