I’ve been critical of the Rangers long term plan for a while, including in the end of season Rangers Notebook after Chris Drury stated that the team was looking at a retool following a last place finish in the Eastern Conference. In the spring, we saw a Rangers roster that fit the age profile of their contention roadmap reasonably but also a roster that lacked star power in the forward group. With the front office voicing their intent to add bottom six forwards going into the offseason, we questioned whether it was time for the Rangers to commit to a full on rebuild.
As we see on the roadmap, the model predicts a substantial rebound for the Rangers this season with a couple of notable changes contributing. First, it’s time we give some credit to the front office for addressing the top six forward need we noted in the spring. The acquisition of RFA Pavel Dorofeyev from a cap strapped Vegas squad added a legitimate top six forward to the roster. Dorofeyev instantly becomes one of the top forwards on the roster and, at age 25, he fits right into their contention cohort.
The second boost to the roster comes on the blueline, where the Rangers acquired a couple of capable support pieces in Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson. The additions round out a defense corps that now has six skaters above the Support Tier cutline. Like Dorofeyev, Durzi fits reasonable well into the contention cohort while Pettersson provides a veteran presence that can still contribute.
The Rangers offseason landed a couple of steps in the right direction. As we can see on the roadmap though, there’s still a significant gap to close with the contending rosters of recent years as their contention cohort approaches their peak. There is still a need for more star power to emerge or to be acquired to fill out the forward group sufficiently for the Rangers to become a true contender.
Another bit of good news is the Rangers have been able to infuse some value into their pipeline as they’ve stumbled through the past couple of seasons. That may be the best place to look for pieces that can push them to the next level. Whether it’s a homegrown prospect like 2023 23rd OA pick Gabe Perrault or 2026 5th OA pick Alberts Smits finding their NHL footing or an acquisition like the Dorofeyev deal using future capital to bolster the contention cohort, there are some options in front of Chris Drury going into the 26/27 season.
