Mike Sullivan must right the ship for the New York Rangers, but he doesn’t have much time. Heading into the 2026-27 NHL season, it’s clear the organization must show progress toward building a new identity. If not, the Blueshirts may be headed for a rebuild—without the original retool even being completed.
The Rangers made their intentions clear throughout the NHL offseason. Their flurry of moves on the blue line showed just how big of a void the Blueshirts faced on defense. However, they may have plugged one hole only to create another.
New York did acquire forwards—mainly Pavel Dorofeyev—but it still has a group full of question marks, especially when looking ahead to the future. The Rangers have yet to establish their identity under Sullivan, and they will only have so much time before they are forced to make roster decisions through re-signings and cuts.
“You better get it done this year because two years down the road, this team could look completely different again,” Marty Biron said about the Rangers’ offensive identity on Rangers Recon.
Mike Sullivan of the New York Rangers.
Rangers have a handful of unsigned players
The Rangers are entering the 2026-27 NHL campaign with nine forwards on contract years. The majority of them are restricted free agents (RFAs), while only three will become unrestricted free agents (UFAs): Oliver Bjorkstrand, Taylor Raddysh, and Joseph Veleno.
Among the RFA forwards, New York must figure things out with Will Cuylle, Tye Kartye, Matt Rempe, Noah Laba, Jaroslav Chmelar, and Gabe Perreault. Some re-signings, such as Cuylle’s and Perreault’s, should require little thought and could be taken care of during the season. Others, however, may go down to the wire.
Regardless, after a shift in the landscape surrounding RFAs, with many using their July 1 status as leverage to entertain offer sheets and force their organizations’ hands, the Blueshirts can’t take any chances. If Perreault has a full breakout season, he could draw interest from outside teams. That’s something New York can’t risk, so re-signing its former first-round pick as soon as possible is paramount.
NY Rangers’ core four
The Rangers have only four forwards signed through the 2029-30 season. As things stand, that’s their core. It consists of Dorofeyev, J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad, and Alexis Lafreniere. Even with their long-term contracts, there is speculation surrounding their futures.
The Rangers must figure out their offensive identity before long. Will they embrace a heavy-hitting style, or will they rely on the shiftiness and speed of their undersized skaters? Whichever path New York chooses, it had better hope it turns the tide right away.
The clock is ticking. The retool must yield results immediately, or bigger changes will be coming to the Big Apple. And this time, a retool may not suffice, leaving the Rangers with no choice but to rebuild—yet again.
