The New York Rangers are looking at the potential for a third straight year without a playoff appearance, but they made some significant changes in the off-season to address those concerns. What will be the determining factors in getting the Rangers back into the post-season for 2026-27?
In the 2025-26 NHL season, the New York Rangers' record dipped below .500 for the first time since 2019, leading to major changes at the deadline and in the off-season.
Big-name players were shipped out after years of good or even great stretches with the team, while others were brought in via costly trades to replace and improve on what went out.
The followup question is simple: Were those moves enough to push the Rangers back into legitimate playoff contention?
Here are four factors that will likely have the biggest impact on their hopes to avoid a more serious rebuild.
1. Alexis Lafreniere Finally Taking A Big Step
Alexis Lafreniere has had a few pretty good seasons in the NHL, most recently tying a career high in points at 57. But at age 25, it's time for the 2020 first-overall pick to prove he has more to offer than that.
It's fine to be a really solid top-six winger, but if the Rangers are going to get back into the playoffs, he has to be much more of a focal point in the offense than he has been previously.
The pedigree tells the story, to a certain extent. He's certainly flashed a higher-level talent at time in his career, albeit in 10-20 game stretches, but has never sustained it.
With Artemi Panarin joining the Los Angeles Kings and no longer clogging up that first-line left wing slot, Lafreniere needs to get up around 30 goals and 80 points if the Rangers are going to make the playoffs. It really is that simple.
2. A Full Season Of Adam Fox
Adam Fox had another great season in 2025-26, when he was in the lineup.
He played well north of 23 minutes a game and produced 53 points in 55 games, ranking 20th among all defensemen in the league in that category. The fact that he did that while missing nearly 30 games shows how good he is when he's at his best.
Playoff teams tend to have their Norris-caliber defensemen in the lineup most nights, and Fox didn't deliver that last season. Not that it's his fault, nor that his presence alone would have likely gotten New York into the playoffs last year, but that's the reality.
The good news for the Rangers is that last season was the first time he's ever really had major injury issues, and all signs point to him being fully healthy. When he's at peak performance, there are few defensemen in the world that are better.
3. Another Elite Igor Shesterkin Campaign
It feels crazy that Igor Shesterkin's only time as a Vezina Trophy finalist was the season he won it (2021-22). The Rangers won't need him to put up a .935 save percentage this coming year, but he might need to be a little better than he was last season.
To be clear: He was great. Sixth in save percentage (.912) and Goals Saved Above Expected (21.3) according to MoneyPuck. It probably isn't fair for the team in front of him to expect much better than that.
However, with the way things looked last year, those numbers are going to have to come up. To put it another way, Shesterkin was a top-six or so goalie in the league last season and the Rangers were the worst team in the conference. If he's not at least that good — and probably better — in 2026-27, the season might be over before it starts.
Especially because the new backup is Joonas Korpisalo, who hasn't had a good season in three years.
There's a lot of weight on Shesterkin's shoulders, but he's proven before he can carry it.
4. Pavel Dorofeyev proving he's worth the money
Pavel Dorofeyev is coming off back-to-back 35-goal seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights, but the (potential) knock on his production is that he was a product of playing with their other elite forwards last season.
He suited up alongside Mitch Marner and Tomas Hertl for majority of his time at 5-on-5 last season, along with Jack Eichel on the power play. The year before, it was Hertl and Brett Howden at full strength, then Eichel, Hertl, and Mark Stone on the man-advantage.
The concern isn't that he is completely a product of those guys, but rather that he hasn't proven he can do it away from them. The Rangers gave him an $11-million cap hit anyway.
On top of that, what Dorofeyev does might affect Lafreniere. There's still only one left wing spot at the top of the lineup, and neither guy has ever averaged more than 17:30 or so in a season. A little competition is good, but there's only so much ice time and talented linemates Mike Sullivan can divide between the two of them.
This is something that needs to be figured out quickly if the Rangers are going to get back to the offense they enjoyed in Panarin's heyday. If they do, the playoffs might not be far out of reach.
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