The New York Rangers are just a day away from starting the 2025-26 National Hockey League regular season, and are looking to turn the page on everything that went wrong last season. The preseason is over, and the team went 2-3-1 with a minus-four goal differential, but there's more to their performance that those top line numbers. It was only a six game sample, but let us get into some interesting takeaways looking at the underlying numbers.
Conor Sheary is serious about his NHL comeback
Sheary is attempting an NHL comeback after spending most of last season in the American Hockey League. He was given a PTO to join the Rangers early on in the summer, and he made the most of his preseason opportunities. Per Natural Stat Trick, Sheary posted a 64.47 Corsi for percentage, a 60 goals for percentage, and a 76.69 expected goals for percentage in 51:12 of play at 5v5. The key point here is that it is a very small sample, but these are the type of numbers you'd want to see from an NHL veteran at this time of year. He was a key contributor for the Pittsburgh Penguins when Mike Sullivan coached the squad to a Stanley Cup, and Sheary hopes he can have a similar impact for New York.
Alexis Lafrenière has been more responsible defensively
Lafrenière's defensive game hasn't been the strongest in his career to date, but that is something that will need to change under Sullivan. He appeared in three games for the Blueshirts, and his slash line of underlying numbers were solid. He posted a 62.50 CF%, a 50 GF%, and a 66.08 xGF%. His sample reflects 39:43 of game action, hardly anything conclusive. But when you marry the ice test of watching him with the recorded data, there's reason to be encouraged. The hope is that a two-way game can help him generate more offense, and that would be a huge positive for the Blueshirts.
Gabe Perreault's assignment to Hartford was justified
Offensively there was a lot to like about Perreault and his instincts and aggressiveness are things that will really help the Rangers at some point. That said, the brain trust made the right call deciding he needed to develop more in Hartford. Perreault logged 73:37 in five games, and he posted a 44.37 CF%, a 66.67 GF%, and a 47.99 xGF%. Defensively there are things he can work on in terms of positioning, and that will come with experience. He spent just five games in the NHL last season after concluding his NCAA career with Boston College, and the AHL is a proper step up in talent to get him ready for pro hockey.
Laba has a lot of heart, but an assignment to Hartford wouldn't be worst decision
Laba is in a similar situation to Perreault, with the exception that he's already played some AHL games. He appeared in every preseason game for the Rangers, and in 74:49 he posted a 44.09 CF%, a 50 GF%, and a 46.56 xGF%. He plays with a lot of heart and energy, and exceeded any expectations that were assigned to him this preseason, but going to Hartford could do him a lot of good.
Taylor Raddysh didn't make a noticeable impact
The Rangers signed Raddysh this summer to a two-year deal to be a contributor in the bottom six. He tallied 27 points for the Washington Capitals last season, and also had 37 points for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022-23. In theory the move made sense given that coaching change, as Sullivan like to have veteran players he can lean on. But in the case of Raddysh, his initial results weren't all that inspiring. In four games he logged 52:39, and he posted a 43.18 CF%, a GF% of 0, and a 46.38 xGF%. Once again, this is a limited preseason sample. There is every chance he turns it on once the games are for real, but he's a player to keep an eye on. If he's not carrying his own weight, it wouldn't be shocking to see him end up on waivers later on this season.
Braden Schneider is still pretty rusty
Schneider had surgery during the offseason to fix a torn labrum that had been ailing him since the 2022-23 season, and part of his recover was staying off the ice for most of the summer. For that reason, it is understandable that Schneider looked pretty rusty during the preseason. He logged 51:18 across three games, and posted a 38.14 CF%, a GF% of 0, and a 31.00 xGF%. The organization thinks highly of Schneider and will look for ways to get him back on track, and he's a player to keep an eye on early on in the season to see how quickly his game comes along, or doesn't for that matter.
Matt Rempe had a big summer, he's still pretty raw as a player
Rempe put in the work this summer to improve his conditioning, get leaner, and work on his skills to be a more effective hockey player so that he wasn't looked at as just an enforcer. He appeared in five preseason games and logged 54:12 at 5v5, and the results weren't great. The Blueshirts' behemoth posted a 35.87 CF%, a 25.00 GF%, and a 31.64 xGF%. The expectations aren't high for Rempe, and there's every reason to believe he will get a chance to prove himself to Mike Sullivan. But if this type of play continues, the organization will have to think about whether or not he continues to deserve a spot on the roster.