The Dolan family, which owns and operates the NHL’s New York Rangers, is having a terrific summer, as the NBA’s New York Knicks – also owned by the Dolans – are celebrating a championship. But it’s a different story for the Rangers, who cratered spectacularly in each of the past two seasons.

The Rangers have been out of the Stanley Cup playoff picture for the past two years, so changes had to be coming.

On Friday, the Rangers made a major management change, appointing Quentin Dolan – the son of Rangers owner James Dolan – as the Blueshirts’ president, chief operating officer and team governor. 

However, the changes most Rangers fans care about are their roster changes. GM Chris Drury spoke out this past season, essentially about retooling on the fly, and that’s the overarching sentiment that has driven the Rangers’ off-season moves thus far.

Let’s break down the seven notable moves Drury has made and see which ones appear to be savvy moves and which moves are questionable. In no particular order.

The Rangers spent a lot to acquire left winger Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights, giving up picks No. 26 and 92 and a conditional first-rounder in the 2028 draft. They now have a dynamic scoring force who scored 37 goals and 64 points this past year.

Dorofeyev’s new contract – paying him $ 11 million per season for the next seven years – puts a lot of pressure on him, but at 25 years old, he’s a solid bet to continue growing his game in Manhattan. 

The Golden Knights had a salary cap crunch, and Drury found a way to get something out of it. With Dorofeyev, the Rangers now have a foundational piece for the next generation of the team.

The Rangers didn’t make a slew of free-agent signings this summer, but the one veteran they did sign was right winger Oliver Bjorkstrand to a one-year, $4.5-million contract.

He's a dependable 20-goal-scorer who had a subpar season in 2025-26, posting only 12 goals and 32 points in 80 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning. But in the previous four seasons, Bjorkstrand has reached the 20-goal plateau.

The 31-year-old is on a low-risk, decent-reward contract with the Rangers. If he plays well, they can always extend his contract. And if he doesn’t pan out, the Rangers can walk away from Bjorkstrand. So not a bad move from Drury and his staff.

This is a pure depth move, for very little money, bringing in Joe Veleno for just one year at $1.2 million. Veleno can be a decent workhorse, and Drury brings him in as a spare part on a good salary.

The Rangers traded for goaltender Joonas Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins, shipping away left winger Kalle Vaisanen and a 2028 fourth-round draft pick. This feels like a red flag acquisition.

Korpisalo posted an .894 save percentage and 3.15 goals-against average in 31 games with the Bruins last year – and at 32 years old, he’s steaming toward the back nine of his career. Drury brings in Korpisalo to be the understudy for superstar Igor Shesterkin, but Korpisalo’s cap hit is significant at $4 million for the next two seasons.

Thus, this is a move that makes us question where the Rangers are headed. Korpisalo has bounced around the league, and he’s not at all reliable for producing solid results. And Drury could’ve found another option with more upside than Korpisalo.

Vincent Trocheck was Drury’s biggest trade chip, and Trocheck has been in trade rumors for a long time this past season. So when Drury pulled the trigger on a Trocheck trade – sending him to an up-and-coming Utah Mammoth team – nobody was surprised.

The Mammoth received Trocheck from the Rangers in exchange for defenseman Sean Durzi and young center Cole Beaudoin, as well as a conditional third-round pick in 2027.

Drury did get some good value for Trocheck, bolstering his defense corps with Durzi, adding to his pool of youngsters with Beaudoin, and getting a third-rounder to round out the deal. Moving Trocheck will make the Blueshirts easier to play against, but if Drury manages his assets properly, there will be a good Rangers trade tree from this transaction. 

Marcus Pettersson has been great for the Vancouver Canucks since they acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins midway through the 2024-25 campaign. And as a stay-at-home blueliner, he instantly makes the Rangers better by being in their top two ‘D’ pairings. 

And while the Rangers dealt away a 2030 conditional first-rounder to get Pettersson, their defense corps is now above-average.

Pettersson is on an excellent contract paying him $5.5 million for the next five years, making this trade a big win for Drury. In fact, in this writer's opinion, this is the best trade Drury has made this summer.

In essence, Pettersson replaces Will Borgen in the Rangers’ top two defense pairings. Drury got some decent draft capital for Borgen - acquiring a 2027 second-rounder and a 2028 conditional third-rounder - and that’s important for this Blueshirts organization as they try to restock the prospect shelves.

Borgen was a solid citizen for the Rangers, but with Pettersson, Adam Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov and Durzi, the Rangers’ defense corps is largely set. And that will help Shesterkin tremendously as the Blueshirts make a playoff push. 

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