ELMONT, N.Y. — The biggest New York Rangers news of the day came not from their preseason game on Long Island but back at the Tarrytown training center, where J.T. Miller left the ice with a lower-body injury. The captain appeared to suffer it while diving for a loose puck. He skated off the ice on his own power but did not return.

In good news for both the Rangers and Miller, he avoided any serious injury. He might even be healthy enough to skate at Tuesday’s practice. If he can’t, he’ll be considered day to day.

Sam Carrick, who also has a lower-body injury, went through morning skate Monday but didn’t play in the evening out of precaution. He’s also day to day. The Rangers can still hope for a fully healthy opening-night lineup in a week.

With the regular season creeping closer, general manager Chris Drury made a round of cuts, releasing Andrej Šustr from his professional tryout and sending Jaroslav Chmelar, Jackson Dorrington, Case McCarthy, Adam Sýkora and Kalle Väisänen to AHL Hartford. The team also put Anton Blidh, Justin Dowling, Trey Fix-Wolansky and Derrick Pouliot on waivers. That brings the roster down to 37 players.

In game action, the Rangers won 3-2 in overtime against the New York Islanders, who played most of their NHL players, including Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat and No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer, and the Rangers dressed a group lacking its top forwards and defensemen. Igor Shesterkin played, though, and was excellent, stopping 21 of the 22 shots he saw over two periods. Juuso Pärssinen, Will Cuylle and Noah Laba scored for the Rangers.

The regular season begins in one week, and plenty of Rangers are still vying for roster spots. New York has let players perform their way onto the opening-night roster in recent years, with Cuylle making the team in fall 2023 and Victor Mancini getting a nod last year. Here’s a look at how a few players have shifted their stock so far this preseason.

Stock up: Noah Laba

If anyone has made an impression this camp, it’s Laba, who scored the overtime winner Monday. A scout with another NHL club said going into camp that Laba would contend for a roster spot if his team had him, and the 22-year-old has made a compelling case for the Rangers. Ranked No. 6 in our preseason Rangers prospect rankings, the center has played in all four preseason games and has a team-leading 5 points. Veterans Vincent Trocheck and Vladislav Gavrikov raved about him after his recent performances. He’s a strong skater and has killed penalties in the preseason, assisting on Gavrikov’s short-handed goal against the Boston Bruins last week.

After playing against lineups blended with AHL and NHL players most of the preseason, Laba had his toughest test yet Monday. He frequently was on the ice against the Islanders’ top line (Anthony Duclair-Mathew Barzal-Kyle Palmieri) and top defensive pair (Alexander Romanov-Tony DeAngelo), and his numbers reflected that. The Rangers had only 8.06 percent of the expected goal share with him on the ice at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

“Obviously, much harder than the competition we’ve had so far,” he said after the game. “Definitely a little bit of an adjustment. Those guys are really good, especially when they get in the O-zone, start cycling on you.”

“We knew that they had a pretty strong lineup in tonight, so we knew it was going to be a pretty big test for us and give our young players an opportunity to see how they do against NHL players,” Sullivan added. “I thought Labs did a good job.”

Though challenged with more difficult opponents, Laba’s game ended impressively. In overtime, Gabe Perreault — who has also had “a really strong camp,” Sullivan said — led him into the offensive zone with a pass. Laba cut across goalie David Rittich and backhanded the winner into the net.

Laba with a beauty for the OT winner. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/g8s7x3OLx7

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) September 30, 2025

The Rangers might deem Laba in need of more AHL seasoning before getting a regular-season chance, but New York looks like it’s found a player.

Stock up: Conor Sheary

Sullivan has spoken highly of the 33-year-old Sheary, who is on a PTO. The Rangers have controlled the expected goal share and shot attempts with him on the ice at five-on-five, and he looks like he still has NHL games left in him. New York could look into signing him as a third-line winger or even a 13th forward, though the latter would likely come at the expense of Jonny Brodzinski, a reliable fill-in the past two seasons.

Stock up: Braden Schneider

Schneider had surgery to repair a torn labrum at the end of last season and made his return to game action Monday. The fact he’s healthy puts him in the “stock up” section, and Sullivan also indicated he’ll get lots of playing time this season.

“If we were to rank our defensemen top to bottom, we believe that Schneids is amongst the top four,” the coach said.

That doesn’t mean he’ll necessarily be in the top two pairs, Sullivan said. The staff can spread out the team’s defensemen, put Schneider on the third pair and get him extra minutes through special teams and by moving him up in the lineup situationally.

Stock neutral: Juuso Pärssinen

The Rangers made it clear they were going to give Pärssinen a look to be their third-line center. He hasn’t raised his stock like Laba, but he also hasn’t hurt it either, and is starting from a higher point as an established NHLer. He and Cuylle had a nice two-man rush against the Islanders in which Pärssinen drove to the net and beat out ex-Ranger Tony DeAngelo for a rebound goal.

“The first thing that comes to mind is responsible,” Cuylle said of Pärssinen. “He manages the puck well and is good defensively. Sometimes people may overlook his offense because he’s such a good defensive player.”

The Rangers almost certainly won’t carry Laba if he’s the No. 13 forward; he needs to be playing games. To make the team, he’ll likely have to beat out Pärssinen, whom Sullivan has flanked with NHL players throughout camp. Pärssinen signed a two-year extension ($1.25 million average annual value) over the summer, and, unlike Laba, would require waivers to go to the AHL.

“I think he’s getting more comfortable with how we’re trying to play,” Sullivan said. “He hasn’t really killed penalties his whole career, and we’ve got him killing penalties. … I do think he’s making progress.”

Through four preseason games, he still feels like the favorite to start the year as the Rangers’ 3C.

Juuso Pärssinen celebrates a first-period goal against the Islanders. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

Stock neutral: Scott Morrow

The 22-year-old Morrow will either make the team as a lineup regular or go to AHL Hartford. There’s no use in keeping him on the roster as a No. 7 defenseman. As a waiver-exempt player, he needs to be playing games, whether with the Rangers or the AHL Wolf Pack. Acquired in the K’Andre Miller trade, he probably has not played well enough to hop any established NHLers for a top-six spot, but he hasn’t been bad, either.

Stock neutral: Dylan Garand

Garand had a rough first game of the preseason, allowing three goals in one period on 10 shots faced. He was better Monday, relieving Shesterkin in the third period and stopping nine of the 10 shots he saw.

“I think it was an important period for him,” Sullivan said. “I know his last outing didn’t sit well with him, and we certainly know he’s better than that.”

The Rangers might need to count on Garand this year. He enters the season as the club’s top AHL option and would likely get a call-up if Shesterkin or Jonathan Quick gets hurt. More importantly, he could be part of the team’s longer-term plans as Shesterkin’s backup. Quick will turn 40 this season and is on a one-year deal. A good year from Garand will go a long way in proving he’s ready to take over as an NHL No. 2.

Monday’s game was a much better sign than his previous one, which would’ve had him in the “stock down” category.

Stock down: Brennan Othmann

Now 22 and entering his third professional season, Othmann is at an interesting point in his career. He has yet to show he can be an NHL regular, though he played in 22 games last year, and the Rangers probably need to get clarity on his potential soon. He had a difficult first game against the New Jersey Devils but has shown flashes since, just not the consistency needed to make a strong case to be on the opening-night roster.

“I think he’s played a lot better (since the first game),” Sullivan said. “He skates well, he can get into the forecheck. One of the things we’ve been trying to encourage him to do is embrace the traffic. Don’t hide in the safe ice. … If he does that, I think he has a good skill set to thrive in the chaos.”

Othmann was on a line with Laba on Monday, so he also spent significant time in the defensive zone against the Islanders’ top players. He also turned over the puck on multiple occasions. If he’s going to make it as a consistent NHLer, he needs to play more responsibly.

Stock down: Brendan Brisson

Brisson spoke earlier in camp about his excitement for a fresh start after a difficult start to the 2024-25 season with the Vegas Golden Knights organization. He has failed to be particularly noticeable through two games, though, and is almost certainly bound for Hartford to start the season. He’ll look to regain his previous AHL form while there. He scored 18-plus goals at the AHL level in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Stock down: Carey Terrance

Along with Laba and Dylan Roobroeck, Terrance is one of the Rangers’ intriguing center prospects. Sullivan and the staff have seemed to prioritize getting the others game action, though. Terrance made his debut Monday but only because Carrick was out. Laba and Roobroeck, meanwhile, have played four and three games. That said, they’re also older than Terrance, so it makes sense their development is a little further along.

(Top photo of Noah Laba, Jonathan Drouin and Brennan Othmann: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)