The last two seasons for the New York Rangers have been disappointing, with back-to-back playoff misses, and losing plenty of talent that led them to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2023-24. After a busy off-season for general manager Chris Drury, the Rangers enter the season in a highly competitive Metropolitan Division, with a chance to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Head coach Mike Sullivan enters his second year with the team, after a long tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he won two Stanley Cups.
What This Team Added In The Off-Season
This summer was an important offseason for the Rangers, since the core they have is not getting any younger. They already got rid of left winger Artemi Panarin during the trade deadline back in February, in exchange for Liam Greentree. The biggest acquisition for this team was getting Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights, who signed a seven-year, $77 million contract right away.
Dorofeyev will help on the offense, giving the Rangers another scorer, racking up 35 and 37 goals in the past two seasons. Veteran player Vincent Trocheck was traded to the Utah Mammoth for two players and a 2027 3rd-round pick. This team also had the 5th overall pick in the NHL Draft, where they selected Latvian defenseman Albert Smits.
Other notable acquisitions for New York include Oliver Bjorkstrand, Marcus Pettersson, and Joonas Korpisalo. With longtime goaltender Jonathan Quick retiring after last season, Korpisalo will be the backup option behind Igor Shesterkin.
Returning Talent Can Still Play At A High Level
Even with how underwhelming the past two seasons have been, the Rangers still have plenty of talent who can play their role. The veterans consist of Mika Zibanejad, captain JT Miller, Adam Fox, and Igor Shesterkin. Zibanejad is the longest-tenured player on the team, entering his 11th season in New York, and has played in nearly every game over the last six seasons.
Fox is the main defenseman, a former Norris Trophy winner in 2021, and contributes offensively from his role, usually as a double-digit scorer. Shesterkin is coming off a season where he played in only 51 games, allowing 2.50 goals against per game, and having a .912 save percentage. He faces a ton of shots each game, but still performs so well behind the net.
This team does have young returning talent as well, mainly Will Cuylle and Gabe Perreault. Cuylle has been a bright spot through these struggles, scoring 20 goals each of the last two years. Perreault got more action in New York last season, playing in 49 games, scoring 12 goals, and collecting 15 assists for 27 points.
How The Season Will Start
For the first time ever, the NHL will start the regular season in September, and the Rangers have some important games to kick off their season, the first being on the road against the Boston Bruins on September 29. They will continue to play Atlantic Division opponents, with the home opener on October 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, before hitting the road again to play the Detroit Red Wings.
October will have 13 games (7 at home, 6 on the road), and the most notable ones are against their rivals, the New York Islanders on October 6, and the New Jersey Devils on October 15. They will also play the Utah Mammoth on October 4, when Vincent Trocheck returns to Madison Square Garden for the first time since being traded.
