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 \u0160mits.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, out went Vincent Trocheck, Will Borgen and depth forwards Jonny Brodzinski, Conor Sheary, Brett Berard and Adam Edstr\u00f6m. 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\u2019s certainly done that. The question is whether that will lead to results.<\/p>\n
The Athletic spoke to four scouts and two executives with other NHL teams to get their take on the Rangers\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
For simplicity\u2019s sake, we\u2019ll 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\u2019s decisions.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a collection of their answers to seven questions we posed.<\/p>\n
NHL offer sheets are just business<\/p>\n
Sean Gentille and Sean McIndoe<\/p>\n
1. Are the Rangers now a playoff team?<\/p>\n
After winning the 2024 Presidents\u2019 Trophy with the league\u2019s best record, the Rangers have missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Now they hope to get back into contention.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll be on the cusp,\u201d Scout 1 said. \u201cWashington got a lot better, Carolina of course are defending champions and they don\u2019t seem like they\u2019re going anywhere, but after that I find (the Metro) to be pretty open. \u2026 They should make an improvement from last year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say they\u2019re in,\u201d Scout 2 added. \u201cThere\u2019s no way it\u2019s going to go sideways like last year at the start.\u201d (The Rangers started 3-5-2 and didn\u2019t score in their first three home games.)<\/p>\n
Executive 1 gives New York a chance, in large part because of star goalie Igor Shesterkin.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not talking about challenging for the (Metropolitan Division),\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about battling for playoff spots.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think their back end has improved,\u201d Scout 4 added. \u201cThey\u2019ve 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\u2019re definitely heading in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scout 3 exercised some skepticism, alluding to the ages of the team\u2019s top two centers in Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller (both 33).<\/p>\n
\u201cI still don\u2019t love their centers,\u201d said the scout, who predicts the Rangers will miss the 2026-27 playoffs. \u201cThey\u2019re old down the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Executive 2 also does not believe the Rangers will be a playoff team. For those keeping score, that\u2019s one evaluator who believes they\u2019ll make it, three who believe they\u2019ll be in the mix, and two who don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
NHL free agency: Early winners and losers<\/p>\n
Shayna Goldman and Madison Eades<\/p>\n
2. How did Drury do on the Trocheck return?<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor an aging center that brings so much like Trocheck, that\u2019s a big get for Utah,\u201d Executive 1 said. \u201cWhat\u2019s coming back is interesting because there\u2019s a chance you get a player or two that are good, but there\u2019s no guarantees there.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like (Pettersson-Durzi) is a really nice complementary pair if they\u2019re going to play together,\u201d Scout 1 said. \u201cPettersson is more of a defensive mainstay \u2014 just a steady, more defensive-minded player \u2014 whereas Durzi is a little bit more mobile (of a) puck mover (and) has a little bit more offensive ability.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cDurzi\u2019s 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,\u201d Scout 4 said. \u201cHe\u2019s not a big guy, but he\u2019s feisty. \u2026 I think there\u2019s more upside there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scout 3 also likes Durzi but didn\u2019t feel he was enough to be the centerpiece of the trade, especially because he views Beaudoin as having \u201cfourth-line center upside.\u201d That scout is concerned about the young forward\u2019s skating but noted he works hard on the ice, \u201cso you appreciate the player.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat kid, culture guy, but pretty limited with what he can do,\u201d Executive 2 added of Beaudoin.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, much of the return will come down to how the prospect develops.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you\u2019ve got to hope Beaudoin eventually maybe becomes that third-line guy in time,\u201d Scout 4 said. \u201cI 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\u2019s nothing right now to address that hole in the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winners and losers from the 2026 NHL Draft<\/p>\n
Scott Wheeler<\/p>\n
3. What was the Rangers\u2019 best move?<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only thing that\u2019s 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,\u201d Scout 3 said. \u201cMaybe he can make a center a little better because of his ability (to) shoot it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabe Perreault\u2019s playmaking, the scout added, could work well on a line with Bjorkstrand, who has had six 20-plus-goal seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith what Bjorkstrand brings, at least you know what you\u2019re getting exactly,\u201d Executive 1 said.<\/p>\n
Scout 1 liked the Rangers\u2019 boldest move of the summer: acquiring Dorofeyev from Vegas for the No. 26 and No. 92 picks in this year\u2019s 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\u2019 run to the Stanley Cup Final. New York promptly extended him for seven years at an $11 million average annual value.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat guy scores a lot, and for a team that just traded away (Artemi) Panarin last year, he\u2019ll be such an injection of scoring into the lineup,\u201d Scout 1 said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scout 2 liked the Pettersson trade: \u201cYou need that element on the left side there on the PK,\u201d the scout said. \u201cI think he\u2019s a real shutdown guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
4. Which move are you most concerned won\u2019t work?<\/p>\n
Scout 3 said the Trocheck trade for Durzi and Beaudoin.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like they would\u2019ve had better offers at the deadline for first-round picks,\u201d he said. \u201cBut they\u2019re trying to live on this line of being competitive while trying to regroup.\u201d<\/p>\n
The scout believes the Rangers would\u2019ve been better off either keeping Trocheck, considering the team\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Executive 2 also thought New York could have done better on a Trocheck return at last season\u2019s deadline but viewed the Utah package as a \u201cfine\u201d outcome. He pointed to the Dorofeyev trade and extension as Drury\u2019s riskiest decision, calling it \u201ca tough bet to make.\u201d<\/p>\n
The executive questioned the 25-year-old\u2019s 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\u2019 regular skaters and seventh among forwards in average ice time per game at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf people were watching the bench, (coach John Tortorella) passed over him and rolled the next line and the next line,\u201d Executive 2 said.<\/p>\n
Executive 1 also responded with the Dorofeyev move. He\u2019ll now be skating without Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner, both elite playmakers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he doesn\u2019t have people that can help get him the puck and play that way, that\u2019s going to be a challenging one,\u201d the executive said. \u201cHow much can he generate given that roster and who\u2019s going to play with him? I\u2019m sure their coaching staff and others are figuring all that out, but I don\u2019t know how that couldn\u2019t be a concern with the amount of money they\u2019re spending on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Family, friends and cows: How one player celebrated the NHL Draft<\/p>\n
Peter Baugh and Madison Eades<\/p>\n
5. What did you make of the Dorofeyev trade-and-sign?<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve covered Executive 1\u2019s and Executive 2\u2019s concerns, as well as the reasons Scout 1 liked the add.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing different contracts around the league right now, everybody\u2019s getting paid,\u201d Scout 1 said specifically of the extension. \u201cFor a (close to) 40-goal guy, that\u2019s probably the going rate. I feel like it was pretty fair. I don\u2019t think the Rangers cringed when that was the ask from the agent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added Scout 2, keenly aware of the rising cap hits of players in the league: \u201cIt sounds like a s\u2014 ton of money a few weeks ago. Now I\u2019m like, \u2018Ah, it\u2019s not that bad.’\u201d<\/p>\n
That scout believes Dorofeyev will continue scoring in New York and called the move \u201ca safe play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scout 4 was more skeptical.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, despite his production in Vegas, he\u2019s always been more of a complementary type of piece,\u201d he said of Dorofeyev. \u201c(He) obviously helps a need (scoring), but at the same time, you\u2019re paying a hell of a lot of money for that guy, and he better produce the way he produced in Vegas. Otherwise, you\u2019re gonna have a big problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scout 3 questioned whether the Rangers have the same level of playmakers as Vegas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe extension just seems like a lot of money for a guy that I\u2019m not (convinced) was successful on his own,\u201d the scout said. \u201cI don\u2019t think he drives a line. You want those guys driving lines at that kind of cash.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, that scout added that it was better for the Rangers to acquire Dorofeyev \u2014 who is in his mid-20s \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
6. Did this offseason change your long-term outlook for the Rangers?<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Scout 3 replied. \u201cI think all they did was shuffle. \u2026 This is always dangerous. I think you make a lot of changes without making any changes at all. I\u2019d rather have them either break it all down or add instead of subtracting and adding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Executive 2 also had retool skepticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cWashington retooled somewhat successfully, but they\u2019re not close to the promised land after retooling,\u201d he said. \u201cGive me an example of a retool where the team goes to the conference final or the Final. \u2026 The retool on the fly rarely works.\u201d<\/p>\n
Executive 1 pondered what it means going forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you bridging the gap with this team until a year or two from now?\u201d he said. \u201cMaybe you bring in a big free agent. It\u2019s obviously not a rebuild.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think long term they should be fine,\u201d Scout 2 answered, noting the long-term contracts of players such as Alexis Lafreni\u00e8re, Dorofeyev and Shesterkin. \u201cThey\u2019ve got the pieces to be fine and the boat to be stabilized.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scout 4 mentioned the team adding to its prospect pool: The Rangers drafted \u0160mits and also added past first-round picks Liam Greentree and Beaudoin in the Panarin and Trocheck trades, respectively.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey gave up some assets to bring in Pettersson and (Dorofeyev), but at the same time, you can\u2019t have it both ways,\u201d the scout said. \u201cIf you\u2019re gonna try to do a retool on the fly, then you\u2019ve got to remain competitive while trying to thread that needle. \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Chris (Drury) has made some missteps along the way, but at the same time, I do think they\u2019re in a better spot now than they were at this time last year.\u201d<\/p>\n
7. What is New York\u2019s biggest obstacle to being a true contender?<\/p>\n
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\u2019t seem well suited for skill players such as Zibanejad, Dorofeyev and Fox, who will be counted on as the Rangers\u2019 driving forces.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they need to kind of try and figure out what they are,\u201d the scout said. \u201cAre 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?\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s dearth of high-end forwards, in particular, will cap the team\u2019s ability to compete against the NHL\u2019s best.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s part of their core?\u201d the executive asked. \u201cUntil you identify what your core is and how long you\u2019re gonna ride that core, it\u2019s basically patching it up here and there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scout 3 feels similarly about top-end talent. When discussing a potential Lafreni\u00e8re-Zibanejad-Dorofeyev line, he said, \u201cNone of those guys would be the best player on any other top line (for a top team) in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n
That scout believes center depth and youth still pose the biggest obstacles to the Rangers, and he agreed on the executive\u2019s assessment that the team needs more elite talent outside of Shesterkin. Executive 1 cited \u201cthinness\u201d on the back end and at center.<\/p>\n
Scout 1 believes the team must find more on-ice cohesion than it had in 2025-26 \u2014 \u201cIt just seemed like not everybody was on the same page,\u201d he said \u2014 and added it needs more production from players such as Lafreni\u00e8re and Miller.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir top-end guys just have to be top-end talent,\u201d Scout 2 added. \u201cIf you start (with) that, the rest will fall into place. \u2026 They\u2019ve got decent young guys and then they\u2019ve got some good veterans and they\u2019ve got goaltending. I think this is a year they can get back in it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New York Rangers were one of the more active teams during the NHL Draft and early free…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":754948,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[4823,385,99],"class_list":["post-754947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-new-york-rangers","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=754947"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754947\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/754948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=754947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=754947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=754947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}