NY Rangers Have Been Built To Be Elite in Key Defensive Metric

What defensive metric can the New York Rangers be one of the best teams in the NHL at?

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) skates against the Washington Capitals during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers are coming off a bad year in which they finished in last place in the Eastern Conference. However, there is reason to believe that they will be a much better team. Furthermore, they do appear to have a clear area of strength as well. 

Following the major letdown that was the 2025-26 campaign, the Rangers were a team that was hungry to improve this summer. As expected with one of the worst records in the league, there were plenty of areas that they had to improve upon. 

New York was aggressive in their pursuit of trying to improve, and they certainly look to be better on paper. One of the main goals for the team was to improve offensively. 

The addition of Pavel Dorofeyev will help with that. The 25-year-old scored 37 goals last year with the Vegas Golden Knights and is going to help the Rangers fill a scoring need. 

Furthermore, another need for the team was to improve their blueline. While New York did have a strong first-pair last season with Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov, their second and third-pair units struggled. With the additions of Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson, this unit is much-improved. 

Now, as the Rangers take a look at their overall ability to keep the puck out of their own net, they have to like the talent that is going to be on the ice. 

Could Rangers Be Top 5 in Goals Against?

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin (31) skates against the Washington Capitals during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last season, New York ranked 15th, right in the middle of the pack in terms of goals allowed per game at 3.04. This number likely would have been a little bit better if Igor Shesterkin didn’t miss time, but overall it was solid. 

Now, when projecting what could be the biggest strength for the Rangers, their defense and goaltending stand out. Assuming Fox and Shesterkin can stay healthy, this could certainly be one of the best groups in the league. 

Revamping their second-pair on defense was huge, and their play on the blueline will be much better. Furthermore, in the goal, Joonas Korpisalo will also likely be an upgrade compared to Jonathan Quick in terms of a backup goalie. 

While the offense should be improved for the Rangers with the changes that they made to the roster, this is a team that is going to be built on defense and keeping the puck out of the net. With two of their best players in this area in Fox and Shesterkin, that’s exactly how it should be.