Labor Day is supposed to be about taking stock of the work. Around the Rangers, it’s a pretty fitting time to look at what general manager Chris Drury has been doing, because the roster he’s built looks a lot different than the one that lost Game 6 of the 2024 Eastern Conference Final to the Florida Panthers.
Only six players from that team are still around today: goalie Igor Shesterkin, defensemen Adam Fox and Braden Schneider, and forwards Alexis Lafreniere, Mika Zibanejad, and Will Cuylle. That’s the group left standing after Drury’s offseason churn, which has been going on since the summer of 2024.
The results have been mixed, but one thing does stand out. The Rangers may not have added a ton of high-end skill - they didn’t have enough of it in 2024, and they still don’t, even after bringing in Pavel Dorofeyev - but they do seem to be stacking the roster with players who work.
That’s been the thread through a lot of Drury’s moves. J.T.
Miller, Vladislav Gavrikov, Tye Kartye, Eeli Tolvanen, and prospects Alberts Smits, Cole Beaudoin, and Nathan Aspinall all fit the same general profile: high character, serious compete, and a reputation for doing the dirty work. They’re in the same lane as Cuylle, Schneider, Noah Laba, Adam Sykora, Matt Rempe, and Jaroslav Chmelar, who also bring that kind of edge.
It’s starting to look like an identity is forming. Drury wants the Rangers to be a team opponents hate playing against, and coach Mike Sullivan is aligned with that vision.
The idea is a fast, aggressive group that comes right at you. The speed part is still something to prove, but the compete level should be there this season, even with hard-working center Vincent Trocheck gone.
There’s still plenty of work ahead for Drury, Sullivan, the scouting and development staffs, and the players themselves. But on this Labor Day, the way the Rangers are being built suggests some of that effort - especially the emphasis on work ethic - could pay off sooner rather than later.
In other Rangers news, Dan Bahl’s first article for Forever Blueshirts explains why Paul Bissonnette of Spittin’ Chiclets thinks the Rangers will make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, and why he’ll want some credit if they do.
John Kreiser takes a look at Adam Fox and why another big payday could be coming on his next contract in a couple of years, along with what Fox needs to do to get there.
Kreiser also breaks down where Alberts Smits, Gabe Perreault, and Liam Greentree land in The Athletic’s tiers of top NHL prospects under the age of 23.
Elsewhere around the hockey world, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic lays out why the Philadelphia Flyers could become a landing spot for defenseman Quinn Hughes at some point, with Hughes on an expiring contract this season with the Minnesota Wild.
Daily Faceoff reports that the PWHL’s Walter Cup reportedly went “missing” this weekend for the second time this summer.
Max Smith at Detroit Hockey Now explains why NHL inflation is making life harder for the Detroit Red Wings as they try to extend Simon Edvinsson.
Daniel Amoia of New Jersey Hockey Now says the Devils are making a “smart bet” on 22-year-old forward Amadeus Lombardi, whom they acquired from the Red Wings earlier this offseason.
And Sportsnet reports that Canucks team co-president Henrik Sedin said he’s feeling positive about Vancouver’s approach heading into the coming season, even after the club finished last overall in the NHL a year ago.
In Other News...
Rangers Suddenly Have A Backup Goalie Battle That Really Matters
Among the additions the Rangers brought in this offseason, the one that could quietly shape the early part of the season is in goal. Joonas Korpisalo came over in the trade with Boston, joining a group of newcomers that also included defensemen Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson and forwards Pavel Dorofeyev, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen, and he now steps into the picture behind Igor Shesterkin with a real chance to matter.
The battle for the backup job is expected to come down to Korpisalo and rookie Dylan Garand, with preseason offering both a chance to make their case. Garands late-season NHL look last year showed the Rangers there is some upside there, while Korpisalo arrives as a more established option, which makes this one of those seemingly small competitions that could end up carrying real weight once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
National NHL Voice Is Buying The Rangers For A Big Bounce Back
The Rangers are heading into another fall with plenty of questions, but there was at least some encouragement floating around a recent NHL discussion among a familiar trio of former players. Paul Bissonnette sounded bullish on New Yorks chances of taking a step forward in 2026-27, pointing to the power play as one area that could help drive a turnaround, while co-hosts Ryan Whitney and Keith Yandle also noted the teams youth movement and the possibility of improvement.
J.T. Millers recent media appearance came up as part of that broader optimism, the kind of small off-ice ripple that can sometimes fuel a bigger on-ice conversation around a talented roster. The debate, though, made clear that belief in a playoff return is not universal yet, and the Rangers will start giving everyone a better sense of their outlook when preseason opens on Sept. 21 before the regular season follows on Sept. 29. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Blue Line Spending Signals A Changing Of The Guard
A new defense market keeps pushing the bar higher, and Cale Makars eight-year deal at an average annual value of $20.4 million only underlined how expensive elite blueliners have become. For the Rangers, the bigger takeaway is how much of their future payroll is already tied up on the back end, a reminder that the teams blue line has become one of the costliest parts of the roster as clubs sort out where to spend in a cap era that keeps forcing hard choices.
That spending picture matters because it is not just about star power, but about how the Rangers have reshaped the group around the edges and through separate moves. Additions such as Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson fit into a broader recalibration of the defense corps, while other cap hits have been shifted out in the process, leaving the Rangers squarely in the conversation as one of the NHLs most expensive blue lines heading into 2026-27. [Read more 🡒]