The Rangers are heading into a new season with a strange kind of optimism: a team that stumbled badly overall, but still found enough traction late to believe there’s something real to build on.
That belief starts with the stretch after the Olympic break, when New York went 12-10-2. It also comes from the way the roster looked once the season began to tilt toward younger players.
Adam Sykora and goalie Dylan Garand gave the club encouraging minutes, while forward Jaroslav Chmelar and defenseman Drew Fortescue also drew notice. Even Adam Fox, who had previously sounded non-committal about his future, spoke positively about the direction.
Captain J.T. Miller is buying into that energy. After practice and a scrimmage on the first day of training camp Thursday, he said the group wants to carry the end-of-season feel into 2025-26.
"We had a good last little bit of the season last year that we felt good about leaving, and I think we want to build off of that," said Miller, (h/t The Athletic's Vince Mercogliano). "We thought we were harder to play against down the stretch last year.
We had a good start to the season last year with our tempo; we just had trouble putting the puck in the net. It's a new year.
I think we're ready to turn the page from last year. It seemed like the (2025-26) season never ended, and there's a lot of excitement around the room right now.
It’s a good environment."
There was enough to like in the lineup to justify that mood. The top line of Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafrenière, and Gabe Perreault flashed real chemistry, outscoring opponents 14-10 in 27 games together, according to Money Puck. For a fan base trying to find something stable, that trio at least looked like a foundation.
But the Rangers didn’t spend the offseason only looking backward. They also went shopping, and the new faces could crowd out some of the younger players who made their case last year.
Up front, New York added four pieces: Pavel Dorofeyev, who arrives as the team’s new top forward after back-to-back 35-plus goal seasons; Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen, projected for the right side on the second and third lines; and Joe Veleno, who looks lined up as the fourth-line center.
On defense, the Rangers brought in Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi to form a new second pairing after acquiring both in trades. Fifth overall pick Alberts Smits could also force his way onto the roster if he has a strong enough camp. That would put Matthew Robertson and Fortescue in a tougher spot.
For a team trying to climb out of the basement of the Eastern Conference and back into playoff contention in a wide open Metropolitan Division, the margin for error is thin. President and General Manager Chris Drury has pushed hard to reshape the roster, and the payoff has to come.
Miller, meanwhile, has his own burden. The Rangers need him to prove last season was the exception and that he can get back to the level he showed with the Vancouver Canucks and after returning to New York during the 2024-25 season.
In Other News...
Rangers Leave One Big Future Question Hanging Over Gabe Perreault
The Rangers have been careful not to let contract chatter spill into public view, especially when it comes to young players whose futures matter to the organization. General manager Chris Drury has said he would not discuss any contract conversations publicly, and that approach has left the team's plans around extension-eligible players in a bit of a gray area as the front office continues to balance the present with the next wave of talent.
Gabe Perreault fits squarely into that conversation, even if the details are still being kept close to the vest. There has been plenty of outside interest in how New York will handle its young core, but so far the club has not given any public indication of movement on Perreault's situation, which keeps one of the more interesting future questions hanging over the Rangers as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers May Open With An Unusual Goalie Decision Behind Shesterkin
A shortened preseason has pushed the Rangers into an unusual early-season roster conversation, one that starts with Igor Shesterkin in the crease and branches into a messier question behind him. Joonas Korpisalo and Dylan Garand are both in the mix for the backup role, and the organization is weighing whether the safest way to get through the opening stretch is to keep three goalies around instead of making an early cut.
Mike Sullivan has acknowledged the idea as a practical short-term fix, even if it would not be the preferred long-term setup. The wrinkle is that the Rangers do not want to rush into a decision and risk losing Garand on waivers before the season even begins, which leaves the club trying to balance roster flexibility against the possibility of losing a young goaltender for nothing. [Read more 🡒]
Former Rangers First Rounder Just Took The Next Step Away From New York
Brennan Othmanns path away from the Rangers took another step this week, with Calgary signing the restricted free agent forward to a one-year, two-way deal for the 2026-27 season. Othmann finished last season with the Flames after arriving in March 2026 and got into two NHL games down the stretch, giving Calgary a closer look at a player New York once viewed as part of its future.
Now he is expected to be in the Flames training camp this fall, with a spot on the NHL roster still to be earned. If he does not win one, the likely fallback is another stint with the AHL Wranglers, a reminder that the former Rangers first-rounder is still trying to turn promise into a permanent place in the league. [Read more 🡒]