Rangers’ roster battle heats up as Noah Laba shines in preseason finale

The Rangers wrapped up the 2025-26 preseason with an uninspiring showing in Boston on Saturday, losing 4-1 and dropping to a final record of 2-3-1 in exhibition play. Not quite what you'd like to see in the first and only game most (if not all) of your opening night roster is skating together, but this is what preseason is for, right?

No one enters the final preseason game already in mid-season form... that is, unless you're a Rangers fan on Twitter.

Feels like February already!

Whether you're one of those fans who must catastrophize any Rangers loss, no matter the time of year, or you're one of those fans who must mercilessly insult the catastrophizers for overreacting, my message is the same to both: just breathe. We've got a long way to go.

Just remember that the 2023-24 Rangers started the year off with a 2-3-1 preseason record as well. That's not to say the preseason is meaningless. There's plenty of helpful information to glean.

Noah Laba has made himself undeniable

I had been one of the bigger skeptics of Laba up to this point. His defensive metrics seemed substandard and it felt like he had a tendency towards playing more "hero ball" than team play. I felt justified after Thursday's even more embarrassing beating at the hands of the Devils, as Laba put on by far his worst performance of the preseason.

That view certainly shifted on Saturday. Playing with and against entirely professional talent, Laba had no problem bouncing back and applying the same kind of intensity he's shown throughout this stretch of games.

Laba finishes preseason play with two goals and four assists in six games. I'm sure Mike Sullivan isn't complaining, but the 22-year-old American has made it as hard as possible for the team's new head coach to send him back to the minors to start the year.

It's time to start paying attention to the injured list.

Sullivan might not have to make that decision on Laba to start the season. At least not immediately. That's because both J.T. Miller and Artemi Panarin were absent again for the preseason finale today.

Panarin was dealing with a lower body injury early in camp and now, according to the team, he's still sitting as he nurses an upper body injury. Not what you want. Miller, meantime, hasn't seen the ice since injuring himself in the most J.T. Miller way possible, lunging during a practice to stop the puck from leaving the zone. He was forced to limp off the ice under his own power.

While the front office has consistently downplayed their situations, they haven't exactly exuded confidence in the pair both being ready to lace up come next Tuesday.

Because of the hilariously and uselessly vague injury disclosure rules in the NHL, it wouldn't be a shock to see both of them in the lineup at MSG on October 7th. It also wouldn't be a shock to see both of them in street clothes. If one of them can't go, though, Laba has earned his chance to step up.

A silver lining is hiding in the box score

It's hard to spin a 4-1 loss, but if you were ever going to try, it might as well be in the preseason.

On the eve of a new season, this is exactly how you want this chart to look. Adam Fox, Vinny Trocheck, Alexis Lafrenière, even Mika Zibanejad all played better than the basic box score would suggest. Perhaps the most telling number about today's game is hidden in net.

Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman apparently woke up on the right side of the bed this morning. He had an expected goals against of 4.41 and somehow only surrendered a single goal. Igor Shesterkin? His xGA was 1.99. The Rangers also heavily outshot the Bruins on the day. Any rational fan shouldn't be freaking out about a mid performance from Shesterkin in a preseason game. He'll get right when the time is right, as he always has.

Sure, there were some alarming trends reinforced today that are certainly worth keeping an eye on, but leave that to the coaching staff. Otherwise, I think it's okay to chalk this one up to some tough puck luck and turn our attention to the big night. The next time this team hits the ice, it'll count.