The New York Rangers were one of the more active teams during the NHL Draft and early free agency. President and general manager Chris Drury traded for and extended Pavel Dorofeyev; acquired Marcus Pettersson, Sean Durzi and Joonas Korpisalo; signed Oliver Bjorkstrand and Joe Veleno; and added a slew of new prospects, notably Cole Beaudoin and 2026 No. 5 pick Alberts Šmits.

Meanwhile, out went Vincent Trocheck, Will Borgen and depth forwards Jonny Brodzinski, Conor Sheary, Brett Berard and Adam Edström. It all leaves the Rangers with a much different-looking team than the one that ended the 2025-26 regular season at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Drury wanted to retool, and he’s certainly done that. The question is whether that will lead to results.

The Athletic spoke to four scouts and two executives with other NHL teams to get their take on the Rangers’ offseason shuffle and what their future might hold. The opinions were mixed: Some were more bullish on the changes, while others remain unconvinced about the long-term vision.

For simplicity’s sake, we’ll refer to the survey participants as Scout 1 (who is from a Western Conference team), Scout 2 (Eastern Conference), Scout 3 (Western Conference), Scout 4 (Eastern Conference), Executive 1 (Eastern Conference) and Executive 2 (Eastern Conference). All were granted anonymity to speak candidly about an opposing club’s decisions.

Here’s a collection of their answers to seven questions we posed.

NHL offer sheets are just business

Sean Gentille and Sean McIndoe

1. Are the Rangers now a playoff team?

After winning the 2024 Presidents’ Trophy with the league’s best record, the Rangers have missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Now they hope to get back into contention.

“They’ll be on the cusp,” Scout 1 said. “Washington got a lot better, Carolina of course are defending champions and they don’t seem like they’re going anywhere, but after that I find (the Metro) to be pretty open. … They should make an improvement from last year.”

“I would say they’re in,” Scout 2 added. “There’s no way it’s going to go sideways like last year at the start.” (The Rangers started 3-5-2 and didn’t score in their first three home games.)

Executive 1 gives New York a chance, in large part because of star goalie Igor Shesterkin.

“We’re not talking about challenging for the (Metropolitan Division),” he said. “We’re talking about battling for playoff spots.”

“I think their back end has improved,” Scout 4 added. “They’ve added a couple of pieces up front, and with the progression of some of those younger guys that you hope to take a step, I think that they’re definitely heading in the right direction.”

Scout 3 exercised some skepticism, alluding to the ages of the team’s top two centers in Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller (both 33).

“I still don’t love their centers,” said the scout, who predicts the Rangers will miss the 2026-27 playoffs. “They’re old down the middle.”

Executive 2 also does not believe the Rangers will be a playoff team. For those keeping score, that’s one evaluator who believes they’ll make it, three who believe they’ll be in the mix, and two who don’t.

NHL free agency: Early winners and losers

Shayna Goldman and Madison Eades

2. How did Drury do on the Trocheck return?

The Rangers traded Trocheck, who primarily played second-line center after signing with New York in 2022, to Utah for Durzi, Beaudoin and a 2027 third-round pick. Trocheck turns 33 this weekend but still carries a manageable $5.625 million cap hit for the next three seasons.

“For an aging center that brings so much like Trocheck, that’s a big get for Utah,” Executive 1 said. “What’s coming back is interesting because there’s a chance you get a player or two that are good, but there’s no guarantees there.”

Durzi, a 27-year-old who has played top-four minutes since entering the league, is more of a sure thing than Beaudoin, who is only 20 and has never played a professional hockey game. The Rangers will likely pair the former with Pettersson, acquired from Vancouver on July 1 for a 2030 first-round pick.

“I feel like (Pettersson-Durzi) is a really nice complementary pair if they’re going to play together,” Scout 1 said. “Pettersson is more of a defensive mainstay — just a steady, more defensive-minded player — whereas Durzi is a little bit more mobile (of a) puck mover (and) has a little bit more offensive ability.”

Scout 2 believes Durzi will be a better fit on the Rangers than Borgen, whom New York traded to Boston, saying the ex-Mammoth defenseman both skates and moves pucks better.

“Durzi’s a very capable second-pairing defenseman that can also run your second power play, or run the top power play if (Adam) Fox is out,” Scout 4 said. “He’s not a big guy, but he’s feisty. … I think there’s more upside there.”

Scout 3 also likes Durzi but didn’t feel he was enough to be the centerpiece of the trade, especially because he views Beaudoin as having “fourth-line center upside.” That scout is concerned about the young forward’s skating but noted he works hard on the ice, “so you appreciate the player.”

“Great kid, culture guy, but pretty limited with what he can do,” Executive 2 added of Beaudoin.

Ultimately, much of the return will come down to how the prospect develops.

“I think you’ve got to hope Beaudoin eventually maybe becomes that third-line guy in time,” Scout 4 said. “I think the return is good, but it might not look good in the short term. The Durzi add is good for your D-corps, but up front, there’s nothing right now to address that hole in the middle.”

Winners and losers from the 2026 NHL Draft

Scott Wheeler

3. What was the Rangers’ best move?

Scout 3 and Executive 1 liked the Bjorkstrand signing. The Rangers got the 31-year-old winger on a one-year deal for $4.5 million.

“The only thing that’s dangerous is that he needs to play with a guy who can get him the puck, but I think Bjorkstrand can put in 25, 30 goals and maybe be an asset at the trade deadline,” Scout 3 said. “Maybe he can make a center a little better because of his ability (to) shoot it.”

Gabe Perreault’s playmaking, the scout added, could work well on a line with Bjorkstrand, who has had six 20-plus-goal seasons.

“With what Bjorkstrand brings, at least you know what you’re getting exactly,” Executive 1 said.

Scout 1 liked the Rangers’ boldest move of the summer: acquiring Dorofeyev from Vegas for the No. 26 and No. 92 picks in this year’s draft, as well as a 2028 first-round pick (top-10 protected). The Russian winger is coming off a pair of 35-plus-goal seasons and had 12 goals in 22 games in Vegas’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. New York promptly extended him for seven years at an $11 million average annual value.

“That guy scores a lot, and for a team that just traded away (Artemi) Panarin last year, he’ll be such an injection of scoring into the lineup,” Scout 1 said. “I thought the way they went about it was really smart. Of course they had to give up some draft picks, but all in all it was less than if they would have offer-sheeted him, and they still got the player.”

Scout 2 liked the Pettersson trade: “You need that element on the left side there on the PK,” the scout said. “I think he’s a real shutdown guy.”

4. Which move are you most concerned won’t work?

Scout 3 said the Trocheck trade for Durzi and Beaudoin.

“I feel like they would’ve had better offers at the deadline for first-round picks,” he said. “But they’re trying to live on this line of being competitive while trying to regroup.”

The scout believes the Rangers would’ve been better off either keeping Trocheck, considering the team’s other win-now moves, or focusing on the future and aiming for a higher-end prospect than Beaudoin, even if it meant forgoing a player such as Durzi.

Executive 2 also thought New York could have done better on a Trocheck return at next season’s deadline but viewed the Utah package as a “fine” outcome. He pointed to the Dorofeyev trade and extension as Drury’s riskiest decision, calling it “a tough bet to make.”

The executive questioned the 25-year-old’s all-around impact, noting his limited five-on-five usage in the playoffs. Despite scoring seven even-strength goals, Dorofeyev sat 13th among the Golden Knights’ regular skaters and seventh among forwards in average ice time per game at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

“If people were watching the bench, (coach John Tortorella) passed over him and rolled the next line and the next line,” Executive 2 said.

Executive 1 also responded with the Dorofeyev move. He’ll now be skating without Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner, both elite playmakers.

“If he doesn’t have people that can help get him the puck and play that way, that’s going to be a challenging one,” the executive said. “How much can he generate given that roster and who’s going to play with him? I’m sure their coaching staff and others are figuring all that out, but I don’t know how that couldn’t be a concern with the amount of money they’re spending on it.”

Family, friends and cows: How one player celebrated the NHL Draft

Peter Baugh and Madison Eades

5. What did you make of the Dorofeyev trade-and-sign?

We’ve covered Executive 1’s and Executive 2’s concerns, as well as the reasons Scout 1 liked the add.

“Seeing different contracts around the league right now, everybody’s getting paid,” Scout 1 said specifically of the extension. “For a (close to) 40-goal guy, that’s probably the going rate. I feel like it was pretty fair. I don’t think the Rangers cringed when that was the ask from the agent.”

Added Scout 2, keenly aware of the rising cap hits of players in the league: “It sounds like a s— ton of money a few weeks ago. Now I’m like, ‘Ah, it’s not that bad.’”

That scout believes Dorofeyev will continue scoring in New York and called the move “a safe play.”

Scout 4 was more skeptical.

“For me, despite his production in Vegas, he’s always been more of a complementary type of piece,” he said of Dorofeyev. “(He) obviously helps a need (scoring), but at the same time, you’re paying a hell of a lot of money for that guy, and he better produce the way he produced in Vegas. Otherwise, you’re gonna have a big problem.”

Scout 3 questioned whether the Rangers have the same level of playmakers as Vegas.

“The extension just seems like a lot of money for a guy that I’m not (convinced) was successful on his own,” the scout said. “I don’t think he drives a line. You want those guys driving lines at that kind of cash.”

Still, that scout added that it was better for the Rangers to acquire Dorofeyev — who is in his mid-20s — than to pay for a free agent such as 30-year-old Alex Tuch, who signed an eight-year, $10.5 million AAV deal with the Washington Capitals.

6. Did this offseason change your long-term outlook for the Rangers?

“No,” Scout 3 replied. “I think all they did was shuffle. … This is always dangerous. I think you make a lot of changes without making any changes at all. I’d rather have them either break it all down or add instead of subtracting and adding.”

Executive 2 also had retool skepticism.

“Washington retooled somewhat successfully, but they’re not close to the promised land after retooling,” he said. “Give me an example of a retool where the team goes to the conference final or the Final. … The retool on the fly rarely works.”

Executive 1 pondered what it means going forward.

“Are you bridging the gap with this team until a year or two from now?” he said. “Maybe you bring in a big free agent. It’s obviously not a rebuild.”

“I think long term they should be fine,” Scout 2 answered, noting the long-term contracts of players such as Alexis Lafrenière, Dorofeyev and Shesterkin. “They’ve got the pieces to be fine and the boat to be stabilized.”

Scout 4 mentioned the team adding to its prospect pool: The Rangers drafted Šmits and also added past first-round picks Liam Greentree and Beaudoin in the Panarin and Trocheck trades, respectively.

“They gave up some assets to bring in Pettersson and (Dorofeyev), but at the same time, you can’t have it both ways,” the scout said. “If you’re gonna try to do a retool on the fly, then you’ve got to remain competitive while trying to thread that needle. …

“I think Chris (Drury) has made some missteps along the way, but at the same time, I do think they’re in a better spot now than they were at this time last year.”

7. What is New York’s biggest obstacle to being a true contender?

Scout 4 believed New York has upped its overall talent level, on the NHL roster and in the pipeline, but questioned whether the Rangers can succeed with the tenacious system Drury and coach Mike Sullivan want them to play. That style doesn’t seem well suited for skill players such as Zibanejad, Dorofeyev and Fox, who will be counted on as the Rangers’ driving forces.

“I think they need to kind of try and figure out what they are,” the scout said. “Are they going to play fast, hard and competitive? Or are they going to be more skilled, relying on the power play and relying on the goaltending?”

The crux of the issue, according to Executive 2, is that the Rangers are lacking elite players in their primes at the very top of their lineup. He noted Shesterkin in goal as an obvious one, but believes New York’s dearth of high-end forwards, in particular, will cap the team’s ability to compete against the NHL’s best.

“Who’s part of their core?” the executive asked. “Until you identify what your core is and how long you’re gonna ride that core, it’s basically patching it up here and there.”

Scout 3 feels similarly about top-end talent. When discussing a potential Lafrenière-Zibanejad-Dorofeyev line, he said, “None of those guys would be the best player on any other top line (for a top team) in the league.”

That scout believes center depth and youth still pose the biggest obstacles to the Rangers, and he agreed on the executive’s assessment that the team needs more elite talent outside of Shesterkin. Executive 1 cited “thinness” on the back end and at center.

Scout 1 believes the team must find more on-ice cohesion than it had in 2025-26 — “It just seemed like not everybody was on the same page,” he said — and added it needs more production from players such as Lafrenière and Miller.

“Their top-end guys just have to be top-end talent,” Scout 2 added. “If you start (with) that, the rest will fall into place. … They’ve got decent young guys and then they’ve got some good veterans and they’ve got goaltending. I think this is a year they can get back in it.”