The New York Rangers have been one of the NHL's biggest disappointments the past two seasons, missing the playoffs both years. After a relatively busy off-season, what must the Rangers do to avoid being a 'mushy middle' team and get back into the Stanley Cup playoffs?
As an Original Six team in one of hockey’s biggest markets, the New York Rangers are constantly under pressure to produce above-average results.
In the past two seasons, the Rangers utterly failed to get better. In fact, the Blueshirts got worse this past season, falling to dead last in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference.
After falling so far in the standings, the possibility is slim that the Rangers – even with the many off-season moves they’ve made – will surge through the standings into a top-three spot in the Metro. And let’s be clear – the Metro could only send three teams to the playoffs next spring.
The Atlantic Division is significantly more competitive than the Metro and will probably occupy both Eastern Conference wild cards. So the best way for the Rangers to assure themselves of a playoff spot next year is to finish in a top-three spot in the division.
Unfortunately for Rangers fans, the way it's tracking, the Rangers could be a ‘mushy middle’ team. That means they're not good enough to be a playoff team, and not bad enough to acquire a talented youngster at the top of the NHL draft. So, how do the Rangers avoid being in the mushy middle next season?
First, Rangers GM Chris Drury must quickly recognize that his team isn’t playoff-caliber, and make more veteran trades, including perhaps for star defenseman Adam Fox and/or Mika Zibanejad, among others.
However, Drury made notable moves that unquestionably push the needle in a positive direction.
Acquiring star sniper Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights definitely helps a Rangers offense that ranked 23rd in the league in 2025-26 with a 2.87 goals-per-game average. Drury also drastically remade his D-corps this summer, acquiring Marcus Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks and Sean Durzi from the Utah Mammoth.
It’s really indisputable that the Rangers have improved this summer. But unless the Rangers get big-time performances from forwards like Alexis Lafreniere, J.T. Miller, and newcomer Oliver Bjorkstrand, they really don’t have the depth and talent that they need to avoid the mushy middle.
The other factor that could separate the Rangers from a playoff appearance next season is their backup goaltender, Joonas Korpisalo, who posted a subpar .894 save percentage with the Boston Bruins this past season.
Superstar goalie Igor Shesterkin made 51 appearances last year, and if the Rangers are going to avoid the mushy middle, they need Shesterkin and Korpisalo doing much of the heavy lifting. If Korpisalo doesn’t do his part, the pressure on Shesterkin will be off the charts.
The Rangers are projecting to be better, but still not good enough to be a playoff team. The rest of the Metro is focusing on earning a playoff spot next year, and while the division has improved, there’s still a clear-cut pecking order, with the defending Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes at the top, followed by the Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Also, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers will be devastated if they fail to make the playoffs. That's why it’s so unlikely the Rangers climb back into the post-season mix.
Two things can be true. The Rangers have improved, and yet they haven’t improved enough to overtake Metro teams that also are doing their utmost to be playoff teams in 2026-27.
It’s going to take a true team effort for the Rangers to ascend the Metro standings, and while Manhattan can enjoy playoff hockey next season, the stark reality is the Rangers don’t have the high-end depth to be a lock for a playoff appearance.
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