With the New York Rangers season officially in the books, the attention is now shifting towards a busy offseason. That offseason began with the final presser by the club on Friday.
During the media availability, head coach Mike Sullivan opened up about the most pressing concerns for the team heading into next season. While it’s easy to say, “Overhaul the entire roster,” Sullivan was much more specific on key needs.
As Rangers insider Vincent Mercogliano reported, Sullivan’s focus is on shoring up depth and the blue line.
I asked Sullivan about offseason needs and he highlighted two areas:
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) April 17, 2026
- Puck-moving D
- Strengthen the bottom 6 with players who can take some of the tough assignments and special teams responsibilities off the plates of their top forwards#NYR
Beyond an obvious observation insofar as a puck-moving blueliner, the bottom six will be an area that the club cannot afford to overlook. The Rangers were as top-heavy as it gets, with very little secondary scoring.
But what seems most telling is finding guys to do the dirty work. Sure, there’s always a place for grinders in the NHL, but the “dirty work” is something everyone should be willing to do, starting with the team’s captain.
Hockey is unique among other sports in which puck battles, those 50/50 ones, are what separates a mediocre team from a great one.
It’s those 50/50 battles that add up throughout the season. As the battles add up, so does scoring and, subsequently, wins.
Sullivan thinks Rangers need to improve offense
Saying that the Rangers need to improve their offense is like saying you need rain in the middle of a drought.
Sullivan made a point of focusing on building the club’s offense next year, specifically finding “guys that can finish.”
I followed up by asking about the top 6 and scoring issues:
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) April 17, 2026
“I do think we have the makings of guys that that can finish and produce offense for us. Obviously, when you look at our overall year, that was one of our challenges. I think we made strides on the other side of the… https://t.co/h2DuZWUeBg
That comment opens up two key points. First, it’s an admission that the current crop can’t score. That shouldn’t be an issue with the overall high-end talent the Rangers have. J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafrenière should be able to “finish.” Trocheck's future with the team is unknown, and if traded, he will need to be replaced.
That said, the second point hinges on the Rangers finding those finishers. There don’t seem to be too many on the free-agent market. That situation means dipping into the trade market. But with the Rangers' lack of ammo, it’s tough to see them prying a 30-goal scorer away from someone else.
Yes, Mike Sullivan made some insightful observations. They were hardly earth-shattering, but insightful nonetheless.
The crucial part of the offseason will be remedying those areas. The Rangers could end up with the first-overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft, landing a top-five pick at worst. It seems that Sullivan has given GM Chris Drury a shopping list for this summer.
Now, it’s just a matter of getting the job done.
Add us as a preferred source on Google