It’s August, so the hockey world is essentially on vacation right now. It’s a bit interesting that August appears to be the default vacation month for the NHL, especially when there is still work to be done. Braden Schneider’s future seems to dominate the news cycle, though another interesting question is why haven’t the Rangers re-signed Scott Morrow or Vincent Iorio yet? Aside from a big trade, those are the only two outstanding tasks left this summer. Even if they aren’t re-signed, at some point a decision will need to be made about their futures in New York.

Vincent Iorio’s future shouldn’t be too complicated

Starting with low hanging fruit, Vincent Iorio’s future really shouldn’t be that complicated. He was very bad during his time with the Rangers. His skating was a major issue, which doesn’t match up with the direction the Rangers want to go on the blue line. There’s a reason why the Rangers were his third team in a season, after all. He’s big, but that’s about it.

Ignoring handedness, Iorio is at best an 9D on the Rangers this season. They have their current starting six, including Schneider, plus Urho Vaakanainen at the NHL level. Scott Morrow is an unknown but still with the organization, and Alberts Smits starting in the NHL isn’t a guarantee. The Rangers might even recall Drew Fortescue or William Trudeau before Iorio.

Accounting for handedness, Iorio is probably the fifth option at RD right now. He’d be behind Adam Fox, Sean Durzi, Braden Schneider, Urho Vaakanainen (lefty, but plays both sides), and Scott Morrow. There’s no critical need to re-sign him aside from depth at the position, especially if one or both of Schneider and Morrow are moved.

Scott Morrow’s future is a mixed bag

I’ve been very consistent with my feelings on how the Rangers are handling Scott Morrow. Last season was a waste for him at the NHL level. He may have played 29 games, but 28 of them were before the Artemi Panarin trade and the subsequent vibe shift that happened after that and the Olympic break. Timing matters. While the Rangers weren’t bad defensively last season, Morrow played most of his games in that November-January stretch where the Rangers were barely showing up to games half the time.

This is why it is so critical for the Rangers to give Morrow a legitimate chance in the NHL on a team with better vibes and a much stronger and more mobile blue line. Morrow is not Adam Fox, we know this. But if he can be a good puck mover, then the Rangers can pair him up with someone who is more of a defensive defenseman, perhaps Vlad Gavrikov or Marcus Pettersson, to bring far better balance to the lineup.

Morrow may not be an NHL defenseman. That’s always a possibility with prospects. The difference is the Rangers would actually be giving Morrow a shot, as opposed to other times where a player is just overlooked, only to play well elsewhere (Neal Pionk comes to mind, I’ll own being wrong on him). The fact is 29 games in last year’s train wreck isn’t enough of a sample to get a read on Morrow.

This is why leaving Morrow unsigned is so weird. Perhaps it’s just the Rangers being the Rangers, as this has been their M.O. for quite some time. RFAs that are getting bridge deals are left until September. Maybe Chris Drury is waiting on a Braden Schneider trade to materialize before committing to Morrow for at least a season. Morrow isn’t going to be overly expensive, which is why this is puzzling, but it could simply be more of the same from the organization.

Morrow should be the top priority now, aside from moving Schneider. They need a plan for him. Either cut bait before tanking his trade value, or give him a legitimate shot. Both come with risks, but at least there would be a plan in place.

The New York Rangers remain on a mission to have a quick turnaround and truly compete for a Stanley Cup in the coming years. Trying to rebuild on the fly and find the pieces necessary to make that dream a reality, Chris Drury made the Rangers younger and more balanced (especially on defense) this offseason. Though a Rangers Stanley Cup is the obvious goal, essentially no one (rightfully so) believes the Rangers are Stanley Cup contenders this season. That was never realistic, but when can the Rangers truly compete for a Cup?

As the excitement around a strong offseason wears off, I find myself pondering this question a lot. I’ve spoken plenty about how the Rangers need to be all-in on superstars, and if Connor McDavid magically finds his way onto the Rangers roster, I do believe with a trio of McDavid, Adam Fox, and Igor Shesterkin, New York would be legitimate contenders.

Short of McDavid or maybe Auston Matthews joining the Rangers, it’s hard to see a rosy outlook for this Rangers team. Pavel Dorofeyev was a great addition by Drury, but he was not signed to be a Hart trophy candidate, more-so a goal scoring first line winger. 

Who else in New York’s organization could become a true star forward? Maybe Gabe Perreault, but it’s tough to find anyone who thinks he could reach superstar levels of production. Alexis Lafreniere was drafted to be this player, but he has shown no indication of being anything more than a fine first-line winger (if even that). That’s not bad, mind you, but it’s not the star the Rangers so desperately need.

Let’s be real, New York doesn’t have any forwards within the organization who can lead a team to the Stanley Cup. The farm system isn’t bad, in fact the Rangers have a good amount of middle six forwards that can be supporting players. That’s a good thing! But lacking a true star has been the biggest concern with the rebuild on the fly approach, and it feels like Chris Drury is banking on a star forward signing with or being traded to the Rangers.

This is a strange space to be in for Rangers fans. Rooting for a team with a very low ceiling, knowing that if just one superstar can shake free and the Rangers can somehow pounce, this suddenly looks a whole lot different. Remember again, Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin are still here.

So, we wait. We will see what happens in the coming years and we will hope that the Rangers can stumble their way into an elite player that leads them all the way. If not, we could be looking at years and years of fine play. That’s not going to do what we want from the Rangers. May as well be looking at 2094 if that’s the case.

2025-2026 Record: 34-39-9 (8th in Metro, 30th in NHL)
Last Poll’s Results: 3.97

Top stories last week:

• In this week’s Patreon post (subscribe here!), Dave continued this year’s Top 25 Under 25 with numbers 25-21.
• Live From the Blue Seats (follow here!) talked the Rangers plans for center. Hoping for Connor McDavid is fine, but planning around his arrival is folly.
• Adam Fox was ranked the 13th best defenseman heading into this coming season, a laughable list.
• There are a few milestones to watch for as the season inches closer.
• If the Rangers are smart, they will lock up Gabe Perreault to a long term contract now, before his price increases significantly.

Please take a second to answer the NY Rangers Fan Confidence Poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the Rangers, their direction, coaching, management, prospects, and overall quality on the ice. You can click the tag “Fan Confidence Poll” to view historical polls.

The Rangers should extend Gabe Perreault long term. That’s not a statement that should generate too much dissent, as it’s clear Perreault is the real deal. It’s just a matter of how high his ceiling is. Perreault has proven himself a top-six winger, and now the question is whether he’s a 60 point top-six winger or a point per game (or more) top-six winger. Striking a long term deal with Perreault sets the Rangers up with a great cap situation for years to come, especially as Adam Fox’s bargain contract comes to an end in 2029.

This isn’t really a question about whether the Rangers should extend Gabe Perreault long term right now. It’s a statement and, at least to me, an objective fact that helps Chris Drury better manage the cap situation down the road. The cap ceiling will continue to go up, but that means player salaries are going to continue to grow. Locking Perreault into a contract now that may seem like an overpayment in year 1, but a bargain until its completion is shrewd cap management.

The Rangers cap situation is fluid

As of this writing, the Rangers have approximately $77.5 million in committed cap space for 2027-2028. That accounts for 4 forwards (Mika Zibanejad, JT Miller, Alexis Lafreniere, Pavel Dorofeyev), 4 defensemen (Adam Fox, Vlad Gavrikov, Sean Durzi, Marcus Pettersson), and 2 goalies (Igor Shesterkin, Joonas Korpisalo).

We can get a more accurate outlook by adding Jaro Chmelar and Alberts Smits, bringing the total to roughly $80 million. The cap hit for Dylan Garand will directly offset Korpisalo’s demotion cap penalty. So that’s a wash.

There is an opportunity to reset the cap situation after this season, and with it comes a unique opportunity for the Rangers to finally get ahead of their cap problems from the past 20 years. This is the main reason why the Rangers should extend Gabe Pereault now instead of later, as these future savings go a long way to both extending other players and enticing premier free agents–everyone seems to be on Connor McDavid, if he even wants to come here–to come to the Rangers.

The Rangers should extend Gabe Perreault – the numbers make too much sense

Gabe Perreault’s extension, assuming it isn’t a bridge deal, is pretty affordable. When accounting for a $110 million cap ceiling, Evolving-Hockey’s contract projections estimate a 7 year contract would come to a $7.3 million cap hit. Essentially, he would be locked up to an Alexis Lafreniere contract. This is a big reason why the Rangers should extend Gabe Perreault long term before the season starts – that number is only going to go up.

While a short term bridge contract (3 years, $4.7 million) is certainly more affordable, the biggest risk is Perreault hitting his ceiling and commanding significantly more once that contract is up. The Rangers could be looking at an additional 5 years and $11 million the way the cap is going. Or more, if Perreault exceeds all expectations.

A long term extension right now isn’t without its own risk, but that risk is muted the more the cap ceiling climbs. At $7.3 million, Perreault would be slightly overpaid given his current production. After all, he has just 12 goals and 15 assists in 54 career NHL games. But it’s that 12-15-27 in 49 games last year that matters. Over a full 82 84 game season, that’s 21-25-46 rookie season.

The big question about a long term extension is whether Perreault’s final 30 games last season was a blip or more of what’s to come. If it’s the latter, then $7.3 million is a bargain, especially as he grows. That’s well worth the risk and really cements the case that the Rangers should extend Gabe Perreault long term. If it’s a blip, then the question that we don’t have answered is how big of a blip.

All long term contracts come with risk. All short term contracts come with risk. The Rangers should sign Gabe Perreault long term because the risk of not doing so is far greater than the risk of locking him up through his twenties. It’s a no-brainer. Or at least, it should be.

We are a little more than a month away from training camps opening, and the offseason has slowed to a complete stop. We are all focused on the Rangers on-ice improvements, which is to be expected. As we get into the season, there will be talks of players hitting some milestones, putting 2026 Rangers milestone watch in full effect. There are a couple of things to watch for this season, as Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox headline the players that could move up the Rangers all time leaderboard.

2026 Rangers milestone watch

Mika Zibanejad

Mika Zibanejad is currently 7th all time in points with 667. He is all but guaranteed to pass Walt Tkachuk (678 points – 6th) and Mark Messier (691 – 5th) this season. Assuming Zibanejad is injury free, he’s likely to pass Andy Bathgate (729 points) for 4th all time as well.

Zibanejad is also 4th all time in goals with 284, putting him 42 goals shy of Chris Kreider’s 326 goals and 3rd all time. He’s 52 goals away from Jean Ratelle’s 336 goals and 2nd all time. He won’t be passing Rod Gilbert’s 406 goals, but he will soon enough.

Zibanejad (383 assists) really headlines the 2026 Rangers milestone watch, as he’s also 19 assists shy of overtaking Artemi Panarin for 8th all time in assists with 402 and 48 assists shy of 7th all time, passing Ron Greshner’s 431 assists. From there, he’d be 10 assists from 6th (Mark Messier – 441), another 10 from 5th (Walt Tkachuk – 451), and then another 6 assists from 4th (Andy Bathgate – 457). He’s unlikely to pass them all this season, but both Panarin and Greshner are within reach this season.

Some other Zibanejad stats to watch for our 2026 Rangers milestone watch:

• Shorthanded goals: Zibanejad (13, 4th) could pass Don Maloney (14, 3rd) and Adam Graves (16, 2nd) this season.
• Game winning goals: Zibanejad (38, 7th) is likely to pass Vic Hadfield (40) and Mark Messier (41) this season. He could also pass Bill Cook (43) to move to 4th, though he’d likely fall short of Ratelle’s 46 GWGs this season.
• Games played: A mostly healthy Zibanejad (730 GP, 14th) will pass both Adam Graves (772) and Dan Girardi (788). Moving to 11th place and Jim Nelson’s 811 GP is within reach if Zibanejad plays a full season.

Adam Fox

Adam Fox’s 2026 Rangers milestone watch is mostly around assists. His 350 assists is 11th all time in Rangers history. Assuming health and a career average season, Fox is likely to put up at least 50-60 assists (probably a low estimate), moving him past James Patrick (363) and Panarin (402). Zibanejad is sandwiched in there with 383 assists currently, so Fox would need to finish the year with 24 assists more than Zibanejad to pass him. If not this year, then next.

Naturally Fox is also on 2026 Rangers milestone watch with points as well. His 422 points is tied for 17th with Dean Prentice. Again assuming health and a career average season, Fox will be good for 60-70 points, though again that’s probably a low estimate. A 70 point season moves Fox all the way to 15th, passing Prentice, James Patrick, and Camille Henry. Don Maloney’s 502 points (14th) and Adam Graves’ 507 points (13th) are within reach as well.

Breaking assists down a bit further:

• Even strength assists: Fox (184, 17th) will pass Bill Fairbairn (187), Chris Kreider (189), Dean Prentice (199), and Phil Watson (202) quite easily this season to move into 13th. Vic Hadfield (228, 12th) and Don Maloney (235, 11th) are within reach as well.
• Powerplay assists: Fox (157, 7th) will pass Messier (160), Bathgate (162), and Greshner (171) rather easily this season to move into 4th place. James Patrick’s 187 assists and 3rd is also within reach.

JT Miller

JT Miller is a bit of a wild card in the 2026 Ranger milestone watch. If he returns to his 100 point self, then he could move from 55th to 29th in points. That’s highly unlikely, but 70 points is doable and far more realistic, which would still move him to 36th place.

Miller is also 58th in assists. A 50 assist season, more in line with expectations of a 70 point season, moves him to 34th. Still a far cry from the leaders.

Igor Shesterkin

Igor Shesterkin can only really make progress in all time wins, where he is 6th with 187 wins. A 30 win season, well within reach for a healthy Shesterkin, moves him past John Vanbiesbrouck (200) and Gump Worsley (204) for 4th.

At the very least, we will likely be celebrating Igor Shesterkin’s 200th win this season.

Live From the Blue Seats is back as Dave and Producer JL talk the Rangers plans beyond this season. For some reason, it seems the strategy again appears to be Connor McDavid or bust for the Rangers, the second time they appear to be banking on a free agent to choose the New York Rangers two years in advance. JL is more optimistic, but I find it hard to believe that this is their plan. They tried it once and failed. Fool me once, keep fooling me until I learn? If Connor McDavid to the Rangers is the plan, is it even realistic?

As always, Live From the Blue Seats asks for your questions each afternoon before we record. Submit them via social media or directly here on BSB!

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It’s that time of year, where the NHL Network releases its preseason rankings of the top 20 players by position. These are, of course, without any fallacy and should always be taken at face value. Thus Adam Fox ranked 13th, behind players who are statistically worse than him. The Fox slander is reaching new heights, reaching comical territory. To say with a straight face that Charlie McAvoy and Matthew Schaefer, who are great players in their own right, are not only better than Fox, but significantly better, is laughable. The stats tell a completely different story.

There are six defensemen who can be considered the cream of the crop: Fox, Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski, Rasmus Dahlin, and Moritz Seider. You can list these six in any order, but as long as they comprise the top six, it’s fine. But Adam Fox ranked 13th is purely comical. There’s no details into what went into the rankings. If it’s injuries, then so be it. That’s fair. It just seems odd how much disrespect Fox has been getting since 4 bad games in February 2025.

2025-2026 Record: 34-39-9 (8th in Metro, 30th in NHL)
Last Poll’s Results: 4.21

Top stories last week:

• In this week’s Patreon post (subscribe here!), Dave kicked off the revival of his Top 25 Under 25.
• Live From the Blue Seats (follow here!) actually recorded last night. No, really, we did! It will release later today.
• Did all these improvements make the Rangers a playoff team? When will it be enough to end the Rangers Cup drought?
• The offseason was solid, but in-season moves that can derail a retool too. There’s a lot the Rangers can learn from the Islanders.
• Report card season wrapped up with Mike Sullivan and Chris Drury.

Please take a second to answer the NY Rangers Fan Confidence Poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the Rangers, their direction, coaching, management, prospects, and overall quality on the ice. You can click the tag “Fan Confidence Poll” to view historical polls.

As the offseason conversation shifts to which teams are playoff contenders, the jury is out on the New York Rangers. Are the Rangers a playoff team? Did they make enough improvements on offense–the biggest issue last year–to finally support Igor Shesterkin and their improved defensive play? Were the changes on the blue line enough to help transition to offense without losing those improvements in their own end? Or is this more of the same, with Chris Drury sacrificing three first round picks to not see any significant improvements?

Drury was the most active General Manager this offseason, with deals bringing in Pavel Dorofeyev for 2026 and 2028 1st round picks, Marcus Pettersson for a 2030 1st round pick, and Sean Durzi and prospect Cole Beaudoin for Vincent Trocheck. Drafting Alberts Smits 5th overall, with the expectation he will join the team at some point this season, cemented a shift in the Rangers path from grit focused to skill focused. Both Durzi and Pettersson fill specific needs on the blue line, while Dorofeyev hopefully replaces the goal scoring hole left by Chris Kreider.

So are the Rangers a playoff team?

The big question is are the Rangers a playoff team. It’s tough to say right now, but there are three things going their way:

1. The Rangers added puck movers and mobility to the blue line, two significant needs. Durzi and Pettersson instantly give the Rangers a legitimate second pair on defense.
2. Dorofeyev gets most of his xG from the front of the net. He has a wicked shot and can score from anywhere, but his bread and butter is in front of the net.
3. Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin are healthy (hopefully).

The third bullet alone likely adds at least 10 points in the standings for the Blueshirts. While both missed “only” 15+ games or so, it was they both missed these games at the same time. This is a bit of a grey area, as NHL Injury Viz doesn’t explicitly call out the compounding impact of the Rangers missing both of their star players at the same time, and if I’m reading it right it only accounts for salary. Logically speaking, missing both at the same time would have a significantly larger impact than missing one at a time.

Remember, the Rangers went 3-15 when missing both Fox and Shesterkin last seaso.

But a healthy Fox and Shesterkin doesn’t make the Rangers a playoff team. Durzi and Pettersson over Will Borgen and Carson Soucy (or Matthew Robertson) on the second pair is a significant needle mover. Dorofeyev over a rotation of Conor Sheary, Taylor Raddysh, and others in the top six is also a significant needle mover. Dorofeyev on PP1 at the net mouth is also a big need, hopefully shifting JT Miller to PP2 with Durzi, giving the Rangers more balance.

But to answer whether the Rangers are a playoff team, we need to see how they can make up about 22 points in the standings in one shot. If we assume 10 points are from a healthy Fox/Shesterkin duo, then it’s whether Durzi, Pettersson, and Dorofeyev are worth the other 12 points. If not, then can the improving Gabe Perreault and Alexis Lafreniere bridge the gap? What about having a legitimate third line that can also chip in offensively? How much value does Oliver Bjorkstrand have in this lineup?

The Rangers aren’t a perfect team either, as they certainly need another top six body, preferably at center. They also still have a net-negative in Braden Schneider, though those two problems are somewhat related. I believe the Rangers are a playoff team, though I may be one of the few that shares this optimism.

The case against

The additions are nice, but we aren’t accounting for three major factors in the Rangers making the playoffs:

1. Other teams in the Metro made improvements too, so can the Rangers jump from last in the division to third or fourth?
2. We are banking on the Lafreniere-Zibanejad-Perreault line continuing their pace to close out last season.
3. We are banking on kids like Adam Sykora, Jaro Chmelar, and Noah Laba taking significant next steps in their roles.

The Rangers can’t control how other teams in their division perform. As we saw with the Florida Panthers, injuries can turn a season in an instant, so this isn’t something to worry about. If points 2 and 3 hit, then the Rangers make significant strides. If not, then we are right back where we started.

Perhaps without Artemi Panarin in the mix, Lafreniere can build off that confidence and point per game pace to close out the season. If he’s the play driver on that line with Zibanejad and Perreault, then the Rangers have themselves a real scoring line. If not, then this line quickly gets overwhelmed by better teams and more difficult defense matchups.

The kids are a wild card, though this may be mitigated by their roles. All three of Sykora, Chmelar, and Laba are bottom six players, so they can be sheltered–Sykora and Laba–and minutes limited–Chmelar–if things go wrong. We want to see growth so the bottom six can be a strength, but we won’t know how this plays out until puck drop. Tanner Glass can silence a lot of doubters if this trio continues to develop.

One point to consider: Miller and Zibanejad continue to get older. Zibanejad may have found life as a pure shooter with two young wingers who have star potential. Miller, though, is coming off a horrendous season where he under performed, played injured, had his leadership questioned, and was rumored to have threatened the organization if he wasn’t on the Olympic team. That rumor has no confirmation, but it’s made the rounds.

Miller is the bigger need for the Rangers. They invested a lot and whether you like him as captain or not, the Rangers need him to get back to what he was when they acquired him. At the very least, he needs to be a capable 2C with 70+ points while driving PP2. If he’s on PP1, then he needs to be a driving force in the lineup and back to that 90-100 point pace. Miller’s aging curve, and to a lesser extent Zibanejad’s aging curve, will dictate how this season goes.

Are the Rangers a playoff team? I believe so. But as they say, that’s why the games are played.