NY Rangers Lineup Looks Much Improved Compared To Last Year

The New York Rangers made legitimate upgrades to their roster this offseason.

Apr 21, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) and goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) congratulate each other after defeating the Washington Capitals 4-1 in game one of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

After finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference in the 2025-26 season, the New York Rangers had a lot of work to do to improve the roster.

There were several areas of weakness that had to be addressed, with depth at defenseman being near the top of the wishlist. A top-six forward was also desired, and more established players up front could fill out the middle and bottom-six of the lineup.

While there were certainly some missteps along the way, including questionable use of first-round draft picks, Chris Drury does deserve some credit for how much better the team looks on paper. Compared to where they were entering the 2025-26 season, the improvements are legitimate.

As shared in a post on X from Vincent Z. Mercogliano last year, the Rangers had a first line of Will Cuylle, J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad. The No. 2 line was Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere.

Rangers 2025-26 opening night team had some weaknesses

Jan 12, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Sam Carrick (39) celebrates his goal against the Seattle Kraken with teammates during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On the third line, Noah Laba was at center with Conor Sheary and Taylor Raddysh as his wingers. The fourth line was Sam Carrick with Adam Edstom and Matt Rempe flanking him.

The defensive pairs were Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov at No. 1, with Carson Soucy and Will Borgen as the second pairing. Rounding out the defense was the third pairing of Urho Vaakanainen and Braden Schneider.

Igor Shesterkin was the starting goalie with Jonathan Quick as the backup.

First, the players who are coming back. Shesterkin remains the No. 1 option at goalie, but he has a new backup in Joonas Korpisalo. His acquisition is one that left people scratching their heads, especially if it results in Dylan Garand being lost on waivers.

#NYR warmup rushes for opening night from MSG:

Cuylle - Miller - Zibanejad
Panarin - Trocheck - Lafrenière
Sheary - Laba - Raddysh
Edström - Carrick - Rempe

Gavrikov - Fox
Soucy - Borgen
Vaakanainen - Schneider

Shesterkin
Quick

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) October 7, 2025

The No. 1 defenseman pairing remains Fox and Gavrikov. When Fox was healthy last season, that was a dynamic duo at the blueline. Schneider is back and won’t be overextended this year. Zibanejad and Miller are both back, but in different roles.

Zibanejad is the No. 1 center, and Miller will be No. 2 after both of them played on the wing for portions of the 2025-26 campaign. Also returning is Lafreniere, who is positioned for a breakout campaign as a first-line option on the right wing and a member of the first power-play unit.

Cuylle is back for another year, but is the No. 3 left winger on the line with Laba, who has some big shoes to fill with Trocheck being on the Utah Mammoth now.

Seeing so many players from last season’s opening night lineup gone paints a picture of just how much turnover there was. And for the better, with some great offseason additions and youngsters emerging.

Locked into top-six roles are now Pavel Dorofeyev, a goal-scoring machine who will help replace some of the scoring punch lost with Panarin being traded, and Gabe Perreault, an excellent playmaking wing who made a great impression down the stretch last season.

Rangers talent and overall depth is greatly improved

Dec 23, 2023; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Vegas Golden Knights left wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) moves the puck against the Florida Panthers during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

They will join Zibanejad, Miller and Lafreniere in some combination. The last spot will go to either Eeli Tolvanen, who was just signed to a one-year deal in free agency, or Oliver Bjorkstrand, who was signed early in free agency.

Their additions greatly improve the middle-sixee of this lineup because they will bounce back and forth depending on the situation. Cuylle and Laba are a strong duo to anchor the third line, with growth expected from both.

The fourth line may not be as intimidating without Edstrom and Rempe, but there is some intrigue. The battle for those spots will be interesting to watch, with Tye Kartye, Jarslav Chmelar, Adam Sykora, Liam Greentree and Raddysh battling it out to flank Joe Veleno.

Where the biggest upgrades have been made is on the defense. Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi were both acquired in trades and are massive upgrades over Soucy and Bergen. Schneider will have a new partner in Matthew Robertson, who proved to be an NHL-level defenseman. Knocking on the door is Alberts Smits, the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

On paper, this team looks a lot more versatile and talented. Now, it is up to head coach Mike Sullivan to build a strong scheme to accentuate their strengths and get the most out of his squad.