Metropolitan Division Provides NY Rangers Path Back to Playoffs

Did the New York Rangers do enough to take advantage of a middling Metropolitan Division?

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan speaks to reporters after an 8-1 win against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers came into the 2026 NHL offseason with a lot of work to do on their roster.

Teams don’t finish last in a conference by accident. Injuries certainly didn’t help their cause, and the Rangers did trade away some key contributors ahead of the deadline. But there was no denying that the roster needed help in more ways than one.

Team president and general manager Chris Drury got to work this summer trying to fix that. A lot of changes have been made, with the talent on the team undoubtedly being improved. Steps forward from some of the young players will certainly help the team get back into the playoff picture.

Has New York done enough to be considered a playoff team? One scout who spoke to Peter Baugh and Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required) believes they are going to be in the mix because of the state of the Metropolitan Division.

One scout believes Rangers can compete for playoff spot

Apr 13, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; New York Rangers right wing Gabe Perreault (94) celebrates with left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) after scoring against the Florida Panthers during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“They’ll be on the cusp,” Scout 1, who works for an Eastern Conference team and was granted anonymity to speak freely, said. “Washington got a lot better, Carolina of course are defending champions and they don’t seem like they’re going anywhere, but after that I find (the Metro) to be pretty open. … They should make an improvement from last year.”

This past season, it was the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers who made the postseason from the Metropolitan Division, with the Carolina Hurricanes winning the division title and Stanley Cup championship.

Meanwhile, five teams from the Atlantic Division qualified for the playoffs. From that perspective, the Rangers are certainly in the correct division to try and make a move up the standings.

There is certainly a lot of ground to make up. New York finished 10 points behind the New Jersey Devils, who recorded 87 points in the regular season. The final playoff spot went to the Flyers, who recorded 98 points.

New York has upgraded talent on the roster

Oct 9, 2025; San Jose, California, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) plays the puck along the boards against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at SAP Center at San Jose. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Making up a 21-point difference in one offseason is a tall task. But there is no doubt that the Rangers have a stronger, deeper roster right now than they did when the 2025-26 campaign came to a close.

A bona fide goal scorer was added to the mix with Pavel Dorofeyev being acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights. Oliver Bjorkstrand was a nice addition in free agency to further upgrade the middle-six forwards and improve the ceiling offensively.

The defensemen depth chart, a major weakness when Adam Fox suffered an injury last season, has been solidified with Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi behind Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov.

Health will be paramount to this team reaching its potential. A healthy Fox and Igor Shesterkin greatly improve their outlook, as any team would suffer not having arguably their two best players in the lineup for an extended period of time.