On that note, Sullivan made something clear about how the Blueshirts plan to use Igor Shesterkin, Joonas Korpisalo, and Dylan Garand going into the new season. Most NHL clubs employ two goalies on their active roster, but the Rangers may not follow suit. In fact, Sullivan all but confirmed New York will resort to a rather uncommon option, at least to start the campaign.

“Sure. Is it ideal? My experience has been, in the long term, no. But… I’ve been in circumstances over the years where (keeping 3 goalies) has been the case. I think it’s very manageable in the short term,” Sullivan said after Day 1 of training camp, via Newsday Sports‘ Colin Stephenson.

Sullivan lets Rangers know right away

One thing Sullivan has clearly learned during his years in the NHL is that speaking candidly and straightforwardly may only hurt at first. In the long run, it’s always better than the alternative: straddling the fence. Thus, right from the get-go, he made the goaltenders at Madison Square Garden aware of what will go down during the 2026-27 season—or at least to start things off.

Things might change, injuries may come up, and no one can tell what the future will bring. For now, though, Sullivan is inclined toward rocking a rare three-man goaltending room. He made that intention clear right away after Day 1 of the Blueshirts’ training camp. Don’t go crying to Sullivan later.

Sullivan (sort of) kept three goalies last season, too

Though in a slightly different context, Sullivan did roll with a three-man goaltending department in the final stretch of the 2025-26 NHL season. Shesterkin and Garand were part of the mix, with Jonathan Quick completing the trio. Following Quick’s retirement late last season, New York went after Korpisalo via trade with the Boston Bruins.

Things were different last season, however. Garand only played three games, too, so it wasn’t as if he was a main part of the rotation. Shesterkin will remain the starter. There’s no doubt about it. As for Korpisalo, he is expected to be the primary backup, filling in to give Shesterkin a rest. But Garand will compete for that role in a bigger capacity in 2026-27.

Contrary to last season, though, when Garand was a wet-behind-the-ears prospect who had yet to debut in the NHL, the 24-year-old netminder will now demand more responsibility, or so the Rangers hope. The former fourth-round pick’s development is a priority for the Broadway Blueshirts, so expect him to get more nods at the crease.

NY Rangers must develop Garand

As confident as they are in Shesterkin and that he’s in the Big Apple to stay, the Rangers must develop a young goaltender at some point. They need someone who can grow into a fringe starter, at least. If Garand doesn’t pan out, Callum Tung is next in line, but New York will first see how much juice it can get out of the Victoria, BC, native before moving on to the Port Moody, fellow British Columbian kid.

“I think the most important thing is, and we have talked about this internally, is that in the big picture, the sooner that Smits becomes part of our roster the better,” Sullivan confessed, via the New York Post’s Mollie Walker.

“But we also have to make sure that we do the right thing for him, both in the short term and in the long term. We’ll see where it goes. His play will tell us where we think he fits and what’s best for him.”

While he acknowledged how valuable getting Smits into the NHL lineup could be for the defense-needy Rangers, Sullivan also made it clear the team can’t rush the 18-year-old and toss him into the fire. After getting burned a couple of times, New York has learned its lesson.

Smits could make NHL debut soon

Just like the Blueshirts did with Perreault, whom Chris Drury recently explained why the Rangers put his extension on hold, and other first-round picks, it seems waiting for them to develop before sending them out for their rookie lap appears to be the safer bet.

However, as much as Sullivan noted the team should preach that same mentality and not repeat past mistakes with the Latvian teenaged blueliner, he also made a confession that may signal otherwise.

“Yes, [Smits] has a chance to make the team,” Sullivan revealed during his first press conference ahead of training camp and the 2026-27 NHL season.

Playing Smits is a double-edged sword

Obviously, if Smits proves himself and is ready to handle the big league’s spotlight, why shouldn’t New York play him right away? There’s a reason the Calder Memorial Trophy has been won by rookie defensemen in back-to-back seasons (Matthew Schaefer and Lane Hutson). However, they play a different style from Smits and have experience playing at least on the continent.

Smits has never played professional hockey in North America, and while he shined in the Olympics with Latvia against the elite, he has yet to get his first taste of NHL hockey. Let alone on a nightly basis, dealing with the highs and lows, and settling into his new life in New York City. In more ways than one, it’s a lot to take in at once, and Sullivan is well aware of that. So should the Rangers.

NY Rangers have made first-round picks wait

Should Smits make the NHL lineup right away to start the 2026-27 season, he would snap a long drought in Manhattan. Alexis Lafreniere was the last of New York’s first-round selections to play right from the jump, and even the last to play in his true rookie year. The Rangers haven’t exactly knocked Lafreniere’s development out of the park.

Since then, every first-rounder — Brennan Othmann, Gabe Perreault, and EJ Emery — has had to wait. Emery hasn’t even made his debut yet. Whether it was only a coincidence, a decision made by the Rangers, or simply that the three prospects needed more time to develop, Smits could be the one that breaks the streak. For better or worse? Only time will tell.

Now, eight-year deals for players re-signing with their clubs are a thing of the past in the NHL. The new CBA between the league and the Players’ Association (NHLPA) lowered the bar to seven years tops. That means Drury and the Rangers waved goodbye to such an extension for Perreault right when the clock hit midnight in New York City.

As Sept. 15 became Sept. 16, there was no countdown and no ball dropped in Times Square. Still, the Broadway Blueshirts may have fumbled anyway. Drury, however, begs to differ and addressed the organization’s decision with a strong statement.

“We’re excited to see Gabe [Perreault] and other young players continue to grow, take on more responsibility, earn more responsibility here and have good productive years for us,” Drury said, via Mollie Walker of the New York Post, during his pre-training-camp press conference in New York.

Drury makes NY Rangers’ plan clear

With his statement, Drury confirmed what had been theorized about why New York didn’t extend Perreault to a max-term, eight-year contract while they still had the chance. The Rangers, though pleased with Perreault, haven’t seen enough from him yet. His sample size remains small, and the team wants to evaluate him during a full season, or at least the majority of one, before deciding how much he should make, what his cap hit should be, and how long the Rangers are willing to commit to him.

The same logic applies to Perreault and his camp, who are confident they can sign an even larger deal if the American-Canadian puts together another strong year. Obviously, learning that Washington extended Leonard, who played with Perreault at Boston College and on Team USA’s junior teams, made waves and may have made the Blueshirts consider, even for a millisecond, handing their youngster a similar extension.

Drury is pleased with the decision

In the end, however, playing the long game appears to be the wiser choice. Drury believes so, and he remains confident in the direction the team is heading. However, it’s too early to be taking victory laps.

“I’m not going to get into contract negotiations publicly. All or any conversations I have with players or agents, keep that private,” Drury stated. “We’re happy with where we’re at. We’re happy with where our roster is at. We’re happy with our cap projections going into this year and in the future.“

NY Rangers could face offer-sheet threat

Perreault is a pending RFA, meaning he is virtually locked to stay in the Big Apple once his entry-level contract expires. However, the Rangers can’t get overconfident. The Anaheim Ducks’ Leo Carlsson offer-sheet saga, which changed the entire landscape across the NHL, should serve as a reminder.

It looks like offer-sheet stock-rising maneuvers will become more and more common in the league, and if the Blueshirts don’t extend Perreault before the end of the 2026-27 campaign, they, too, risk falling victim to them.

“Have seen folks wondering about Gabe Perreault (RFA next summer) amid the rush of eight-year extensions before the CBA changes go into effect at midnight. There haven’t been any extension negotiations up to this point, I’ve been told,” Peter Baugh of The Athletic reported. Vince Mercogliano added the same applies for pending RFAs, Noah Laba and Will Cuylle.

Even if Drury and the Rangers have a sudden change of heart, it would take an incredible, against-the-clock effort to get a deal done with Perreault before the deadline. That’s not even considering if Perreault would even accept such a contract extension.

NHL’s new CBA

Starting Sept. 16, there will be a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the league and the Players’ Association (NHLPA). Among the most notable changes, players re-signing with their current teams will no longer be allowed to sign max-term contracts of eight years.

The maximum will be set at seven seasons in the NHL. Thus, teams hoping to get eight-year deals done must hurry. Several already have. One example is the Rangers’ Metro Division rivals, the Washington Capitals.

Capitals hand eight-year deal to Leonard

That news hit close to home for Perreault, as his fellow former teammate with USA Hockey’s junior teams and at Boston College, Ryan Leonard, was one of the last young players in the NHL to get his hands on one of those soon-to-be-vintage eight-year contracts. Washington handed Leonard an eight-year, $84 million ($10.5 million AAV) contract after his 20-goal, 45-point season in 2025-26.

Through 54 career appearances in the NHL, Perreault has yet to break the 30-point mark. Thus, even though the two have often been compared, the Rangers’ young star can’t make Leonard’s money just yet. As a matter of fact, his small sample size in the league is a big reason why he hasn’t been re-signed yet and why contract talks haven’t even begun.

Perreault set for contract year in New York

New York wants to see what Perreault can do over a full, 82-game season, which he has yet to experience. The expectations are high for the American-Canadian forward, and the Blueshirts will want to see how he handles them before landing on his price tag.

For Perreault, it might be a good thing, too. If he puts together a good season, he can increase his value and come away with an even bigger contract than if he were to sign before the puck drops in September. Of course, as with every contract year in professional sports, there is a risk-taking aspect to it, but the Rangers may have little to lose beyond a few more million dollars.

With the salary cap steadily rising in the NHL, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And because Perreault is a pending RFA, there is little to no risk of losing him to free agency next summer. That is, if he even makes it that far into the year unsigned.

However, it seems virtually impossible for New York to complete such a move. In fact, a report is unequivocal in addressing the odds of the Rangers bringing Kreider back to the Big Apple for the 2026-27 NHL campaign.

“There is zero chance [Kreider] comes back to the New York Rangers,” Jonny Lazarus of Daily Faceoff stated on his X account. While it may be a comforting lie for Rangers fans to tell themselves otherwise, it would take a series of miracles for New York to bring its all-time third-highest goal scorer back.

Why has Kreider become available?

Not many expected the Ducks to find themselves in this spot heading into the new NHL season. However, after signing Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million ($18 million AAV) extension, and with another piggy bank-shattering deal on the way for Cutter Gauthier, the Ducks suddenly became cash-strapped.

Moving on from 35-year-old Kreider, even though he’s coming off his eighth straight 20-plus-goal season, simply made too much sense. The trade route was an option, but Anaheim likely would have had to give up something else or retain a percentage of the cap hit in order to move a veteran on a contract year, so this was a much faster and virtually effortless solution.

Now, Kreider is up for grabs, and likely to be heading for a Stanley Cup contender. For more reasons than one, the Rangers don’t make much sense for him at this point. That is still true, even if reports state Kreider wants to return east and move closer to his family.

Rangers no longer a fit for Kreider

For starters, the Rangers currently have less than $1 million available in cap space (roughly $995,000, according to PuckPedia). That means they can’t accommodate Kreider’s $6.5 million cap hit. Even though he’s now an unrestricted free agent, Kreider’s contract carries over to his next club.

Kreider is only due $4 million in the remaining year of his contract, as he was paid a $1 million signing bonus by Anaheim on July 1. Even if New York can figure out a way to bring in Kreider and still be cap compliant, a return to New York City may not be on the veteran’s wish list.

Moreover, Kreider’s relationship with GM Chris Drury may not be on the best of terms after he was traded last offseason. By the looks of it, there will be no homecoming for Kreider.

“Not finalized just yet, but closing in. [The Rangers] adding 27-year-old Eeli Tolvanen to the mix,” Mollie Walker of the New York Post stated. According to PuckPedia, the deal got done on a one-year, $1.5 million contract.

The 27-year-old right winger is coming off a 36-point season in the 2025-26 NHL campaign. Although far from a household name, Tolvanen has built a steady resume in the last seasons. Tolvanen didn’t get off to a hot start with the Nashville Predators, but found his footing with the Seattle Kraken.

Still, he was allowed to walk into free agency by the Kraken and could take things to the next level in the Big Apple. Over the last three seasons, Tolvanen registers 112 points thanks to 51 goals and 61 assists.

NY Rangers need depth scoring

Averaging only 2.87 goals for per game—10th worst in the NHL last season—the Rangers know they must turn things up a notch in that department. Of New York’s 235 goals last season, 35 belong to former stars Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck.

Somebody will have to make up for that lost production, likely newcomers Pavel Dorofeyev and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Moreover, most of those goals came from the top-six forwards, with Mika Zibanejad (34 goals), Gabe Perreault (12), Alexis Lafreniere (24), and J.T. Miller (17) accounting for most of them.

In fact, only 171 of New York’s 235 goals last season were scored by players still in the organization. That means 50.9% of last season’s goals came from the four-man group of Zibanejad, Perreault, Lafreniere, and Miller. Tolvanen may help as he can provide goals while playing in the bottom six. He did lose his scoring touch last season, dropping from a career-best 23 goals in 2024-25 to a 12-goal output in 2025-26, but could find his mojo in the City That Never Sleeps.

In which line will Tolvanen play in New York?

That remains to be seen, but it’s likely he could join the highly effective third line alongside Noah Laba and Will Cuylle. Tolvanen could replace Taylor Raddysh in that group. A top-six role may be too much, at least on paper and before he even hits the ice in New York.

On the other hand, Tolvanen, who is listed at 5-foot-10 and 182 pounds, may not be the best fit for the energetic fourth-line. Having Matt Rempe patrolling the ice could help him, but it still feels like Tolvanen would be better off on another line, and the third line appears to be the best natural fit.

Addressing the middle of the ice is an absolute must for the Rangers, especially from a long-term perspective. Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller won’t be in Manhattan forever, and at some point, a top-six center must come up through New York’s ranks. Beaudoin could very well be the franchise center of the future.

Considering Beaudoin is the second-highest-ranked prospect in the Rangers’ pipeline (behind the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, LHD Alberts Smits), there are enough reasons for fans in New York City to be anxious to watch him take the ice at Madison Square Garden. However, all signs point to his NHL debut having to wait—at the very least, until Beaudoin makes his first professional appearance in the AHL.

According to Dan Rosen of NHL.com, the 20-year-old center may not make his Rangers debut until the 2027-28 season. Perhaps Beaudoin debuts in 2026-27 but only plays a couple of games before returning to the AHL, where he is expected to have a strong first year with the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Beaudoin has yet to make pro debut

Spending the past four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Barrie Colts, Beaudoin has yet to join a professional hockey club for a full season. The OHL is one of three major junior ice hockey leagues under the Canadian Hockey League’s (CHL) umbrella.

Although he was drafted by the Utah Hockey Club with the 24th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and signed his entry-level contract shortly after, Beaudoin was never called up to the NHL or AHL by Utah. As a result, his contract slid past its first two seasons.

As he joins the Rangers, Beaudoin’s three-year, $2.92 million rookie deal remains untouched. This means he will become a restricted free agent in 2029, when the Ottawa native will be 23 years old.

Beaudoin’s stats

Beaudoin registered 88 points (33 goals and 55 assists) across 54 games with the Colts last season, as well as a seven-point performance with Canada at the World Juniors. Clearly, he has the ingredients to succeed, but it may come down to how the Rangers develop him, and that’s been an issue of its own in the Big Apple.

Fully bought into their retool, the Rangers are turning to their youth. That was made clear after New York re-signed Scott Morrow to a team-friendly contract. While patient, the Blueshirts will need their youngsters to take on bigger roles, and Sullivan didn’t hesitate to name Noah Laba as someone he believes can take over some of Trocheck’s duties.

“I think [Noah Laba] has good size, he can really skate and I think he has an aptitude for the game,” Sullivan stated, per NHL.com. “We liked the progress that he made in particular on the defensive side.

“I do think there’s an offensive dimension to his game that he can continue to evolve and build. We’re going to rely on putting him in defensive situations, difficult situations against other team’s best players, and we think he’s a guy that can handle that.”

Laba can shutdown threats

Obviously, it takes more than one player to contain the best scorers in the NHL, but great two-way centers often go a long way toward doing so. And Laba can certainly stand his ground.

There is plenty of room for improvement for Laba, but the Rangers have reason to be excited about their former fourth-round pick from 2022, who is expected to anchor the third line throughout the 2026-27 campaign.

For the time being, Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller are staying put in the top six, but the 23-year-old from Michigan could definitely make his case for such a role, especially if Sullivan believes in him, as he recently admitted, and is looking to figure out where Laba’s ceiling is.

Laba’s stats

Although he’s only played one season in the league, Laba has shown flashes of what he can do. His offensive production needs a bump, but defensively, there are virtually no notes for the sophomore center. In 74 games during the 2025-26 campaign, Laba scored nine goals and added 15 assists for 24 points.

While plus-minus is one of the most polarizing stats in hockey and one that is often disputed, the fact that Laba finished with a positive balance (+2) in that category is noteworthy. Despite New York’s disastrous, last-place season in the Metro Division, Laba was on the ice for more goals scored than allowed.

Variables include playing fewer minutes and facing relatively easier competition than players on the top lines, yet Laba’s mark deserves merit and may light the Rangers’ way going forward.

Laba’s role on NY Rangers

Perhaps Laba won’t provide the 53 points missing with Trocheck gone and in Salt Lake City, but he might help ease the pressure on the top six, take on some of the best centers in the NHL at the faceoff dot and help neutralize scoring threats.

The Rangers allowed an average of 3.04 goals per game last season. If they want to lower that mark, easing Trocheck’s absence will be key. The Blueshirts addressed their defensive corps in hopes of becoming a defense-first team, much like the majority of Stanley Cup contenders. Still, they need to propagate that mindset across the entire length of the ice, not just the blueline.

Thus, players like Laba may be in line for job promotions overnight. It’s a risky strategy, but in a city like the Big Apple, it’s always make or break, and it’s about time the Blueshirts get back on their feet.

After the Rangers announced Morrow’s contract extension on their social media, news broke of the financial breakdown of the defenseman’s two-way deal. “Contract is $850,000 at NHL level, $125,000 if he’s in the AHL,” Vincent Mercogliano of The Athletic reported on his X account.

With Morrow expected to be a depth player, occasionally stepping in to an NHL role but mostly playing in the AHL, the two-way deal makes sense as he would make roughly 14% of his NHL salary when in the minor leagues. Money-wise, it’s sound business for the Blueshirts. However, sending Morrow down to the minors won’t be as easy as some might believe.

Morrow must clear waivers

The 23-year-old right-handed defenseman is waiver-eligible. Thus, in order for the Rangers to send him down to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, Morrow must clear waivers. New York can assign Morrow to the AHL before the start of the season, but if he is called up at any point, he must go through waivers before being sent down.

That means the Rangers risk losing Morrow to another team. Morrow’s numbers may not jump off the page, but he is still young and signed to a very team-friendly deal, meaning one of the other 31 NHL teams may want to get its hands on him.

Regardless, waiver eligibility is an aspect of Morrow’s situation that not many seem to take into account when analyzing his one-year extension. Because his new deal is a two-way contract, many fans assume Morrow is waiver-exempt. That’s not the case.

Two-way contracts don’t exempt a player from going through waivers. All a two-way contract means is that a player earns a different salary in the NHL than he does in the AHL. Morrow’s case illustrates that to perfection.

Morrow’s future and his place on the NY Rangers

By the time the season ends, Morrow will become a restricted free agent (RFA), so the most likely scenarios in which New York could lose the former second-round pick from the 2021 NHL Draft, originally selected by Carolina, would be through waivers or an offer sheet next summer.

With a revamped defensive corps, the Rangers are confident in what they’ve built. That could hint that Morrow won’t be used much. However, Mike Sullivan and company will also want to see what they have in the young defenseman, and perhaps he turns out to be an in-house replacement for Braden Schneider, whom the Blueshirts remain on the fence about.

New York needs to see more from Morrow, but it must also give him more opportunities to showcase himself. Last season, he appeared in 29 games, recording six assists and no goals. The sample size remains small, but the climb will get steeper regardless.

Key year for Morrow

The fact that Morrow arrived in the return for the K’Andre Miller trade helps him little. Obviously, it may not be a fair evaluation or comparison considering Miller was part of a sign-and-trade and the Rangers’ main acquisition in return was a conditional first-round pick. Still, the trade package remains in the back of every fan’s mind in the City That Never Sleeps, and sooner or later, Morrow must show that his arrival in town was not a mistake.

No one is asking him to replace Miller’s production, not now, at least, but the fanbase hopes the Connecticut kid is part of the solution rather than another item on the long list of what could have beens at the front door of Madison Square Garden.

Schneider is a pending restricted free agent (RFA) in the NHL, meaning the Rangers run little risk of losing their young defenseman and would get a draft pick in return in the worst-case scenario. Still, the Blueshirts will likely hope to get a bit more in return for the 24-year-old blueliner.

At the very least, New York wants to set its own terms rather than conforming to the offer-sheet compensation set by the league. The signs point in the same direction, and that’s toward a trade. Whether it happens sooner or later remains to be seen.

“Braden Schneider is heading toward his last RFA summer, which should serve as a deadline of sorts,” Vincent Mercogliano reported on The Athletic. “An eventual trade for forward help remains a logical outcome, especially considering the new wave of defensemen who have recently been added to the pipeline.”

NY Rangers grow confident on defense

New York didn’t waste time during the NHL offseason. The blueline was an obvious area of need for Mike Sullivan and company, and Chris Drury and the front office made sure to fill every hole. Whether those solutions stick and meet expectations, only time will tell.

For the time being, however, it’s one less item on the Blueshirts’ to-do list. Thus, Schneider is no longer a vital part of the defensive corps, but he remains the team’s biggest (realistic) trading chip and the ace up their sleeve in a potential acquisition of a top-six forward, preferably a young buck.

The Rangers reportedly already know they must use their 2027 first-round pick on a center, one who could eventually replace Mika Zibanejad or J.T. Miller in the top six, but they could also explore the trade route for such a talent. Schneider may not be enough to acquire a top young prospect from another team’s pipeline, but no one really knows when it comes to trades in the NHL. To each their own.

Schneider’s contract and stats

After filing for arbitration, Schneider put the pressure on the Rangers and got himself a one-year, $5.5 million contract through the 2026-27 campaign. Considering Schneider has registered 87 points (20 goals and 67 assists) in 368 games with the Broadway Blueshirts, his $5.5 million cap hit may be more than what New York was initially willing to pay.

Still, with the salary cap rising and arbitration knocking on the door, the Rangers acknowledge it’s not terrible either. However, the team’s concerns are far from dissipated. The Rangers are still keeping a wary eye on their former first-round pick, and all the reports coming out of the Big Apple suggest the young defenseman will be traded.

Before or during the season, ahead of the deadline, as an RFA or as part of a sign-and-trade, there is no such thing as a wrong answer at this point.

“New York will have their first-round pick in 2027, and that is going to be key. The team might have to use that on the best center available,” as stated by Nick Ziegler on Sports Illustrated. “The Rangers seemingly have a wide range of where they might land in the draft next year.”

After watching Chris Drury and the front office go through with their offseason retool, fans aren’t sure what to expect from the Rangers in the 2026-27 NHL season. If the moves for Pavel Dorofeyev, Sean Durzi, Marcus Pettersson, and Oliver Bjorkstrand pay dividends, and the Blueshirts can mitigate the departures of Vincent Trocheck, Will Borgen, and others, then New York could be in for a rebound year. Who knows? Maybe even the playoffs.

However, there’s also a scenario in which the Rangers spiral out of control and are in for a repeat of last season. That means New York is just as likely to end up with a top-five pick as it is to miss the draft lottery entirely.

Regardless of what happens, the Blueshirts will still need to address the middle of their lineup, especially with the future in mind, as the Rangers lack a proven top-six center for years to come. Not even the buzz that the Rangers are among the frontrunners for Patrik Laine changes that fact.

NY Rangers need help at center

The Rangers currently feature Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller anchoring their top two forward lines. For the time being, they are more than enough talent for the Blueshirts to feel confident.

Both Zibanejad and Miller are under contract through the 2029-30 NHL season, and while that locks them down for the medium term in Manhattan, it’s no answer for the truly long term. Moreover, both Zibanejad and Miller are 33 years old, meaning they could be in for a considerable decline in production.

New York needs to inject youth into its top six, especially at center. That’s why a move for a player like Shane Wright would be reasonable, and why it makes sense that New York was reportedly pushed to go after the Seattle Kraken’s 22-year-old center. If that’s not the case, then the draft is the best alternative for the Rangers.

NY Rangers face different options to address center need

Obviously, it will all vary based on where the Rangers finish in the 2026-27 NHL season, but taking the best center available may still be reasonable. The Rangers could wait for their first-round pick next year to develop into an NHL-ready player, as Zibanejad and Miller can carry the top-six workload, for better or worse, in the meantime.

All that matters is that the Blueshirts find their answer. For the time being, Noah Laba isn’t quite at a top-six level, and there are no certainties to fill that role in the organization’s prospect pipeline, either.

Free agency would be another option, but there aren’t many intriguing centers set to become UFAs in the summer of 2027. In 2028, it could be much different, as centers like Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews may become free agents, and fans in New York know just how many times the Rangers have been linked to them. Perhaps it will finally come true.

New York must take action

Still, the Blueshirts must take matters into their own hands rather than speculate about the future of arguably the two biggest faces of the league. In more ways than one, drafting a center with the first-round pick in 2027 is the best decision New York could make, and one that could help Drury keep his job even if the 2026-27 season turns into a disaster in the Big Apple.