Last night’s loss to Boston was a bit of a dud, as the Rangers were shutout to open the season and didn’t do much to keep the naysayers at bay. Since this is essentially extended preseason, there’s no reason to get up in arms. The Rangers didn’t look good on offense, but were somewhat fine on defense save for a few miscues that happen every game for every team. We did get a good look at some of the Rangers special teams ice time splits, which will be something to watch as the season progresses.

Two big questions about the Rangers special teams ice time splits followed the Rangers into their first game and will continue until we have a general theme. First, how much ice time will PP2 actually get? Second, who will be leaned upon for important penalty killing minutes.

The Rangers top powerplay unit is comprised of Adam Fox, Pavel Dorofeyev, Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafreniere, and JT Miller. We know they will get the lion’s share of the powerplay minutes. What we don’t know is how much time the second unit–comprised of Gabe Perreault, Sean Durzi, Will Cuylle, Eeli Tolvanen, and Oliver Bjorkstrand–will get. While getting the best players out there is important and a key piece in the Rangers special team ice time splits, there’s also a need to keep Zibanejad and Miller fresh while giving younger kids like Perreault growth opportunities.

The penalty kill is a whole other story – most of the top penalty killers from the past few seasons are either gone or aging. Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck are gone up front. Will Borgen and Carson Soucy are gone on defense. Mike Sullivan has said he wants to limit Rangers special teams ice time splits for both Zibanejad and Miller, preferring they be put in more offensive opportunities to preserve their legs.

Opening night gave insight to the Rangers special teams ice time splits

The Rangers special teams ice time splits were noticeable last night, giving us an idea of how the coaching staff wants to deploy their top unit. Joe Veleno (1:30 TOI) and Tye Kartye (1:25 TOI) were the top two forwards. Marcus Pettersson (1:25) and Sean Durzi (1:25) led the defense for both kills as well. It seems this quartet will be the primary unit. The remaining time went to Braden Schneider and Vlad Gavrikov (34 seconds each) on defense and Eeli Tolvanen and Will Cuylle (18 seconds each) at forward.

Both Miller and Zibanejad saw less than 20 seconds of PK time last night. That will obviously change, though it appears they will be the third option for Sullivan and the penalty kill. Neither Adam Fox nor Alberts Smits saw penalty kill time, which will also change as the season goes on.

On the one powerplay opportunity, PP1 had ranging ice time from 1:13 (Fox) to 1:16 (Dorofeyev, Miller) to 1:34 (Lafreniere) and 1:46 (Zibanejad). PP2 got the remaining time. It seems the Rangers special teams ice time splits are going to be more even with the man advantage, though it will depend on situational play.

The Rangers special teams ice time splits will certainly change as the season continues. Injuries and player availability–who took the penalty, who was on the last shift, etc–will impact how the coaching staff deploys their units. What we do know for sure is the top penalty kill unit has four newcomers and the powerplay will have more of an even split. At least for now.

There is clearly a lot of work to be done for the Rangers. They didn’t generate much on offense, continuing their struggles from last season. The penalty kill was successful for their one attempt, allowing just two shot attempts (no high danger chances) and generating one attempt on its own. The powerplay got two shot attempts, though no high danger chances.

Opening night wasn’t a success, but it wasn’t an abject failure either. There’s more hockey to play, 83 games to be exact.

Perhaps preseason shouldn’t have been cut in half. The Rangers and Bruins both came out flat, going scoreless for 57 minutes as the teams combined for just 96 shot attempts total. It’s funny how the Bruins still managed three goals despite the scoreless game through 57 minutes. For those who are doubting the Rangers to start the season, there was certainly some validation last night. For the more patient, it was one game after a shortened preseason with significant roster turnover. However you want to look at it, this isn’t how Mike Sullivan wanted his 1,000th game to go.

On the bright side, Igor Shesterkin was in midseason, healthy form. He and Jeremy Swayman were fantastic last night. The skaters were fumbling passes, causing numerous turnovers throughout the game, but both goalies came up big. Unfortunately for Shesterkin, an accidental screen by Adam while defending Fraser Minten caused him to pick up the puck late. That goal wound up being the difference before JJ Peterka iced it after sending Braden Schneider’s ankles to the phantom realm.

At the risk of sounding overly optimistic, this was game 1 of 84, and the Rangers will not look this inept on offense for the entire year. They are too skilled and too deep for them to repeat last year’s offensive ineptitude. Unfortunately this is not the year to slowly win hockey games either. The fanbase is on edge. If the Rangers come out flat on Thursday against the Lightning, there won’t be much patience from the fans.

On the bright side, the potential of the top six is clear. JT Miller’s line with Oliver Bjorkstrand and Pavel Dorofeyev came as advertised. Miller did not look like a corpse out there as he did a year ago, and that line gave the Rangers their best chances to score. But we are at a point, given the last two seasons, where no one wants to hear about how many chances the team had. They need to score and show tangible results. Teams don’t make the playoffs on opening night, but if habits don’t quickly adjust, losses can snowball awfully quick.

The NHL and NHLPA probably should not have shortened preseason, because if the other games on the opening night slate were evidence, the players are just not quite themselves. From a Rangers perspective, two points in the standings thrown away because the team is still figuring out how to adjust to Sullivan’s new tactics he spoke of to the media on Monday. We all knew October was going to be extended preseason, and it’s playing out that way.

The New York Rangers kick off the 2026-2027 season tonight in Boston, looking to rebound from their atrocious season last year. The roster is much improved, as the Rangers have two solid top six lines and top good powerplay units. The defense has been completely revamped, headlined by 5th overall pick Alberts Smits on the third pair. They get an “easier” opening night matchup too, as they face a Boston Bruins team that is without Charlie McAvoy.

That said, Borgen is all but guaranteed a goal because of course he is. But this is a good opening night matchup given McAvoy is suspended.

Rangers Lines

Gabe Perreault-Mika Zibanejad-Alexis Lafrenière
Pavel Dorofeyev-JT Miller-Oliver Bjorkstrand
Will Cuylle-Noah Laba-Eeli Tolvanen
Tye Kartye-Joe Veleno-Matt Rempe

Vlad Gavrikov-Adam Fox
Marcus Pettersson-Sean Durzi
Alberts Smits-Braden Schneider

Igor Shesterkin gets the start.

Scratches: Jaro Chmelar, Scott Morrow, Matthew Robertson

Bruins Lines

JJ Peterka-Elias Lindholm-David Pastrnak
Casey Mittlestadt-Pavel Zacha-Morgan Geekie
James Hagens-Fraser Minton-Marat Khusnutdinov
Tanner Jeannot-Sean Kuraly-Mark Kastelic

Hampus Lindholm-Will Borgen
Nikita Zadarov-Connor Clifton
Jonathan Aspirot-Mason Lohrei

Jeremy Swayman gets the start.

Game time is 8pm.

The New York Rangers opening night lines are set for tonight’s opener in Boston against the Bruins. As expected, the lines are the same as they were for the final preseason game, a win over the AHL Islanders. The two “big” changes from what many expected before preseason started, aside from backup goalie, are Matt Rempe in at 4RW over Jaro Chmelar and Alberts Smits in at 3LD over Matthew Robertson.

Gabe Perreault-Mika Zibanejad-Alexis Lafrenière
Pavel Dorofeyev-JT Miller-Oliver Bjorkstrand
Will Cuylle-Noah Laba-Eeli Tolvanen
Tye Kartye-Joe Veleno-Matt Rempe

Vlad Gavrikov-Adam Fox
Marcus Pettersson-Sean Durzi
Alberts Smits-Braden Schneider

Igor Shesterkin
Joonas Korpisalo

Scott Morrow, Matthew Robertson, and Jaro Chmelar are the healthy scratches to start the season.

The Rangers took care of some housekeeping this afternoon, placing defenseman Vincent Iorio on waivers. Iorio was hurt previously, which is why he couldn’t be waived previously. He’s clearly healed, which led to him being waived. Iorio didn’t get much preseason time due to the injury, but he still looked a step behind when he did play. It’s clear Scott Morrow has separated himself as the 7D/8D, depending on how the coaching staff feels on a given day.

Vincent Iorio has promise, but he really needs to work on his speed and skating. Unfortunately for him, both need improvement. He’s not a fast skater and he also doesn’t make up for it with quick agility and edgework. The Rangers were his third team last season, so there’s a pattern here.

Hopefully he improves in Hartford. The more quality defensemen, the better.

Unrelated: Conor Sheary is also on waivers and I would laugh so, so hard if Drury claimed him. It would be incredibly unnecessary and not a good move for the team, but I would grab some popcorn and watch the comments.

The 2026-2027 Rangers season begins today with some renewed excitement. Following a championship season by the New York Knicks, New York is energized and ready for the Rangers to step up their game and provide some marquee moments. We’ve discussed plenty what the 2026-2027 Rangers season could look like, but what interests me the most is how this season could impact the seasons ahead. Seasons don’t happen in a vacuum, and the 2026-2027 Rangers season is no different.

The 2023-2024 season ended two weeks shy of a Stanley Cup Finals appearance, but the Rangers had to say goodbye to some key players, as many great teams have to do. The 2024-2025 Rangers then struggled, both on the ice and at processing the departures. When the 2025-2026 team was terrible, the Rangers said goodbye to more players and continued to fall in the standings.

Now it appears the Rangers may be able to grow following some strong offseason work by Chris Drury (a sentence I never thought I’d say). 

There are a few scenarios for the 2026-2027 Rangers season. One, they can have the best case scenario and win, win, win their way to the playoffs and potentially even through a round or two. Should that happen, the Rangers would like accelerate the retool on the fly, and potentially even acquire a top name in the NHL like Auston Matthews or even Connor McDavid. This is the scenario that would please Rangers fans the most, as it would be the clearest signal that the Rangers will be back and better than ever soon.

Scenario number two is the Rangers are a fine team, either barely making or barely missing the playoffs. Depending on which, the brass may consider it a success or a failure of a season. This could potentially cost Chris Drury his job, but more likely than not he would stay and continue to try to push the Rangers ahead. If the season is decent enough, given the city the Rangers play in, they could entice a superstar to come to New York.

The scariest possibility of the 2026-2027 Rangers season is that the Rangers are terrible again. Chris Drury would likely lose his job, the Rangers could conceivably consider trading Igor Shesterkin and/or Adam Fox, and Mike Sullivan could even lose his job as well. Alternatively, the Rangers could refuse to accept their fate in this scenario and make foolish win-now moves that handicap them for a long time.

All of this is to say that this season will be a huge influence on what happens to the Rangers in the years ahead. While I’m certainly hoping this is an 82 84-0 season and a Stanley Cup victory, I realistically am hoping for improvement and patience and understanding that there are ups and downs both in a season and in a retool. That would lead the Rangers into an even more positive situation next season.

Happy Opening night! For the first time in 30 years, we have an 84 game schedule and with it comes major uncertainty with the Rangers this year. In our 2026-2027 Rangers roundtable, the gang talks the hard hitting questions: Will this team be competitive? Will they be a fun watch more times than not as opposed to last year? What expectations are most realistic for this team?

The Rangers had a very active offseason trading players and draft capitol in the name of making the team more competitive, where is your confidence in the front office’s mission to re-tool the roster, and do you think they succeeded?

Tyler – I would put the confidence in the front office at about a 70-80%. There’s no denying that Drury followed through on the letter sent back in January. Between the trades he made to bring in younger talent that can grow into a role on the NHL team, to NHL talent that’ll make the big team way more competitive, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that what happened over the summer isn’t at the very least an incredibly good first step into this re-tool.

Rob C – Overall, I like what the Rangers did with their roster, specifically on the back end. Assuming Alberts Smits is the real deal and adjusts quickly to the NHL game, the only weak link is Braden Schneider. The forward group is average and a little underwhelming, but deeper than last year and should be competitive. I’m not concerned about the Rangers being in the “mushy middle”, which is a silly talking point used by people either too scared or uninformed to have a real opinion. I’d rather win games than tank, and the Rangers should win more this season.

Dave – They took risks, but calculated risks. Getting Dorofeyev for 2 firsts was a great trade. I know people weren’t happy with sending another first to get Pettersson, but he’s a bonafide top four defender who skates well, moves the puck well, and defends well. It’s hard to argue against the moves, save for the Korpisalo one.

Hope – As with most things the Rangers do, I liked some of the moves they made this offseason and disliked some others. For example the Durzi trade was a homerun in my opinion, absolutely stellar value to the present and future Rangers. On the other hand I was not happy about the trade for Korpisalo even if we take into account that it was tied into the trade that sent Borgen to Boston. Overall I do think that the team that we are starting this season with is a vast improvement to the one we ended last season with and that matters more than anything else.

JL – It went from a 3/10 to about a 5 or 6 out of 10 since the moves they made were good hockey moves. They were able to get futures while getting current players, at the same time, not blowing the bank on players. Getting Doro, Durzi, Pettersson, and others is a good start. Drury isn’t out of the woods yet, as the team needs to perform, but they’ve certainly made things better. The defense is much more adept in their own zone and quicker with the puck, and the team as a whole is a bit younger than before!

Rusty – My confidence in the front office is a lot higher than it has been in recent years but I still wouldn’t say I have supreme confidence in Drury and his staff. That’s not to say they didn’t make some great moves this summer. The Dorofeyev trade was perfect not just because of his scoring ability but because of his age. Bjorkstrand and Tolvanen will provide nice wing depth and the new second pair on defense with Durzi and Pettersson all makes the roster much deeper. Drury has a lot of ground to make up to be fully trusted again but even the cynic in me has to admit that he did well this summer.

Who is going to lead the team in points this year? Who will score the most goals? Who will get the most assists?

Tyler – It’s hard not to immediately say a player like Zibanejad will lead the team in points, but I think Lafreniere could actually do it this year given his 5 on 5 play with Zibanejad and Perreault post Olympics last year. I’ll say he’ll score in the neighborhood of 90 points if everything goes right. Pavel Dorofeyov however should lead this team in goals, I think he’s scoring 40 with that shot. Finally, Adam Fox will lead the team in assists as he’s the best passer on the entire team. I would guess if healthy, he gets 60-65 assists.

Rob C – Points: Adam Fox (78), Goals: Pavel Dorofeyev (41), Assists: Adam Fox (63)

Dave – Points – Adam Fox, Goals – Pavel Dorofeyev, Assists – Adam Fox

Hope – If I was a betting man, I would say that Mika Zibanejad will lead the team in points this year, Pavel Dorofeyev will lead the team in goals and Adam Fox will lead the team in assists. Sure there is a chance someone else could surprise us but these are my safe picks until hockey starts driving me crazy enough to embrace my delusions.

JL – Fox will lead in points and assists, and Dorofeyev will lead the team in goals. Book it. 

Rusty – Pavel Dorofeyev will lead the team in goals with 41, Adam Fox will lead the team in assists with around 60-70 and and Dorofeyev will lead the team in points with something in the 80 point range.

Are the 2026-2027 Rangers a playoff team?

Tyler – Without a doubt. The moves Drury made over the offseason made this squad much more competitive. The top 4 on defense is as good as it’s been in years on paper, and the top 6 knows how to put the puck in the net between Zibanejad, Miller, Bjorkstrand, and Dorofeyov, all players who are capable of scoring 25-30 goals in a season. Doesn’t hurt that the 3rd line will have 2x 20-goal scorer Will Cuylle and 2nd year center Noah Laba who looked great in preseason. I think this team finishes 3rd in the division behind Washington and Carolina. This isn’t a cup winner yet, but they’ll win at least a round, maybe 2 depending on health and opponent.

Rob C – Narrowly, no. This team reminds me a lot of the 2008-2011 version of the Rangers (with Dorofeyev giving similar vibes to that era’s main goalscorer, Marian Gaborik). Yes, the 2009 and 2011 teams made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth, but they were ousted in the first round by the Capitals in both seasons. I see this team finishing with a record similar to those three teams whose point totals were 95, 87, 93.

My official record prediction: 44-34-6, 94 points in 84 games

Dave – Yes – I’ve been consistent with this since the major offseason moves were done

Hope – They could be. Not to be a broken record but some many things play into whether or not a team makes the playoffs and the Rangers have had issues with the healthiness of their franchise players over the last few seasons. Looking at the opening night roster, I say yes the New York Rangers are a playoff team.. But maybe with an asterisk next to their name.

JL – Yes. Plain and simple. I think they can do it. 

Rusty – They are. They’re a wild card team but they will challenge for third in the division

Not only did Drury’s trades in the last 7 months benefit the NHL roster, but he also supplemented lots of young talent for Hartford, do you think we see one of Liam Greentree or Cole Beaudoin this season in the NHL?

Tyler – I don’t think it’d be a hot take at all to say we see one of Greentree or Beaudoin at least once this season depending on how their development goes in Hartford. With how much good young talent is being rostered in Hartford though, the true play may be to leave them there and let them be a competitive AHL club that could go on a Calder Cup playoff run. Let the kids learn how to win games and develop that sort of chemistry that could then hopefully translate to the NHL club as soon as next year.

Rob C – As long as he gets off to a good start in Hartford, I think there’s a good chance Greentree is the first forward called up, especially with the injury to Adam Sykora. He’s essentially the new Brennan Othmann (hopefully with better early returns and a long, successful NHL career ahead of him). Since Beaudoin is a center with upside, the Rangers should let him establish himself as a pro in Hartford and only call him up if there’s a chance for middle six minutes due to injuries.

Dave – I think we see both. Eventually a center will need time off and Beaudoin will be called up. Same with Greentree. I don’t think they stick until next season when some of the one year fliers are gone, though.

Hope – There is definitely a strong possibility that we see either or both of them at some point this season, I think Beaudoin may have a slight edge if Joe Veleno doesn’t work out as the fourth line center but I also wouldn’t be surprised if we saw the Rangers make a trade to supplement that lineup need if it becomes necessary early on in the season. I don’t think either of them will get more than a few games unless they really wow the team on what is meant to be a shorter stint but I would love to see one of them force their hand.

JL – Not really but if I had to pick, Beaudoin might be the guy who comes in on a pinch for someone injured. They liked him a ton in camp. Greentree was solid as well but my guess is they want to see more of him in Hartford, at least for a full season. Beaudoin could fill in in a pinch for an injured C, not as much for Greentree on wing. 

Rusty – I think we see them both this season at some point but I think Beaudoin gets the nod over Greentree first because of his position and his motor.

The Rangers were last in the Eastern Conference a season ago after significant injuries, and suspect defensive play really cost them their season. Where will they finish in the conference this season?

Tyler – Those injuries to Fox and Shesterkin a year ago really did a number on the Rangers record. They just were not going to win hockey games with Spencer Martin as their goaltender. Thankfully, the Rangers shouldn’t have that sort of injury luck this season because there are 3 goalies ahead of Martin on the depth chart that he should hopefully not be needed at all at the NHL level as well as plenty of puck moving defenders in the event Fox gets injured again this season. I could see this team being 7th or 8th in the conference. I think the Atlantic teams are going to be really tough to beat points wise in the regular season, but the Rangers will hold one of the Metro division spots.

Rob C – The Rangers will be right on the playoff bubble, finishing 9^th in the Eastern Conference.

Dave – The Rangers will finish 4^th in the division and 8^th in the conference, beating out Ottawa and Washington for the last playoff spot.

Hope – My most realistic prediction is that the Rangers will finish in one of the two wildcard spots, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if they finished third in the metro either. Last season was extremely disappointing in many different ways but I am more hopeful than I would usually be because this team is deeper and more skilled than it was last season. They aren’t a top five roster or anything but I can’t think of another team in the metro that I could confidently say improved more than them. 

JL – Second Wild Card.

Rusty – The Rangers will finish top 10 in the Eastern Conference.

Will Gabe Perreault score at least 60 points this season?

Tyler – 1,000% yes. I think playing on that first line with Zibanejad and Lafreniere is going to be just the right situation for him to set up plenty of goals and score some beauties for himself. Even with him on PP2, there should be plenty of opportunity for Perreault to take a big step this season. He’ll be playing alongside much better players now in all situations.

Rob C – I think Perreault will narrowly fall short of 60 points, and finish with 22 goals and 34 assists for 56 points. I think his real leap comes in year 4 or 5.

Dave – Without a doubt yes.

Hope – I thoroughly believe that Gabe Perreault can hit 60 points this season.

JL – Yes. Probably gets close to 70 IMO.

Rusty – He will: 25 goals, 45 assists

Will Adam Fox be in the Norris conversation this season?

Tyler – If half the NHL world and even fans of the Rangers didn’t have brainworms, Fox would be in the Norris conversation every single season he’s been in the league. I will never understand how an exhibition tournament 2 years ago completely tarnished Fox’s reputation, but it is completely asinine the narratives that have surrounded him the last few seasons. This is the best all around defenseman in the game and the Rangers are lucky to have Fox at the contract he’s signed for. He is underpaid. I think he finishes top 5 in Norris voting this season if he gets the assists totals where we think they can go.

Rob C – Unfortunately, no. The narratives going against Fox, while unfair, will drive him out of the conversation unless he puts up over a point per game. I have him falling narrowly short of that because I don’t think the Rangers have a high offensive ceiling as a team.

Dave – Yes – I think he finishes top three, assuming health.

Hope – Trick question! Adam Fox should always be in the Norris conversation and the fact that he isn’t is why this league will always be a joke. There aren’t many players that can carry a team like he can, his worst is most number one defenseman’s best and I mean that wholeheartedly. 

JL – If he stays healthy, yes. I don’t see why not? He’s arguably one of the top 3 defensemen in the NHL.

Rusty – Adam Fox is about to remind everyone who he is.

Lastly, will Alberts Smits play up with the NHL club all season long after making the team out of camp?

Tyler – Yes, he will. The fact that Smits forced the Rangers hand and he made the opening night roster shows how locked in and ready this kid is to play. While yes, a stint in the AHL wouldn’t have been the absolute worst thing for him, the fact an 18 year old played his way onto this defense is a testament to how good he is seeing as we put a couple of other promising LHD prospects back to play meaningful minutes in Hartford.

Rob C – Yes. The kid is wise beyond his years and physically ready to compete at the NHL level. Expect some bumps along the way, but Smits will spend the entire season with the Rangers.

Dave – Yes – he’s miles ahead of Matthew Robertson. In fact, I think he finishes the season on the top pair with Adam Fox.

Hope – As much as I rag on the Rangers organization, I do believe that they would have sent Smits to the AHL if they thought he would benefit from time spent down there. They did it with Perreault so we know they are willing to do it if it’s best for the player. Smits forced their hand because he proved himself to be better than most of their other options on defense and he deserves to be rewarded with his rightful place on the Rangers blueline on opening night.  

JL – I think so but it depends on how he adjusts to playing against consistent NHL talent over the first few games. I’d like to think he avoids Hartford altogether and becomes an immediate piece to rely on. Rangers haven’t had a guy like that come in right away and kill it in a long time. 

Rusty – I would love to see Smits here all season and if he starts off strong I can see him sticking with the big club. He needs to be allowed to make his mistakes but I think he has a solid season with a coaching staff that will hopefully just let him play through the growing pains of his first season in the league. Smits can skate, has great size and sneaky good offensive instincts. I think he’s in the top four by December. 

Elliotte Friedman confirmed on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast that the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes nearly completed an Alexander Nikishin trade. Per Friedman, the Canes were looking for a pair of first round picks, which it seems Chris Drury would have paid for the 24 year old left handed defenseman. The issue was the contract, as to complete the Alexander Nikishin trade, the Rangers would have needed to agree on a contract with the young defenseman. That never panned out.

The Alexander Nikihin trade rumors were all over the place this summer, but the Rangers distanced themselves from Nikishin after drafting Alberts Smits and trading for Marcus Pettersson, giving up a 2030 1st round pick to land the 30 year old, top four defenseman. It’s safe to say that pick would have been included in the deal, and likely one other piece. It’s hard to say exactly what the other piece was, but assume it has the same value as another 1st round pick. Take that as you will.

Nikishin is rumored to be seeking close to $9 million a year and remains unsigned by the Hurricanes. The Rangers are likely no longer in the running for his services.

The risk and timing strategy paid off for Mike Sullivan and Chris Drury, as Dylan Garand clears waivers. Garand was foolishly waived yesterday so the Rangers could keep Joonas Korpisalo, with both Sully and Drury acknowledging they could, and at that moment likely, lose him on waivers. The timing did matter, as teams had most of their roster set and any interested parties would have to scramble to make roster space for the 24 year old goalie.

Garand is better than Korpisalo, so anyone arguing otherwise is just arguing to be a brat. The issue isn’t even with that, it’s with the process. This was bad process that luckily worked out for the Rangers. Perhaps Garand needed more time, perhaps not.

Bullet dodged. For now.

The 2026 Rangers final roster has been set. The New York Rangers will carry 13 forwards, 8 defensemen, and 2 goalies, and notably Alberts Smits has broken camp with the Blueshirts. Smits making the team is obviously the highlight of the 2026 Rangers final roster, but it isn’t without drama. Dylan Garand was waived to keep Joonas Korpisalo, which makes no sense. That was the major blip. All in all, the 2026 Rangers final roster is significantly improved and should be a playoff contending roster. But the process and decision making is still clearly flawed.

2026 Rangers final roster – The forwards were pretty much set

1. It’s hard to be upset about the forward lines to start the season. There weren’t any surprises, as the top three lines were essentially set to start training camp. We had a feeling Alexis Lafreniere, Mika Zibanejad, and Gabe Perreault would stick as a line. That left JT Miller, Pavel Dorofeyev, and Oliver Bjorkstrand as the second line and Will Cuylle, Noah Laba, and Eeli Tolvanen as the third line.

I feel bad saying this, but the Adam Sykora injury actually made the decision process easier. We all had a feeling Sykora was bound for the AHL because Tye Kartye required waivers and Sykora did not. The injury and subsequent timeline to return makes things easier, as by January the Rangers will have different needs.

2. The “big” complaint, and I use the term “big” loosely here, was keeping Matt Rempe. I like the kid, and I think he can be a solid 13F, which is what it looks like he will be. He didn’t have the best camp, and it’s fair to say both Liam Greentree and Cole Beaudoin outplayed him. But neither Greentree and Beaudoin are fourth liners and neither would benefit from that role. Rempe is a fine player to play 20-30 games and spend the rest of the time watching. Jaro Chmelar will likely get most of the games and will be in a competition with Kartye to move up in the lineup if there’s an injury.

Rempe’s ability to play center also played a role in this decision.

3. If Rempe’s inclusion in the 2026 Rangers final roster is the only gripe at forward, then it’s safe to say this was a successful preseason and training camp for that group.

The defense is fine, if crowded

4. Let’s start with some positives about the blue line of the 2026 Rangers final roster, as the negatives always seem to come to the forefront of our minds. Alberts Smits is showing he is as advertised, and perhaps even more. Smits has been poised with the puck, been solid in his own zone, and has shown great decision making both with and without the puck. If Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi give the Rangers a solid second pair, then Smits can be the stabilizing force on the third pair to start the season. He’s been that good, and the sky is the limit here.

Smits’ performance in camp actually made things more difficult for the Rangers, as they need to carry 8 defensemen until a trade is worked out or an injury forces a lineup change. Smits pushed Matthew Robertson to 7D and Scott Morrow to 8D, but it doesn’t seem like that is a major complaint.

5. Braden Schneider is starting to draw the same ire from fans that Ryan Lindgren did in his final season. Much like with Lindgren, Schneider is blocking younger players from getting consistent ice time in a larger role. Lindgren was blocking K’Andre Miller from the top pair, and we saw how that worked out. Now Schneider is blocking Morrow, ironically a key piece in the K’Andre Miller trade. Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think?

Schneider didn’t have a great preseason, but Mike Sullivan has said he hopes Schneider’s game elevates to Smits’ level. I don’t see it happening, but perhaps Schneider is a late bloomer.

Morrow needs ice time and had a fine preseason. The only knock is that he’s a high event player, which is something NHL coaches don’t really like in depth roles. Hopefully Schneider is moved soon to open a spot for Morrow.

6. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens with Vincent Iorio when he comes off season opening IR. Will the Rangets keep him and waive Morrow? That will lead to some fury for sure.

The goalies are the controversy

7. The biggest issue with the 2026 Rangers final roster is backup goalie. It seems like a nothing burger, as it’s “just” backup goalie. And that’s a fine argument. To me it’s less about the position and more about the process.

The Rangers willingly kept a known bad backup goalie who hasn’t posted a .900 save percentage since Covid was still fresh in everyone’s mind. To do so, they waived a promising prospect and risked losing him on waivers. Dylan Garand may “need some work,” but there’s no way he’s worse than Korpisalo. Even worse is the fact the Rangers are attempting to compete and Garand would have started about 25-30 games at the NHL level.

Was it really worth the risk to waive him and potentially lose a solid asset for nothing to keep a sub-.900 SV% backup? In what world is that an objectively good decision?

It’s not about the players, it’s about the process. Keeping a proven bad player and risking losing a prospect for nothing is bad process.

8. That said, there was at least some strategy behind leaving Garand off the 2026 Rangers final roster. The timing of this decision mattered. Had Garand been waived earlier, he would have been claimed. Now while he’s still likely to be claimed, most teams have their goalies set and teams may not have the option of claiming him.

A claiming team needs to keep Garand at the NHL level. That’s important. A claiming team would have to clear a goalie spot, and most goalies right now require waivers. The deadline to place a player on waivers for roster compliance was yesterday, meaning any team at the 23 player limit would need to make a trade, and quickly. That eliminates many teams from a claim.

However there will be teams that have open spots. Winnipeg comes to mind. We won’t know until later this afternoon if e clears. Even if he does, bad process should be called out, even if it works out in their favor.

9. As a reminder, the 2026 Rangers final roster is not the roster that will close out the season.