Noah Laba’s rise from uncertain camp body to a locked-in opening night center says plenty about where he stands with the Rangers now.
A year ago, he had to earn every inch. In 2025 training camp, he wasn’t a sure thing to make the roster, but he took advantage of the chance in front of him, appeared in all six preseason games, and played his way into the lineup from day one.
Now the picture is much cleaner: Laba is set as the No. 3 center behind Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller, and he’s expected to help offset the loss of Vincent Trocheck, who was traded to the Utah Mammoth this offseason.
That trust didn’t come out of nowhere. Laba’s rookie season gave the Rangers a steady, useful player down the middle.
He skated in 74 games, saw his role grow as the year went on, and became a regular piece of the penalty kill. The defensive side of his game has already given New York a dependable baseline.
The next step is obvious. Laba has to bring more offense if he wants his game to jump to another level, and the Rangers want to see him do more than the chip-and-chase work he leaned on so heavily as a rookie.
That approach fit his strengths as a forechecker, but the numbers were modest: 24 points, nine goals and 15 assists. He did finish at plus-2, and the organization believes his role will grow again in the 2026-27 season.
Laba sounds ready for that challenge.
“That was a main focal point of my game in college,” Laba said, via Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required).
“Last year, I definitely wish I would have done more of that. But I think coming into this year, just having a little more confidence, that’s a big part of my game.
I want to bring it to this level and try to take the puck through the neutral zone and create time and space for my teammates.”
That cautious style made sense for a rookie who didn’t have much margin for error. He was used lower in the lineup, and he wasn’t going to force plays that could hurt his team.
This season brings a different setup. Laba is positioned as a middle-six skater, still young enough to carry real upside, and he appears likely to start alongside Will Cuylle and Eeli Tolvanen.
That trio has already looked solid in preseason.
The fit could matter beyond just one line. If J.T.
Miller stays with more offensively tilted wingers in Pavel Dorofeyev and Oliver Bjorkstrand, Laba’s group could wind up handling more of the heavy defensive work. That would keep defense at the center of his job, but if he can add more scoring to the package, the Rangers’ ceiling rises with it.
Laba is set up for a breakout season.
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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 🡒]