The Rangers’ clearest opening back into the playoffs may not come from within their own locker room. It may come from the division they play in.
New York is trying to bounce back from a brutal 2025-26 season that ended with the Rangers in last place in the Eastern Conference, a stunning fall even after bringing in Mike Sullivan as head coach. That came after a previous year of dysfunction and a lost locker room, and before that they were just two wins shy of reaching the Stanley Cup Final two years ago, only to be knocked out by the eventual champions, the Florida Panthers.
This offseason, general manager Chris Drury tried to attack the problem from both sides. The Rangers added to the prospect pipeline while also making moves aimed at helping right away.
That included a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights for winger Pavel Dorofeyev, plus a revamped second defensive pair with Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi. The idea is simple enough: give this roster more depth, more structure, and a better shot at getting back into the postseason.
And the landscape around them helps.
The Metropolitan Division looks wide open behind the Carolina Hurricanes, who remain the team to beat. Carolina is the Stanley Cup champion and is bringing back pretty much the same roster it had last season. Even with goaltending questions, the Hurricanes should be viewed as a lock to make the playoffs and a strong favorite to win the division for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
After that, things get messy in a hurry.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers were the surprise teams last season, finishing second and third in the division and reaching the playoffs. But Pittsburgh is still carrying an aging core with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang.
The question is whether that group can hold up over a full season. Philadelphia, meanwhile, got real production from Trevor Zegras and Dan Vladar, and now has to prove those gains can carry over into a second season.
The Flyers also didn’t make a major splash this offseason, which leaves their young talent under the spotlight.
The Washington Capitals might have had the loudest offseason of the bunch. With this potentially being Alex Ovechkin’s last hurrah, they loaded up their forward group by adding Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, and Boone Jenner.
That is a serious amount of firepower on paper. But as always, offseason headlines don’t win anything by themselves.
Then there are the Devils, who stacked more talent up front with Luke Evangelista and Anthony Mantha, but still have a major question mark in goal. The Islanders are banking on big seasons from Matthew Schaefer and Ilya Sorokin, while hoping Brayden Schenn can deliver in his first full year in New York. And the Blue Jackets are trying to win now before Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko decide they’ve had enough, for real this time.
That’s why the Rangers can look at the Metro and see a path. If they stay healthy, get what they need from their offseason additions, and receive another strong season from Igor Shesterkin, they have a real chance to climb back into playoff position. They should be grateful they’re not staring at the Atlantic.
Because the Atlantic Division is a different kind of grind.
Last season, it sent five teams to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Sabres broke through for the first time in 14 seasons, won the Atlantic Division championship, beat the Bruins in the first round, then fell to the Canadiens in seven games in the second round.
Montreal kept rolling to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing in five games to the Hurricanes. Tampa Bay had Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy and still got bounced by Montreal in the opening round.
Boston and Ottawa both got in as wild cards and were sent home immediately.
And this offseason only made things rougher.
The Panthers added Brady Tkachuk and Jacob Markstrom as they chase another title. The Senators replaced Tkachuk with William Eklund.
The Maple Leafs won the draft lottery and took top prospect Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick, then added Darren Raddysh, a defenseman who can help offensively. The Sabres are also in the mix for Connor Hellebuyck, which would only raise their ceiling.
Detroit may be staring at the bottom of the division, especially with the uncertainty around Dylan Larkin and his trade request, along with the absence of a general manager.
So when the Rangers look at the two division races, the difference is pretty clear. The Metro is manageable if New York does its part.
The Atlantic is packed with legitimate contenders and at least one team that looks headed for the lottery. That’s a much harder road.
On paper, this Rangers roster should be better than the one that finished dead last in the East. Now it has to show it. If the pieces fit and the team plays solid all-around hockey, a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2024 is there for the taking.
In Other News...
Rangers Still Have One Lineup Debate That Could Shape Everything
The Rangers forward puzzle is starting to come into focus as the season approaches, and the most interesting part is still the one that could influence everything else. There are already plenty of moving pieces to sort through, from Will Cuylles role to how the team balances speed, skill and size, but the conversation around the top six has a different feel because it is less about filling spots and more about finding a combination that actually clicks.
J.T. Miller sits at the center of that discussion, with the Rangers weighing different ways to build around him and make the rest of the lineup fit. There is also the matter of Matt Rempe, whose expected return adds another layer if he is healthy, since his size and presence could change the look of the team in a hurry. For a club trying to settle its identity before opening night, the unanswered question is not just who plays where, but which version of the Rangers they want to be. [Read more 🡒]
Jaroslav Chmela Is Giving The Rangers A Real Bottom-Six Decision
Jaroslav Chmela has turned a once-for-future conversation into a real roster question for the Rangers. The 21-year-old prospect has steadily improved, and his recent NHL call-up left enough of an impression that the coaching staff is now treating him as more than a depth name in camp. With the organization still trying to sort out the bottom six, he has become one of the more interesting players on the board.
The wrinkle is that the Rangers do not have to force the issue right away, especially with Hartford reshaping its coaching setup to help prospects keep moving forward. Chmelas development path is clearly trending up, but the next step could still come either in New York or back with the Wolf Pack, depending on how the final decisions shake out. For a player who has earned more attention with each look, that makes the coming days worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Adam Fox Puts Real Pressure On This Rangers Retool
As the Rangers head into a roster retool after finishing last in the Eastern Conference, Adam Fox sits at the center of the conversation whether the team likes it or not. He is still their top defenseman and is under contract for three more years at $9.5 million per season, which makes him both a cornerstone and a difficult piece to separate from any bigger rethink by general manager Chris Drury.
Fox did not exactly slam the door on his future when the questions started coming during the season, but he also did not offer the kind of firm commitment that quiets a market like New York. Since the year ended, his tone has been a little more encouraging, with a sense that the Rangers still have enough to build on, though the real issue is whether the organizations direction matches that optimism. [Read more 🡒]