{"id":785469,"date":"2026-07-26T12:41:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T12:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/785469\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T12:41:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T12:41:31","slug":"why-oliver-bjorkstrand-could-be-crucial-addition-for-rangers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/785469\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Oliver Bjorkstrand could be crucial addition for Rangers"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York Rangers News<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"avatar\"\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

New York Rangers fans can probably be forgiven if for forgetting that Oliver Bjorkstrand<\/a> is on the roster. Whether Bjorkstrand\u2019s 2026-27 season turns out to be forgettable is an intriguing question that could play a significant role in whether the Rangers improve offensively after a dismal showing last season.<\/p>\n

The Rangers authored an exciting and highly eventful first day of the NHL Draft on June 26, when they acquired star winger Pavel Dorofeyev<\/a> from the Vegas Golden Knights and selected stud defense prospect Alberts Smits<\/a> with the fifth overall pick. They followed that up five days later with a pair of significant trades on the first day of free agency, acquiring defensemen Marcus Pettersson<\/a> from the Vancouver Canucks along with Sean Durzi<\/a> from the Utah Mammoth, with the duo expected to form a significantly-upgraded second pair<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Center prospect Cole Beaudoin<\/a> and a third-round pick came along with Durzi from the Mammoth in the long-awaited deal for center for Vincent Trocheck. Thrown in that day was some hand-wringing for Blueshirts Faithful over the acquisition of backup goaltender Joonas Korpisalo<\/a>, who carries a $3 million salary-cap hit<\/a> for each of the next two seasons, in a trade with the Boston Bruins.<\/p>\n

Amid all of the activity, general manager Chris Drury<\/a> squeezed in one lower-profile transaction July 1: the Rangers signed Bjorkstrand<\/a>, with the veteran right wing landing a one-year, $4.5 million contract.<\/p>\n

Signing the 11-year vet hardly moved the needle compared to most of the other moves. Yet Drury sees Bjorkstrand as a worthwhile gamble to bounce back from a down season and return to his typically dependable scoring ways \u2014 if, of course, a rebound, and not the beginning of a decline, is in the cards.<\/p>\n

Rangers banking on Oliver Bjorkstrand regaining consistent form<\/p>\n

\"NHL: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

From 2018-25, Bjorkstrand scored at least 20 goals in each full season, topping out with 28 in 2021-22. He added a strong performance in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, finishing with 18 goals and 26 assists while playing all 56 games. Playing for three teams during that seven-year stretch, Bjorkstrand was a metronome of dependability, able to provide nearly identical and strong secondary scoring regardless of the sweater he wore.<\/p>\n

Then came 2025-26, and something changed. Traded from the Seattle Kraken to the Tampa Bay Lightning ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, Bjorkstrand kept on scoring that season after the move south, with five goals and four assists in 18 games. But Bjorkstrand totaled only 12 goals and 20 assists in 80 games with the Lightning last season. It was the lowest full-season point total in his career \u2014 and his lowest goal total in a full season since he scored just 11 in 2017-18.<\/p>\n

Bjorkstrand\u2019s struggles to produce for a team that piled up 50 wins and 106 points while ranking fourth in the League<\/a> with 3.49 goals per game was confounding and perhaps alarming. Yet Drury bet on last season being an anomaly for the 31-year-old, and there are reasons to believe that he might be proven right this coming season and will get rewarded with a productive player.<\/p>\n

Bjorkstrand still drove play at 5-on-5 last season, recording a 50.4 expected goal share, per Natural Stat Trick<\/a>. He posted a 59.2 mark in the 18 games with the Lightning in 2024-25 and 53.3 overall that season. The third-round pick in the 2013 draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, while far from flashy, owns a reputation as a solid two-way forward who can be depended on at even strength.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

An even more revealing stat, however, might come in the form of Bjorkstrand\u2019s shooting percentage last season: At 9.2 percent, it was his lowest since 2017-18, when he was at 6.7 percent. Bjorkstrand averaged 12.5 percent in the seven seasons between 2018-25, including 13.6 percent in 2024-25.<\/p>\n

That suggests Bjorkstrand, who played at least 77 games in seven straight non-Covid seasons, suffered from bad puck luck last season \u2014 something that happens to many players from time to time. The Rangers are wagering that Bjorkstrand goes back to his efficient finishing ways in 2026-27, despite scoring only three times at even strength last season.<\/p>\n

The final encouraging factor for the Blueshirts is the fact that Bjorkstrand\u2019s usage patterns with the Lightning might also have contributed to his lack of production last season. Generally deployed in the top six for much of his career, coach Jon Cooper tended to play Bjorkstrand on the third and even fourth lines, a function of Tampa Bay\u2019s loaded roster that forced Bjorkstrand down in the lineup. While he scored a career high-tying nine power-play goals, Bjorkstrand\u2019s even-strength time with Tampa\u2019s elite offensive players was limited.<\/p>\n

\"NHL:Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

As of now, Bjorkstrand seems ticketed for a second-line assignment in New York, joining a top-six forward group that was dangerously thin last season. He could start on the right side of center J.T. Miller<\/a>, with either Dorofeyev or Alexis Lafreniere<\/a> joining them on the left, though Dorofeyev did most of his damage at right wing the past two seasons. If Will Cuylle<\/a> forces his way into the top six, Bjorkstrand could land on the third line.<\/p>\n

Bjorkstrand could also be a prime candidate to utilize his heavy shot on the second power-play unit. He scored 47 goals with the man advantage in his career, and he\u2019s a right-handed shot that somewhat balances out a lefty-heavy forward group.<\/p>\n

With a better role \u2013 assuming the Rangers don\u2019t add another top-six forward candidate before the start of the season \u2013 numerous ingredients for a Bjorkstrand rebound<\/a> seem to be there. He\u2019s a bargain pickup that might yield desperately-needed offense for a team that averaged 2.87 goals per game (23rd in the NHL) in 2025-26.<\/p>\n

Rangers hope Oliver Bjorkstrand addition better than that of Reilly Smith<\/p>\n

\"NHL: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

While a resurgent season for Bjorkstrand might be possible \u2014 maybe even probable \u2014 Drury followed a similar course of action with another player quite recently and didn\u2019t get positive results.<\/p>\n

The Rangers obtained veteran forward Reilly Smith<\/a> in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins two summers ago for a 2027 second-round pick and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2025. Smith was a solid scorer for Vegas from 2017-23, posting more than 20 goals three times and 50+ points four times in his four full seasons. He also hit the 20-goal and 50-point mark twice with the Bruins and Florida Panthers from 2013-17. However, he slumped to 13 goals and 27 assists in his one season with the Penguins in 2023-24.<\/p>\n

Despite the fresh start with the Rangers, Smith managed 10 goals and 19 assists in 58 games with them before being traded back to the Golden Knights<\/a> ahead of the 2025 deadline for a third-round pick and forward prospect Brendan Brisson. Smith simply failed to recapture the touch that made him such a valuable supplemental scorer in Florida, Boston and his first go-round with Vegas.<\/p>\n

\"NHL:Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

Bjorkstrand certainly looks like a smart, low-risk signing, but the Smith comp is sure to be there if he gets off to a slow start with a new team. Smith was older than Bjorkstrand when the Rangers acquired him \u2014 33 as opposed to 31 \u2014 and Smith is unsigned after scoring 16 goals with 10 assists with Vegas last season. In his case, the 2023-24 season with the Penguins turned out to be the start of a decline, not a one-off.<\/p>\n

Time will tell if age difference and circumstance matters in the two acquisitions. If Bjorkstrand can rediscover his 20-plus goal ways, that production could go a long way for a team looking to get back into the playoff mix<\/a> while retooling its roster on the fly. Even if the Rangers find themselves out of postseason contention late in the season, an effective Bjorkstrand could fetch a decent price at the deadline, given his low salary-cap hit, pending unrestricted free-agent status and the ever-present need for goal scoring amongst contenders.<\/p>\n

Largely overlooked amid the Rangers flurry of transactions and draft picks this offseason, Bjorkstrand will make Drury look awfully smart if he turns out to be a cheap but important contributor for a team that returns to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after two straight years of watching them on TV.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"avatar\"<\/p>\n

\t\tTom grew up a New York Rangers fan and general fan of the NHL in White Plains, NY, and … More about Tom Castro<\/a><\/p>\n

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