Tiering the New York Rangers training camp roster and identifying key bubble battles

We are inching closer and closer to the official start of the NHL season, and with rookie camp having come and gone with little fanfare, the New York Rangers will begin training camp on Wednesday. The team announced the roster of names participating in the festivities, and now's the perfect time to take a closer look at the roster.

Thursday will be the first on-ice session to get all involved ready for the slate of preseason games next week. With all of that out of the way, here's a quick look at the group of names invited to camp by tiers.

Roster Regulars

Forwards: Oliver Bjorkstrand, Will Cuylle, Pavel Dorofeyev, Tye Kartye, Noah Laba, Alexis Lafrenière, J.T. Miller, Gabe Perreault, Eeli Tolvanen, and Mika Zibanejad

Defensemen: Sean Durzi, Adam Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov, Marcus Pettersson, Matthew Robertson, and Braden Schneider

Goaltender: Igor Shesterkin

As these are the names most fans are familiar with, I will spend the least amount of time talking about them. The above names are those who will be on the roster to start the season no matter what happens. All of these players have clearly defined roles, and the only way they won't be on the team is if they were to get traded.

As to what specific line each will play on... pencil in the pair of Fox and Gavrikov up top, and some combo of Zibanejad, Miller, Perreault, Lafrenière, Dorofeyev, and Bjorkstrand in the top six.

Bubble dwellers

Forwards: Cole Beaudoin, Jaroslav Chmelař, Juuso Parssinen, Taylor Raddysh, Matt Rempe, Adam Sýkora, and Joe Veleno

Defensemen: Vincent Iorio, Alberts Smits, and Urho Vaakanainen

Goaltenders: Dylan Garand, Joonas Korpisalo

This group of players are going to fight for the final spots on the roster. The positions that aren't officially claimed include backup goaltender, seventh defenseman, and the final three forwards on the roster. Fourth-line center, fourth-line wing, and extra forward to be specific.

Raddysh is listed as a bubble dweller because there's a chance the Rangers waive him since he could likely be claimed, and doing that would free up a roster spot for another young player of interest.

Veleno signed a one-year deal in free agency, presumably to be the fourth-line center, but we saw Laba come out of nowhere last year to claim a job. Maybe that could be Beaudoin this year.

Chmelař and Sýkora spent time on the roster last year and were very hard workers. A strong camp could land them a chance to prove they don't belong on the varsity squad. Parssinen is someone who would be fine as a 13th forward, as he is established enough that he can deal with sitting around for extended periods and then be game ready when called upon. Rempe is here because he's likely on his last chance in New York, and he may not longer be a fit for how the team wants to play going forward.

As for defense, the answer to this question comes down to how ready Smits is or isn't. If he shows he can be the real deal, it creates an interesting situation where the Rangers could have a rotating option as the sixth defender on the roster, or it could lead to an interesting trade. Vaakanainen is a known entity, and Iorio was claimed off waivers last year. Both are players the Rangers would like to have a round, but they won't cry if they were to be claimed off waivers.

The most interesting battle, naturally saved for last, involves the backup goalies. Garand was sensational during his short stint with the team, and signed an extension this summer which suggested he was going to be Shesterkin's understudy on Broadway. The trade for a veteran like Korpisalo came out of nowhere, and it sets up an interesting battle. If Garand doesn't make the team out of camp, he is subject to waivers, and there's a good chance he gets claimed.

AHL mainstays

Forwards: Nathan Aspinall, Jacob Battaglia, Anton Blidh, Justin Dowling, Liam Greentree, Brody Lamb, Bryce McConnell-Barker, Dylan Roobroeck, and Aidan Thompson

Defensemen: Dennis Cholowski, Marc Del Gaizo, Jackson Dorrington, Drew Fortescue, and Scott Morrow

Goaltender: Spencer Martin

This group of players are likely going to be the core of this year's Hartford Wolf Pack under Jay Leach and company. There's a number of interesting prospects who are going to be in their rookie season in the AHL, and there are also some trusted veterans who will help them learn the ropes.

While names like Liam Greentree and Nathan Aspinall are most familiar here, given their potential upside, the lack of a top-six role in New York will keep them in Hartford for the time being. Should the Tolvanen and Bjorkstrand experiments not work out, the Rangers could get creative.

Brody Lamb, Bryce McConnell-Barker, and Dylan Roobroeck are youngsters who are returning after playing for the Wolf Pack last year, and Thompson was acquired at the trade deadline and will look to carve out a big role for himself.

The defense group in New York is mostly set, and it will take a number of injuries for one of these names to get promoted. Morrow is likely going to be the first man up, but there's always a chance Fortescue gets some additional run after having a small cup of coffee to end the 2025-26 season.

Just happy to be here

Forwards: Carey Terrance and Glenn Gawdin

Defenseman: William Trudeau

Goaltender: Callum Tung

This section is essentially a group of names I think are taking part in camp to fill out the roster. Terrance was acquired by the Rangers in the Chris Kreider trade, and his first year in the AHL saw him finish with 17 points in 68 games.

There are more interesting forwards in the mix now, and he's someone who his happy to be here. Gawdin is a 29-year-old forward who has spent 471 games in the AHL, and just 13 in the NHL. He's another veteran who has shown he can be productive, but is unlikely to be part of the team's main plans.

Trudeau was a fourth-round pick by the Montreal Canadiens, and he joined the Rangers as the return in the Brett Berard trade. The Rangers have a number of other defenders ahead of him on the depth chart, and he's someone that not many are looking at and/or have expectations for.

Tung is here because the backup to Martin in Hartford will be whoever doesn't get the NHL job. If Garand were to get claimed, Tung could conceivably get a shot. He split last year between the AHL and ECHL, and overall nis numbers weren't great. With Bloomington (ECHL) Tung went 8-9-2 with a 3.10 goals against average and a .907 save percentage.

With Hartford (AHL), Tung went 7-8-1 with a 3.94 goals against average and a .855 save percentage. He looked solid during his one NCAA season of 15 games with UConn, but he will need to turn things around soon to put himself on a path to one day appear in the NHL.

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