The Rangers’ 2026-27 blue line and goaltending picture already has a different feel to it, and the changes are hard to miss. New faces are set to reshape the back end, while Igor Shesterkin remains the steady force in net as New York tries to move past a rough 2025-26 regular season.
At the top of the defense, Vladislav Gavrikov looks like the kind of workhorse every team wants. He’s heading into his second season with the Rangers after signing a seven-year, $49 million deal in free agency last offseason, and he’s fresh off a career year with 14 goals and 35 points.
Gavrikov led all Rangers defensemen in ice time at 23:44 per game, and that workload should be there again this season. He’ll be leaned on at five-on-five and on the power play, and if Adam Fox stays healthy, that pairing could become one of the league’s best.
Fox, of course, is still the player who can tilt the ice when he’s available. Injuries limited him last season, including shoulder and upper-body issues, but he still produced 53 points in 55 games and averaged 23:38 of ice time per night. He also scored five power-play goals, and with better health, he should remain a major driver for the Rangers’ top unit.
Behind those two, the Rangers brought in Marcus Pettersson on July 1, and the fit makes sense. Head coach Mike Sullivan knows him well from their time together in Pittsburgh, where Pettersson spent parts of seven seasons.
He’s not coming to New York to light up the scoreboard. His value is in the defensive side, where he has built a reputation as one of the more dependable shutdown players around.
Sean Durzi gives that group a different look. He arrived as part of the Vincent Trochek trade that sent Trochek to the Utah Mammoth, and he should slot next to Pettersson on the second pair.
Durzi brings more offense than Pettersson does, which gives the Rangers a more balanced look in that spot. Health has been the issue, though, since he has played only 90 games over the past two seasons.
When he’s on the ice, he profiles as a useful second-pair defenseman.
The third pair appears to be headed toward a battle, but Matthew Robertson seems to have the edge for now. He got into 72 NHL games last season and logged 17:24 per night, which is a solid base for a young defenseman trying to carve out a permanent role.
Braden Schneider is also in that mix, and the Rangers have long hoped he could grow into a top-four option after taking him 19th overall in the 2020 Draft. That hasn’t happened yet, and he’s likely to settle into a third-pair role again.
Still, he has been remarkably durable, missing just three games over the last four seasons, and with restricted free agency looming at the end of the year, he’ll have plenty to play for.
In goal, the biggest competition may come behind Shesterkin. Dylan Garand looked like he might get a full-time NHL shot after making his debut last season and going 2-0-1 with a .948 save percentage. But the Rangers added Joonas Korpisalo in a trade with the Boston Bruins, turning the backup job into a camp battle.
Korpisalo brings experience and numbers that suggest he can handle the role. He went 28-14-9 with Boston last season and is entering the fourth year of his five-year contract.
If he wins the backup job, Garand could spend more time developing in the American Hockey League. If Garand takes it, the Rangers could have another young piece stepping into a meaningful role.
Shesterkin remains the anchor. His 25-19-6 record last season wasn’t his best, but his 2.50 goals-against average was his strongest since he won the Vezina Trophy after the 2021-22 season. With better support in front of him and a healthier year, he could be in position for a big season as the Rangers try to climb out of the basement of the Metropolitan Division.
After finishing last in the Metro in Sullivan’s first year behind the bench, New York has clearly tried to reshape both the defense and the crease. There’s still room for a prospect or two to force the issue, but as things stand, the Rangers look deeper and more stable than they did a year ago.
In Other News...
J.T. Miller Trade Talk Puts Rangers Direction Back In Focus
The idea of the Rangers moving J.T. Miller is the kind of trade chatter that instantly says as much about the teams direction as it does about the player. Minnesota is looking for a top-line center, and Miller naturally fits the conversation, but the speculation remains just that. There is no sign he is unhappy in New York, and nothing pointing to a deal being close, which is why the discussion feels more like a reminder of where the Rangers sit in their roster cycle than a real transaction watch.
Still, the fact that Miller is even being used as a theoretical trade piece speaks to the larger conversation around the Rangers and the next phase of the roster. The organization has been weighing a retool around younger players, and that puts every veteran name in a different light, especially with a club like the Wild also kicking around other elite center targets such as Dylan Larkin. For now, the Miller talk is more about philosophy than movement, but it is the sort of idea that keeps the focus on what New York wants to be next. [Read more 🡒]
Scott Morrow Gives Rangers Upside And A Tough Roster Decision
Scott Morrow arrives with the kind of profile the Rangers have had reason to covet for a while: a 23-year-old defenseman with real puck-moving ability, some NHL experience and enough offensive touch to hint at more. Acquired in the K'Andre Miller trade, Morrow split last season between 29 NHL games and time with the Hartford Wolf Pack, and his game now sits at the familiar crossroads for young blue liners trying to stick in New York.
The upside is obvious, but so is the roster squeeze. Morrow has to show he can tighten things up defensively if he is going to carve out a lasting role, and the Rangers are also facing a difficult decision about how much patience they can afford with a player whose long-term fit is still very much in question. For a team that wants help on the back end, he is both a potential answer and a reminder that not every promising piece comes with a clean path forward. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Top Line Puts Real Pressure On Mika Zibanejad Again
Mika Zibanejads 2025-26 season did a lot to quiet the noise around his role, but it also set up the next round of lineup questions for the Rangers. With Alexis Lafrenire coming off a stronger finish to last season and Gabe Perreault showing the kind of playmaking touch that can change the shape of a line, there is real pressure on the long-time center to keep anchoring the top group as the club looks ahead to 2026-27.
What makes the situation especially interesting is how naturally those three profiles fit together on paper. Zibanejad still brings the finishing ability and leadership the Rangers have leaned on, Lafrenire is trending toward a bigger offensive impact, and Perreault adds the creative element that could unlock more chances for everyone. The projections suggest a line with real upside, but they also leave open the bigger question of how the Rangers choose to balance their most established forward with two players pushing for larger roles. [Read more 🡒]