Brett Berard is one of the many young forwards who will compete for a spot on the New York Rangers' 2025-26 roster, and a recent update suggests that he will be in a much stronger position to do so this September.
Berard is participating in Thursday's Shoulder Check Showcase in Stamford, and he met with some media before the charity benefit to give an update on his health status.
Brett Berard tore his labrum in November. He said he didn’t need surgery but had to rehab. That’s why he pulled out of Worlds.
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) July 24, 2025
“It stunk, but I was rooting for everyone there.” Said he was pumped to see them win gold.
#NYR Brett Berard said he tore his labrum in his shoulder during the season, which lingered and forced him to pull out of Worlds this offseason.
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) July 24, 2025
Surgery wasn’t needed, he’ll be ready for training camp. pic.twitter.com/NfzapTwwpg
Berard made his first appearance of the season on November 25th in a 5-2 loss vs. the St. Louis Blues in which he tallied an assist in 11:13 of playing time. He scored the next game against the Carolina Hurricanes and was kept off the scoresheet for the final two games of the month. Given that Berard had been recent added to the team, it makes sense why he was trying to play through the injury to preserve his spot, but it was a pretty silly decision in hindsight.
He went on to skate in 35 total games for the Rangers this season, and had a line of 6-4-10 while averaging 10:43 per night. Berard burst onto the scene in a big way for the Hartford Wolf Pack during his 2023-24 rookie season, and he finished the season with a line of 25-23-48 in 71 regular season games. Berard went on to add 6 points in 10 playoff games for the Pack.
This past season he had a line of 9-14-23 in 30 games with the Wolf Pack before he made the jump to the NHL level. The Blueshirts' 22-year-old left wing plays with a lot of heart, and is always looking to impact the game in a way that exceeds his 5'9" and 174 pound frame.
It is great news for the team that he didn't need surgery to fix what was ailing him, and the positive spin on this news is that Berard might have another level to get to next season if he's playing with full health. At times it looked like Berard was out of his element, and while some of that could be him adjusting to the NHL game, holding back a little bit because of an injury would explain some of his struggles.