{"id":307541,"date":"2026-07-28T12:19:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T12:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/307541\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T12:19:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T12:19:13","slug":"new-york-rangers-offseason-mailbag-part-1-alberts-smits-role-matt-rempes-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/307541\/","title":{"rendered":"New York Rangers offseason mailbag Part 1: Alberts \u0160mits\u2019 role? Matt Rempe\u2019s future?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Rangers don\u2019t play NHL games until September, but a collection of players will be in action at the Shoulder Check Showcase charity game<\/a> Thursday in Fairfield, Conn. Adam Fox, Matt Rempe, J.T. Miller, Pavel Dorofeyev, Drew Fortescue and Gabe Perreault will all play in the game, which aims to raise mental health awareness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Other than the charity game, the hockey front is relatively quiet. That makes now a good time for a mailbag. I\u2019ll take Part 1 today, and colleague Vincent Z. Mercogliano will handle the second part later in the week.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dig in.<\/p>\n

(Some questions have been lightly edited for clarity and length.)<\/p>\n

Can Gabe Perreault get to Nikita Kucherov\u2019s level?<\/p>\n

Scott Wheeler, Corey Pronman and more<\/p>\n

We all know the floor, but what\u2019s a pie-in-the-sky but also realistic ceiling for the 2026-27 team as currently rostered? \u2014 Kit Y.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Metropolitan Division is weaker than the Atlantic and guaranteed at least three playoff teams, so postseason hockey feels possible for the Rangers after their offseason additions. If Igor Shesterkin plays out of his mind or the Rangers get a favorable matchup (think Philadelphia beating Pittsburgh last year), New York could perhaps win a round. That feels like the realistic best-case scenario. The Rangers would need to add to their forward group before a deeper run becomes feasible.<\/p>\n

Is there a scenario where Alberts \u0160mits has such an outstanding camp that he not only makes the opening day roster but also bumps Marcus Pettersson down to the third pair? \u2014 Howard L.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even if \u0160mits was regarded by some evaluators as the most pro-ready defenseman in the 2026 draft class, getting second-pair minutes from him seems ambitious. Since the 2020 draft, only seven defensemen have played games the season immediately following their selection. Of those, only two \u2014 Matthew Schaefer with the Islanders in 2025-26 and J.J. Moser with the Coyotes in 2021-22 \u2014 played more than half their team\u2019s games. Schaefer, a unicorn who receives praise from Hall of Famers<\/a> and current stars alike, appeared in all 82 games and averaged 24:41 a night. Moser logged 43 games, averaging 18:42. In short, recent history doesn\u2019t include many examples of a freshly drafted rookie slotting in on a second pair, and New York presumably didn\u2019t give up a first-round pick for Pettersson, a player coach Mike Sullivan knows well from his time in Pittsburgh, to move to the third pair.<\/p>\n

If \u0160mits performs really well in camp, what\u2019s the highest realistic spot he might take? \u2014 Keith N.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As discussed in my response to Howard\u2019s question, the third-pair left defense spot is probably the highest \u0160mits would get with a fully healthy defensive corps. That would bump Matthew Robertson to the extra defenseman. But even if \u0160mits is on the third pair, Sullivan could find ways to get him extra ice time, whether that\u2019s by giving him special teams minutes or throwing him on the ice for occasional shifts with defensemen higher in the lineup.<\/p>\n

The Rangers have the option of playing \u0160mits in the AHL and allowing him to log big minutes and further round out his game. New York could also do a combination of the two approaches and reward him with some NHL games while still keeping him in the AHL for long stretches. That will come down to how he plays in camp and what the development staff believes is best for his game long term. That must remain the priority with a prospect of this caliber.<\/p>\n

After an injury-plagued season, is Matt Rempe out of favor with the Rangers? Last training camp, Mike Sullivan was raving about him, but now it seems as if he\u2019s an afterthought. \u2014 Paul F.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rempe, as you alluded to, had a trying 2025-26 campaign while dealing with a lingering thumb injury from an early-season fight with the San Jose Sharks\u2019 Ryan Reaves. Though the 24-year-old hasn\u2019t been much of a discussion point this offseason, it\u2019s notable that New York \u2014 after getting strong showings from Jaroslav Chmela\u0159 and Adam S\u00fdkora \u2014 traded waiver-eligible depth wingers Brett Berard and Adam Edstr\u00f6m but held onto Rempe.<\/p>\n

Rempe will need to clear waivers this year to go to the AHL, so don\u2019t be surprised if New York wants to avoid risking losing him for nothing and keeps him on the active roster to start the year. That, of course, doesn\u2019t guarantee a spot in the opening-night lineup. If the team is fully healthy, Rempe will likely battle Chmela\u0159, S\u00fdkora and potentially rookies like Liam Greentree and Cole Beaudoin for roles. Training camp will be important for Rempe, both to show he\u2019s recovered from his thumb injury and to rediscover some of the swagger he played with to start 2025-26.<\/p>\n

Can a team with average five-on-five offense, great special teams and defense, and elite goaltending win a Stanley Cup? That seems to be the best-case outcome for the Rangers for the next three years. \u2014 Albert K.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Among Stanley Cup winners since 2009-10, 10 of 17 champions were in the top 10 in the NHL in goals scored, and all but four were in the top half of the league in five-on-five goals. The four major outliers were the 2024-25 Panthers (22nd in NHL in five-on-five goals), 2023-24 Panthers (26th), 2014 Kings (27th) and 2012 Kings (29th). But all of those teams were among the highest-scoring teams on a rate basis in their respective championship playoff runs. The 2024-25 Panthers were second out of 16 playoff teams in postseason goals for per 60 minutes, per Natural Stat Trick. They were fifth the year before, and the Kings were third in 2014 and second in 2012.<\/p>\n

The other teams who finished in the top half of regular season goals but out of the top 10 (the 2020-21 Lightning, 2018-19 Blues and 2013 Blackhawks) were all top three in playoff goal rate.<\/p>\n

The closest comparable to the vision outlined here is probably the 2023-24 Panthers. That team boasted a top-10 power play and penalty kill, excelled defensively, and had Sergei Bobrovsky, who finished third in Vezina Trophy voting. But as the Panthers showed in the playoffs, they still had plenty of offensive firepower between Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov.<\/p>\n

NHL free agency: Early winners and losers<\/p>\n

Shayna Goldman and Madison Eades<\/p>\n

If the Rangers aren\u2019t committed to Braden Schneider beyond this year, then why did they trade Will Borgen who would have been a cheaper option on the third pair? If Schneider isn\u2019t traded for a forward or high draft pick, what did (team president and general manager) Chris Drury accomplish signing a third pair RD for $5.5 million for one year? \u2014 Sally\u00a0<\/p>\n

Essentially, this was a decision to punt. The Rangers neither committed long term nor walked Schneider to unrestricted free agency, where they\u2019d risk losing him for nothing next summer. He\u2019ll still be a restricted free agent next summer. Now New York can see if he progresses with a more manageable workload<\/a> while keeping their long-term options open. They can ultimately work out an extension with Schneider, trade him, or give him another short-term deal in restricted free agency next summer. Borgen ($4.1 million annual cap hit through 2029-30) was a cheaper option, but he\u2019s a longer-term commitment. Plus New York wasn\u2019t in desperate need of cap space for this season. It still has around $2.4 million, per PuckPedia. Schneider will be 25 at the start of this coming season, so he\u2019s younger than Borgen, and Drury said the team values the skill set he brings.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the benefit in unloading Edstr\u00f6m for zilch? \u2014 Eric G.<\/p>\n

The Rangers have a logjam at bottom-six wing, as we touched on a bit earlier this mailbag. If Edstr\u00f6m didn\u2019t make the team out of camp \u2014 which the Rangers clearly believed was a real possibility \u2014 he would\u2019ve gone on waivers, and New York might\u2019ve lost him for nothing. Instead, Drury picked up a fifth-round pick from the Nashville Predators in exchange. Not much, but not nothing.<\/p>\n

Drury traded away two of their own first-round picks. Think that comes back to bite him? \u2014 Chris M.<\/p>\n

This question touches on the inherent gamble Drury made this offseason. He actually traded three first-round picks if you count the late 2026 one (originally Dallas\u2019) that went to Vegas in the Pavel Dorofeyev deal. The Golden Knights also got the Rangers\u2019 2028 first-round pick, which becomes an unprotected 2029 first if it falls in the top 10 in 2028. Vancouver gets the Rangers\u2019 2030 first-round pick, once again top-10 protected, in the Pettersson trade.<\/p>\n

Drury has repeatedly said he doesn\u2019t want to discuss the timeline of his retool, but the Dorofeyev and Pettersson trades indicate he is counting on his team to be at least in the playoffs by 2027-2028 (or 2028-29 at the latest). If the Rangers make the postseason in 2028 and 2030 and those picks are in the back half of the first round, then they will probably have been a worthwhile acquisition cost for two contributing players. If New York remains out of the postseason and has to give up a lottery pick (or two in a worst-case scenario), then we\u2019ll look back at those offseason decisions as disastrous.<\/p>\n

My understanding is that goalie Dylan Garand is subject to being claimed on waivers if Drury tries to send him down to Hartford. Is that true? Is he is likely to be claimed if this happens? \u2014 Dale C.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That is true: Garand is no longer waiver exempt.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to gauge the likelihood of a waiver claim, but goalies are always a hot commodity. Carolina claimed Brandon Bussi before last season, and the Sabres claimed Colten Ellis. So it would be a risk letting Garand, now likely behind newly acquired Joonas Korpisalo on the depth chart, get to waivers.<\/p>\n

The Rangers have the cap space to carry three goalies, but it would be difficult in that case to find a rotation in which Garand \u2014 a 24-year-old goalie in need of games \u2014 would get the amount of playing time most beneficial for him to develop. If the Rangers go the conventional tandem route, they\u2019ll keep one of Korpisalo and Garand as the No. 2 behind Shesterkin and then waive or attempt to trade the other.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New York Rangers don\u2019t play NHL games until September, but a collection of players will be in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":307542,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9,11,10,541],"class_list":["post-307541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-new-york-rangers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=307541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307541\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/307542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=307541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=307541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=307541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}