New York Rangers’ Early 2026-27 Lineup Projections – Hockey Writers – New York Rangers

The 2026-27 NHL season doesn’t start for another two months, but it’s never too early to start making roster predictions as the season approaches. For the New York Rangers, they have made many moves this offseason that will have an impact on how this roster will look on opening night.

While some free agent signings or trades could be made before the season, it seems like a lot of work has been done to get the plan set up for this season. In this piece, we’ll take a look at the Rangers’ early projections as they look to have a bounce-back season.

Top Six Players

Some of the biggest changes the Rangers made this offseason impacted their top six forwards. Vincent Trocheck was eventually traded to the Utah Mammoth, and the team brought in two new players to help fill out the top six.

Pavel Dorofeyev was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights in a trade, and Oliver Bjorkstrand was signed to a one-year deal as a free agent on July 1. These moves immediately improved the top six, as you had players like Conor Sheary and Tye Kartye getting those minutes consistently last season.

When it comes to what the top two players could look like, it would make sense for head coach Mike Sullivan to keep his top line together that carried over the second half of last season. The trio of Mika Zibanejad, Gabe Perreault, and Alexis Lafreniere should stay together to start this season after the success they had together last season.

This will mean that the second line will include captain JT Miller playing with two new players in Dorofeyev and Bjorkstrand. That lineup could be interesting, as Miller is a passer and Dorofeyev is a great scorer. If those two can find chemistry and the top line stays as good as it was last season, the top six could be a team strength rather than a weakness.

Bottom-Six Forward

Of the six players playing in the front, it will be the most competitive, as there will be many players fighting for the six positions. Two of those spots will belong to Will Cuylle and Noah Laba, both of whom should be on the third line to start the season.

Another player who should be considered to close this line is the aforementioned Kartye, who played well after being sent off last season. He brings speed and scoring ability to the bottom six that they lacked last season. If these three players start on the third line together, it could be the most exciting third line to watch since “The Kid Line” from the past few seasons.

The fourth line is where it will be most interesting, as there are many options for the Rangers to choose from. It looks like Joe Veleno will be the new fourth-line center after signing as a free agent, leaving two spots open on the wings. The likes of Taylor Raddysh, Matt Rempe, Adam Sykora, Jaroslav Chmelar and Juuso Parssinen will all be competing for those last two spots.

If I had to predict now, Raddysh and Chmelar would get those last two spots, with Rempe being the extra striker to start the season.

Protection

The Rangers played better defensively last season despite how poorly they finished in the standings, and with the moves made this offseason, the defense looks better than it has in years. They have their first pairing still featuring Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov. The two played well together in limited time last season as Fox missed two separate injuries.

Behind them, the second team should have two new players: Sean Durzi, who the Rangers received as part of the return of Trocheck, and Marcus Pettersson, who received in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks. This new pairing gives the team an elite defensive player, something that was sorely lacking outside of Fox last season.

The third pair is where there will be a big competition between the remaining players, and it will probably be only one place. If Braden Schneider is still in the starting lineup this season, he will play on the right side of the third baseman. That leaves the left side open to several options, including Matthew Robertson, Urho Vaakanainen, Drew Fortesue, and the fifth overall pick in this past draft, Alberts Smits.

The Rangers believe that Smits may be ready for the NHL, but if they want to give him time to adjust to playing in North America, they may start him in the American Hockey League (AHL). That means that last spot will go to Robertson, and Vaakanainen will be the seventh defenseman to start the season.

Goaltendeng

The easiest position to predict on this list is the starting goaltender. Igor Shesterkin will be the starting goaltender for the Rangers again, and he’s looking to prove he’s still the best goaltender in the NHL after coming off a season of good play but missing time due to injury.

When he is on his game, there is no better goalkeeper than him in the league and he is the only one who can help carry this team back to the playoffs if they continue to play at a high level. Many still wonder if his $11.5 million cap hit is worth it, but if he wasn’t on this team, the Rangers would be no closer to contending for a playoff spot and closer to getting the overall pick every year than competing for the Stanley Cup.

With Jonathan Quick retired, the Rangers will need a new backup goaltender this season. The two names that will fight for that place are Dylan Garand and Joonas Korpisalo. Garand played well in his first three NHL games last season, and many thought he would be a backup this season.

After that, the team traded Korpisalo in an unprecedented move, coming off of two bad seasons with the Boston Bruins, and making $3 million a year this season and next. It seems like he’ll be a backup based on the money he’s making, but Garand will put up a fight, and it’ll be interesting to see who plays better during practice and the preseason.

The Rangers are a team looking to return to the playoffs this season, and the moves they made this offseason have improved the team from what it was. However, these new players still have to get used to playing in the new system, and the team will still need their famous players to raise the bar. It’s still early in the season, and some moves could be made, but this is how the Rangers squad could look when they open the season at the end of September.