The Rangers are spending the first month of the season trying to patch together a bottom six that keeps falling apart, and the frustration is impossible to miss. Mike Sullivan has been shuffling bodies and combinations just to find enough support for his top scorers, while Joe Veleno went down with a long-term injury early, Jaroslav Chmelař was sent back to the Hartford Wolf Pack after a quiet seven-game run, rookie Cole Beaudoin got a short look, and Taylor Raddysh returned to Broadway after clearing waivers in training camp. Matt Rempe, meanwhile, has been stuck in the Madison Square Garden press box for 12 of the team’s first 14 games.
That mess has only sharpened the sting of one move from June 27.
Chris Drury sent Adam Edström to the Nashville Predators for a 2026 fifth-round pick and restricted free agent forward Massimo Rizzo, then never even gave Rizzo a qualifying offer, letting him reach unrestricted free agency days later. What the Rangers gave up was a 6-foot-7, 232-pound forward they originally drafted in the sixth round, 161st overall in 2019 - and one whose skating made him far more than just a giant body.
Edström’s game has always been built on more than size. He had the kind of edge work that made him stand out, and last season he reached 23.80 MPH, which put him in the 98th percentile of all NHL skaters per EDGE data. Injuries limited him to 35 games in 2025-26, but he still managed five points and was tracking toward new career highs.
Nashville has wasted no time using him. Andrew Brunette has given Edström a real role, and he’s skating just under 15 minutes a night - nearly double what he saw in New York.
Through 14 games, he already has five goals and an assist. If he stays healthy, he’s on pace to blow past his previous single-season bests before Thanksgiving.
The numbers underneath the scoring say this isn’t just a hot streak riding on lucky bounces. Per Evolving-Hockey, Edström owns a 55.36 xGF% and a 48.25 CF%.
His 33.73% actual goal share suggests the puck luck around him has actually been working against him at times, not propping him up. In other words, he’s driving play and winning minutes against top-nine competition.
The Rangers had already shown their hand with the way Sullivan talked about him last season. The coach repeatedly questioned Edström’s consistency, even while the winger was working back from lower-body injuries and the team around him was struggling.
Sullivan said, "I think with Eddie, we would just like to see a little bit more consistency with his game," and added, "What we like about Eddie's game is his size, his strength, his skating ability, his reach. He's a disruptive player, but it has to be consistent.
He's got to skate, he's got to finish checks, he has to make good decisions with the puck. When he plays that way consistently, he’s an effective player.
I think consistency has been the challenge."
Edström’s response was measured. He said, "We’ve had some conversations.
He's kind of told me how he looks at my season, and I got to talk to him and kind of tell him how I felt. At the end of the day, it’s his team, and he decides who plays, so all I can do is respect that."
Now the Rangers are the ones left wishing they had kept him. Nashville has given him what New York never really did: trust, runway, and real minutes. And with the current state of the Rangers’ forward depth, moving on from a fast, physical, scoring 6-foot-7 winger for a fifth-round pick looks worse by the week.
In Other News...
Rangers Make Another Forward Shuffle With One Roster Spot In Focus
The Rangers continued their forward juggling act by recalling Jaroslav Chmelar from AHL Hartford and sending Taylor Raddysh back the other way, another small but telling move as the club keeps sorting through its depth options. Chmelar has already gotten into seven NHL games this season, while Raddysh has had a brief run with the big club after his latest recall, and both have been productive enough in Hartford to stay in the conversation.
For the Rangers, the timing matters as much as the transaction itself. Chmelar is back in the mix after his earlier look at the NHL level, and Raddyshs status gives the team something to weigh as it manages its roster spot and decides who best fits the next stretch of games. The shuffle leaves one opening worth watching, especially with both forwards still trying to turn their AHL production into a steadier role in New York. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face An Early Season Test They Can't Afford To Fail
The Rangers are trying to steady themselves after a rough stretch that has left them searching for traction early in the season. Recent play has put them in a difficult spot in the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference, and the next few days offer a chance to start changing the conversation before the schedule gets tougher again.
Home games against the Blues and Flyers now loom as an important reset before the club heads out on its first major road trip of the season. With Pavel Dorofeyev and Dylan Garand drawing attention for their recent performances, the Rangers have at least a few individual bright spots to lean on, but the bigger question is whether those can translate into the kind of team results they need right away. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers New Remix Jersey Is Already Sparking A Fan Debate
The NHL and Fanatics are rolling out their Hometown Remix jerseys for all 32 teams in the 2026-27 season, and the Rangers version has already given fans plenty to talk about. The design leans into a navy base with stair-step red NEW YORK lettering and a scaled-down Lady Liberty logo over the heart, a look that nods to the franchises identity while still pushing into something a little different from the standard home and road sets.
Around the teams orbit, the reaction has been immediate, with several staff writers at Forever Blueshirts weighing in on what the new sweater gets right and where it might divide the fan base. For a franchise that has long treated its look as part of its brand, even a concept jersey can stir up strong opinions, and this one seems likely to keep drawing them as the rollout gets closer. [Read more 🡒]