The Rangers enter opening night with a roster that already feels mostly settled, and the biggest reason for optimism sits on the back end. While the forwards still come with enough questions to make a playoff forecast uneasy, the defense and goaltending picture looks stronger than it has in a long time.
That matters because New York has spent years dragging one of the NHL’s weakest defenses onto the ice. For much of the past decade, the blue line has been a recurring problem with only scattered bright spots and not nearly enough effort to solve the bigger issue. This offseason, Chris Drury finally attacked it head-on and tried to drag the unit into the 21st century.
It starts with Adam Fox, who remains the foundation. He is still one of the top defensemen in the league, and as long as he keeps producing at that level, the Rangers have their anchor. Next to him is Vlad Gavrikov, who was excellent in his first season with New York and has given no reason to expect anything different.
The biggest change comes on the second pair, where the Rangers have completely reshaped things. Sean Durzi brings puck possession and offense, but he can also handle himself in his own end.
Marcus Pettersson gives the group a true defensive-defenseman who can move the puck out of danger and exit the zone cleanly. Compared with last season’s Carson Soucy and Will Borgen combination, that is a major step up, and it stacks up well against what a lot of playoff teams are running out there.
The third pair is where things get more fluid. Braden Schneider looks set to play in a more sheltered role that fits him better, and he’ll likely be joined by Matthew Robertson or top prospect Alberts Smits.
Smits is the swing piece here; if he can jump in and hold his own, he could shift the lineup in a few different ways. The more realistic expectation, though, is that he starts in Hartford.
A lot of the final grade for the defense comes down to how Mike Sullivan uses these pieces. He has a track record of getting more out of his defense than most coaches, and now he gets a group that actually looks like an NHL-caliber unit.
Grade: A
Goaltending is more straightforward at the top and far less settled behind it. Igor Shesterkin remains an all-world presence and one of the most consistent goalies in the NHL. With him in net, the Rangers are in every game.
The backup situation is where the uncertainty starts. If Dylan Garand wins the job, New York at least has a goalie with real upside behind Shesterkin. Garand is viewed more favorably here than most.
If Joonas Korpisalo is the answer instead, the outlook changes fast. That would leave the Rangers with a struggling backup making much more than he should, and losing Garand in the process would be disastrous for the organization. The belief here is that won’t happen, because the Korpisalo move was seen as a cap dump to help make the Borgen trade possible, even if it came through two separate deals.
Until that backup spot is settled, the Rangers’ goaltending can’t be fully graded. If it’s Garand, the outlook is much better. If it’s Korpisalo and Garand is lost on waivers, it becomes a disaster.
In Other News...
Rangers Backup Goalie Battle Is More Complicated Than Fans Realize
Dylan Garand spent last season splitting his time between a brief but impressive NHL look and the heavier workload of being Hartfords primary goalie, giving the Rangers a much clearer sense of what they have in a young netminder who is edging closer to a full-time role. That progress has turned this training-camp job into more than a simple veteran-versus-prospect race, especially with Igor Shesterkin locked in atop the depth chart and the organization still sorting out how much runway it wants to give Garand.
Joonas Korpisalo arrived in the offseason to give New York a proven option behind Shesterkin, but Garands path is more complicated than a standard backup challenge. The Rangers have already committed to him with a two-year extension, and the way they handle the final roster spot will say plenty about how they value immediate insurance versus long-term development. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Have Elite Stars But This Ranking Raises A Bigger Roster Debate
The Athletics preseason player tiers offered a familiar reminder of where the Rangers top end stands, with Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox landing in the uppermost group below only the MVP class. Shesterkin drew the expected elite billing as one of the leagues premier goaltenders, while Foxs placement came with a more nuanced scouting read that still centered on his intelligence and style even as evaluators noted questions about his speed.
What makes the list more interesting for New York is the company those two keep further down the board. Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller were among the Rangers grouped into the Support tier, the kind of placement that underscores how much of the roster is built around excellent contributors rather than a long line of true drivers. For a team with championship expectations, that gap between star power and supporting cast is the part worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Retool May Hinge On Prospects Arriving Faster Than Expected
Chris Drurys retool for the Rangers is leaning heavily on a younger pipeline that looks closer to the NHL than a typical rebuild would allow. The idea is to keep the club competitive by adding prospects who can eventually fit alongside the current core, with Liam Greentree, Alberts mits and Cole Beaudoin all part of that next wave.
mits has already signed his entry-level deal, and the expectation is that he begins in Hartford, while Greentree and Beaudoin are also projected to spend time developing in the minors before pushing for jobs in New York. For a roster trying to thread the needle between winning now and staying relevant later, the pace of that prospect arrival may end up shaping how fast the retool really moves. [Read more 🡒]