The Rangers are nearing the finish line of the preseason, and the clock is ticking toward Friday night’s final tune-up against the New York Islanders. Before that, they get one more look Thursday when they meet the New Jersey Devils again, though this time New York won’t be facing many of their regulars.
Even with the preseason winding down, there have been enough encouraging signs to leave room for optimism. The roster picture is getting clearer, the lineup possibilities are starting to take shape, and the Rangers are trying to turn a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference into a run back toward playoff contention.
A big part of that push centers on Pavel Dorofeyev, one of the team’s major offseason additions. He has appeared in just one game so far, but he already flashed the kind of finishing ability New York is banking on.
Against the Islanders in the second preseason game, Dorofeyev buried a shot past Ilya Sorokin for his first preseason goal with the Rangers. It was an even-strength strike, and it offered a clean snapshot of why the team wanted him in the first place.
Dorofeyev arrives with real production on his résumé. Over his last two seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights, he scored 35 goals and then 37 goals. At 25 years old, he brings the kind of scoring punch that can matter for a long time.
A lot of that damage is expected to come on the power play, but the Rangers also need him to deliver at five-on-five. That’s where he’s slated to begin, on a second line with J.T. Miller and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
That trio won’t have much time to build chemistry with a condensed camp and preseason, but there’s enough talent there to make it interesting. If Dorofeyev can be the finisher New York believes he is, he could end up shaping the Rangers’ offense in a big way.
In Other News...
Rangers Gave Fans Real Reason To Feel Good Before Bruins Opener
A strong night against the Islanders gave the Rangers a little preseason momentum as they headed toward the Boston Bruins and the start of games that count. New York jumped early and kept pouring it on in a 6-1 win, with Oliver Bjorkstrand, J.T. Miller, Tye Kartye, Will Cuylle and Mika Zibanejad all getting on the scoresheet while Adam Fox set the tone with three assists.
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 🡒]
Rangers Still Have One Roster Decision Hanging Before Opening Night
The preseason ended on a high note for the Rangers, who rolled past the Islanders 6-1 with a lineup that looked awfully close to what they expect to roll out on opening night. Even with the win serving as a tidy finishing touch, the final roster remains unfinished, with two spots still open as the club heads into the last stretch before the regular season begins.
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 🡒]