The Rangers’ roster looks different this time around, and that changes the pressure points heading into the new season. New York no longer has to lean on players like Will Borgen for heavy defensive minutes, and the arrival of a real second pairing gives the lineup a different shape.
Even with that improvement, the path to the playoffs still runs through a group effort. Some players will matter more than others, though, and the next stretch of this ranking zeroes in on the ones who need to deliver.
At No. 10, Igor Shesterkin lands here not because of any doubt about his talent, but because the bar for him is simpler than it is for others on this list.
If he’s his usual self, the Rangers will get strong goaltending and be in good shape. A career season would be a bonus, not a requirement.
With Shesterkin, there’s not much to worry about.
Will Cuylle checks in at No. 9, and the big development here is that he may be out of the top six. That’s a better fit for him.
Cuylle is built to be an effective third-line forward, and last season showed what happens when he’s pushed into a role that doesn’t suit him. New York has done its part by putting him back where he belongs; now Cuylle needs to answer with a bounce-back season after a slight step back last year.
Oliver Bjorkstrand comes in at No. 8, and he’s a key part of making sure Cuylle stays where he should be. If Bjorkstrand performs near his career norms, he gives the Rangers a solid top-six option.
If things go well, he helps keep Cuylle anchored on the third line. If things go sideways and New York’s season slips, he could even turn into a useful trade-deadline asset and bring back a decent draft pick.
After a rough season, the Rangers are counting on a rebound.
Marcus Pettersson is next at No. 7, and he was one of the more surprising additions of the offseason. New York paid a first-round pick in 2030 to bring him over from the Vancouver Canucks, which tells you how much the Rangers value him as a real second-pair defenseman.
He’s being asked to steady a blue line that was atrocious last season. If Pettersson plays like himself and Sean Durzi does too, the defense could become a strength for New York.
Adam Fox rounds out this group at No. 6.
His placement is a little tricky, because even with all the noise around his season last year, he was quietly awesome despite the injury concerns. The Rangers need him to keep playing at that level, stay healthy, and keep the critics quiet.
If injuries become a bigger issue, the picture gets a lot murkier for the organization. Fox may be the most important Ranger in the big picture, but in terms of needing a career year, New York mostly just needs him to be himself and stay on the ice.
In Other News...
Rangers Fans Wont Like What This Says About Their Biggest Weakness
The latest center rankings from The Athletic did not do much to ease the anxiety around the Rangers middle of the ice. Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller landed 19th overall as a top-six pair, which puts them in a below-average tier and reinforces the sense that New York is trying to contend without one of the leagues most important ingredients in place.
There is still plenty of reason to believe the Rangers can be better under new coach Mike Sullivan, but the center picture remains the part of the roster that draws the sharpest scrutiny. Zibanejad and Miller are both on the wrong side of 30, and with recent health and performance questions hanging over them, the Rangers will spend this season trying to prove their depth down the middle is good enough to keep pace with the leagues best. [Read more 🡒]
This Is Exactly The Defenseman Ducks Fans Have Been Waiting For
Vladislav Gavrikovs name has started to surface in a way the Rangers probably would rather avoid, with a recent report on the Rangers Recon podcast suggesting the defenseman could become uneasy with where the team is headed if the season goes sideways. For now, it is only a situation to watch, but it is the kind of early-season noise that can hang around a locker room when expectations and results do not line up.
Any move would come with a major hurdle, since Gavrikov holds a no-movement clause and would have to approve whatever comes next. Several clubs have already been mentioned as possible landing spots if the conversation ever gets that far, and while there is no sign a deal is close, the longer the Rangers linger in this kind of uncertainty, the more attention this storyline is likely to draw. [Read more 🡒]