Mike Sullivan may have already made one of the clearest calls of Rangers camp, and it comes with a simple message: keep Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller fresher for the moments that actually swing games.
With two preseason games left before the 2026-27 season gets rolling, Sullivan has started reshaping his penalty-kill group, and the most notable change is who’s no longer taking primary shorthanded reps. Zibanejad and Miller, both major pieces of last season’s units, were left off PK Day.
“My hope is that we can take some of those minutes away from J.T. and Mika,'' Mike Sullivan said. "And I think if we do, we'll have the ability to get a better version of them."
They will play PK, Sullivan said. Just, hopefully less.
That’s the right idea for a team trying to squeeze more out of its top centers without running them into the ground. Zibanejad and Miller are at their best when they’re driving offense, not spending shifts trying to survive against a power play. The Rangers need their energy pointed toward scoring chances, power-play work, and late-game 5-on-5 situations where skilled centers can tilt the ice.
The replacement plan is where things get interesting. This shift doesn’t simply hand those minutes to Noah Laba and Joe Veleno without consequence. Those are the names now in line to absorb more of the penalty-killing load, and both will have to adjust quickly if this becomes a real season-long change.
Still, the payoff is obvious. If Sullivan can trim even a few minutes of that shorthanded grind from Zibanejad and Miller, it could leave them sharper for the bigger spots in a game.
That’s especially important for two players with a history of clearing the 30-goal mark. Their value is in offense, not in spending extra time trying to keep the puck out of their own net.
There’s also a larger roster question baked into the move. The Rangers are still sorting through what this team is going to be, and Sullivan’s tweak feels like part of that process.
Maybe this group pushes into contention with another move or two. Maybe this is the roster that gets them back in the mix as is.
Either way, changing the special teams setup is a meaningful first step. It gives the Rangers a chance to protect their best centers, test out Laba and Veleno in bigger roles, and maybe get more from the players who matter most when the game is on the line.
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For a team trying to build some early confidence, it was the kind of performance that checked a lot of boxes without asking the staff to read too much into the result. The Rangers have now strung together two straight preseason wins, and after the offensive showing on Long Island, they have at least given their fans a reason to feel better about where things stand before the opener in Boston. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes the wait interesting is the shape of the roster itself. New York has already trimmed its camp group and is still staring at a shortage of clear center options, which has fueled the idea that the answer could come from outside the organization. The waiver wire is part of the conversation now, and the next move may say as much about the teams depth concerns as the preseason finale did about its top-end readiness. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face One Season-Defining Question Heading Into 2026-27
The Rangers head toward 2026-27 with a much cleaner-looking backbone than they have had in recent seasons. Between Adam Fox, Vlad Gavrikov and Igor Shesterkin, the club has the kind of defensive and goaltending structure that can keep games manageable, and that is usually the starting point for any team trying to steady itself in the East.
Still, the real question is whether the rest of the roster can do enough to turn that stability into wins. New Yorks season could swing quickly depending on health and the growth of its younger forwards, with the gap between a playoff berth and a frustrating year likely resting on whether the offense finds enough consistency to support the pieces already in place. [Read more 🡒]