The Rangers are only five games into the season, but the change in tone around this group is already obvious.
Last year, New York kept talking about confidence while the results on the ice told a very different story. This time, the words match the way the Rangers are playing. They’ve won four of their first five games, taken all three at home, and Mike Sullivan says that early success is doing exactly what a good start is supposed to do.
“I think it makes a world of difference. When you can stack wins on top of another it breeds confidence, and confidence is required to have success,” Sullivan explained Thursday.
“So, I think the group’s done a great job buying in to the team game, and everyone’s accepting of the roles we’ve cast them in. There’s a level of enthusiasm around the group that, for me, is a whole lot of fun to be a part of, and we can feel it.
“When we go out and play games, it’s tangible.”
That’s the key word right now: tangible. The Rangers aren’t just saying the right things.
They’re carrying themselves like a team that believes in what it’s doing. The bench energy is there, the on-ice buy-in is there, and opposing teams are feeling it too.
Braden Schneider echoed that after practice Thursday.
“I definitely feel the confidence. We feel good pretty good about ourselves,” the defenseman said.
“Starting at home the way we have is something that we really wanted to happen. To see us getting it done and keep that vibe coming into camp going is a really good sign.”
Still, nobody inside the room is pretending this means anything has been solved. The Rangers have been down this road before. Two years ago, they opened 5-0-1, ripped off a four-game winning streak, climbed to 12-4-1 by Nov. 19, 20024, and then watched it all unravel as they missed the playoffs one season after winning the Presidents’ Trophy.
That was a different team, and the source of that collapse went well beyond the standings. There were issues behind the scenes, a lot of bad juju, and the roster eventually got turned over. General manager Chris Drury took heat for how he handled players and relationships, but he has also done a better job this time around, putting together a mix of youth and veterans that has made the Rangers the youngest team in the NHL.
Even with the hot start, the caution lights are still on. Five games is nothing in an 84-game season, and Schneider made that clear too.
“Vibes are good, for sure. But it’s still early. We’ve got to keep working, keep getting better, and keep playing good hockey,”
Elsewhere around the Rangers beat, John Kreiser’s notebook column includes notes from Sullivan’s post-practice session Thursday and a tidbit from Elliote Friedman about the Rangers’ prior interest in Connor Zary, who cleared waivers and was assigned to the AHL by the Calgary Flames.
Colin Stephenson of Newsday also told Forever Blueshirts that Chris Drury deserves credit for a “good summer” that helped fuel New York’s fast start to the 2026-27 season. Mika Zibanejad, meanwhile, explained what the Rangers are doing so well through five games and stressed that, as good as it looks, it’s still early.
Around the league, Pierre LeBrun reported on TSN that at least 10 teams checked in with the Detroit Red Wings about unsigned 23-year-old defenseman Simon Edvinsson, including the Boston Bruins.
Other NHL notes: Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis took a major step in his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery when he was cleared for contact, the New Jersey Devils placed veteran forward Stefan Noesen on waivers, and TSN’s Insider Trading panel discussed the future of unsigned free-agent forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who reportedly fired his agent this past summer and turned down a low-salary offer from the Florida Panthers in July and still does not have an NHL job.
Sportsnet also reported that William Eklund left the Ottawa Senators’ 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers with a lower-body injury.
In Other News...
Rangers Hot Start Already Comes With One Third-Line Concern
The Rangers 4-1-0 start has given them plenty to feel good about early in the 2026-27 season, but the third line has already become a spot worth watching. Noah Laba, coming off his rookie year, has had a quieter second turn so far, and the lines overall impact has not quite matched the pace of the team around it.
New York has also brought up Cole Beaudoin, and his first NHL game offered enough promise to make him part of the conversation going forward. If he keeps building on that debut, the Rangers could have a real decision to make about how they want that third-line mix to look, which is not a bad problem this early in the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers May Have Found Defensive Stability Faster Than Anyone Expected
Alberts mits has already become a notable part of the Rangers early surge, stepping into the lineup and helping steady the back end while the team has gone 4-1 in the five games he has played. The young defenseman has handled meaningful minutes right away, and the organization seems to be seeing exactly the kind of calm, reliable play it hoped would come as he adjusts to the NHL.
Mike Sullivan has not treated mits like a protected rookie, either, giving him nearly 15 minutes a night and trusting him in regular defensive work instead of hiding him from tougher situations. For a player still learning the league, the speed of that transition matters, and it suggests the Rangers may have found more stability on defense sooner than they expected. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Blue Line Suddenly Looks Like A Real Strength Again
The Rangers spent the offseason trying to rebuild the back end, and early on it looks like the plan is paying off. Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson arrived in separate trades, while rookie Alberts Smits joined the organization as a first-round pick, giving New York a very different look on defense from the group that was leaned on so heavily last season. The result has been a steadier, more balanced lineup that has helped fuel a four-game winning streak after the season-opening loss.
Adam Fox is also part of why the blue line feels less overtaxed, with the Rangers able to spread responsibility more evenly across the defense corps. The improved structure has taken some pressure off the top pair and given New York a better defensive rhythm overall, which is exactly what the team was hoping to find when it reshaped the unit this summer. The real question now is whether that early stability can hold once the schedule stiffens and the minutes get heavier. [Read more 🡒]