The Rangers may not be done finding help down the middle, and the next name worth watching could already be in the organization.
Aidan Thompson is not the kind of player who has been getting much buzz, but he fits the profile of a center who could force his way into the conversation. The 24-year-old was acquired quietly at the deadline, and with New York still looking a little thin at center, he has a real opening to make noise in training camp.
That kind of path already worked once for Noah Laba.
Laba entered the 2025-26 NHL season without much attention, then turned heads with an impressive rookie camp and carried that momentum into a strong preseason. Before that, he had put up 58 points in 96 USHL games and 85 points in 100 NCAA games across three seasons. At 21 going on 22, and with a frame listed at 6'3" and 214 pounds, he made himself impossible to ignore.
Thompson’s route looks different, but the broad outline is familiar. He was a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, one round before Laba, and spent time in the USHL with the Lincoln Stars before moving on to the University of Denver.
In the USHL, Thompson posted 34 goals and 82 assists for 116 points in 117 games. In college, he produced 42 goals and 75 assists for 117 points in 120 games over three seasons and helped Denver win a National Championship.
By the numbers, Thompson’s résumé is stronger than Laba’s was at similar stages. He is also smaller, listed at 5'11" and 181 pounds, and he just turned 24 while Laba turns 23 in August. That makes Thompson a more mature player in his development, even if it also makes a sudden breakout less likely.
His pro numbers have been modest so far. Laba had five points in 11 AHL games after finishing at Colorado College. Thompson has gone 8-15-23 in 62 games across three seasons, including 2-5-7 in 18 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack and 6-9-15 in 40 games with the IceHogs.
The bigger picture is what makes Thompson interesting. The Rangers do not have a long list of center options waiting in the wings.
Cole Beaudoin, acquired in the Vincent Trocheck trade, has a strong track record but may need AHL time. Bryce McConnell-Barker and Dylan Roobroeck were both in Hartford last season, though each still has more to prove before becoming an NHL recall option.
Juuso Parssinen has NHL experience, but he does not really fit as a long-term piece. Carey Terrance, part of the Chris Kreider trade, had an underwhelming rookie season in the AHL.
New York signing only Joe Veleno on July 1, instead of chasing a center at or above Trocheck’s level, suggests the club believes someone already in the system can surprise. If not, the other possibility is that the Rangers are betting on landing a true impact center in the next few years and sorting everything out after that.
For now, Thompson is one of the names to keep an eye on. He has the background, the production and the kind of opportunity that can change a roster conversation fast. He still has to go earn it, but the door is open.
In Other News...
Rangers May Already Have Their Top Six Answer In House
J.T. Millers fit in the Rangers top six has become one of the more interesting questions of the summer, and it is easy to see why. After an injury-plagued stretch that included time missed in camp and only 68 games last season, Miller never quite looked like the player the Rangers expected, even though he still managed 17 goals, 36 assists and 53 points. If he comes into the fall healthy and refreshed, though, the case for a rebound is obvious: he has the puck skills, the vision and the history of driving offense that can change the look of a forward group.
Miller is not the only Ranger with a bounce-back angle attached to him, either, which is part of what makes this lineup so intriguing. Mika Zibanejad already showed how quickly a frustrating season can flip into something more productive, and the Rangers are hoping that sort of turnaround can spread through the group around him. With Miller, Zibanejad, Pavel Dorofeyev, Gabe Perreault, Alexis Lafrenire and Oliver Bjorkstrand forming the current projected top six, the real question is how quickly the pieces click and whether Dorofeyev can help unlock Millers playmaking early on. [Read more 🡒]
Which Rangers Actually Matter Most In A Season That Could Break Them
A ranked look at the Rangers most important players for 2026-27 says as much about the teams uncertainty as it does about its talent. The list mixes established names with younger pieces and depth options, all framed around one season only, which matters for a club trying to sort out who can actually carry weight now rather than who might matter later.
The goalie discussion may be the sharpest example of that pressure, with the backup spot looming as a real hinge point behind Igor Shesterkin. Braden Schneider is also in a tricky spot after being used in a sheltered role, and the sense around him is that this is a sink-or-swim year with his place on the roster far from settled, which is exactly the kind of unresolved roster question that can define a Rangers season before it even starts. [Read more 🡒]
Two Rangers Forwards Are Carrying More Pressure Than Anyone
As the Rangers head toward the 2026-27 season, the conversation around their forward group is already turning into a familiar kind of pressure test. Andrew Chelney and Arthur Staple both pointed to the top six as the area under the most scrutiny, with the focus landing especially on the centers who are expected to drive the offense and steady a team trying to get back into the playoff picture.
Gabe Perreault is part of that discussion too, because New York needs his development to keep moving in the right direction after his late-season momentum. The bigger concern is what comes after the top six, where the Rangers do not have much proven scoring depth waiting in the wings, and that leaves the margin for error looking awfully thin if the front end does not deliver. [Read more 🡒]