1 Move That Would Improve NY Rangers Odds To Make Playoffs

The New York Rangers need to figure out a way to upgrade this one area of their roster.

NY Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury speaks during a press conference to introduce new head coach Mike Sullivan at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown, New York May 8, 2025. / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers have done a lot of work with their roster this offseason, which was a necessity with how they performed last season.

For the second consecutive year, the Rangers failed to make the playoffs. Not only did they not qualify, but they weren’t very competitive, finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference with only 77 points.

Looking not to repeat that level of disappointment, team president and general manager Chris Drury got to work upgrading the roster. He accomplished a lot, bringing in goal-scoring threats in Pavel Dorofeyev and Oliver Bjorkstrand. The defensive depth chart has been overhauled and upgraded with Marcus Pettersson, Sean Durzi and Alberts Smits, the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

There is no doubt this talent level has increased, and the product on the ice will be improved. However, there is still one need the team has to address, and they have the means to do it.

Rangers need to add another forward to the roster

Apr 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan speaks to reporters after a 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For New York to have the ability to make a deeper run in the postseason, they need to add to their forward group. Dorofeyev is a great addition to round out the top six, but Bjorkstrand may be stretched thin if he is counted on to play top-six minutes with regularity.

Adding another top-six caliber forward, who can bump Bjorkstrand down into middle-six work more consistently, would raise this team’s ceiling. Of course, finding players of that level is easier said than done.

To land Dorofeyev, the Rangers had to part with three draft picks, two of which were first-rounders, but to acquire his rights from the Vegas Golden Knights. Then, they agreed to a lucrative extension, a seven-year deal worth $11 million annually.

Options are limited in free agency. Patrik Laine has some real upside as a scoring threat and would bolster the team’s power play, but his injury history makes him a risk. However, a team can never have too many natural goal scorers, which he is.

Trading Braden Schneider can net forward upgrade

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) skates against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The best path to acquiring the kind of forward the team seeks, as they have an abundance of middle-six and bottom-six options already, is to trade defenseman Braden Schneider. He and the Rangers avoided arbitration, settling on a one-year, $5.5 million deal.

Set to be a restricted free agent again next summer, his long-term outlook with the franchise is clouded. If New York was sure he was part of the long-term core, they would have locked him into a long-term deal. Instead, it was a one-year settlement.

Trading away right-handed defensemen of his age and skill set can be seen as short-sighted, but the Rangers’ depth at the blueline was overhauled and revamped this summer. If they can flip someone projected to be a third-line center who struggled mightily when thrust into an expanded role for a top-six forward, they have to do it.

Adding another top-six-caliber forward would make New York a much more dangerous team than it is currently built. It would also change how they are viewed by NHL fans, who don't have any confidence in this team making a playoff push.