NY Rangers' Offense Will Only Get Better When Key Player Heats Up

Does the offense for the New York Rangers have another level that they can get to?

Oct 13, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) celebrates his second goal of the period against the Tampa Bay Lightning with teammates during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers are off to a strong start to the season through the first 11 games with a 7-3-1 record. What might be exciting to think about is that there could be another level to their game. 

Coming into the year, the Rangers were a team that was expecting to be better. This summer, New York was really aggressive in trying to improve, and they added a ton of new faces. 

Even though training camp and the preseason were short and didn’t give a ton of time for this group to get used to each other, they have been really strong to start the season. In six games at home, the Rangers are undefeated with a 6-0 record and are averaging 4.83 goals per game. 

While New York has had a ton of success offensively at home, that hasn’t quite translated to the same success on the road. Furthermore, while this is an offense that has improved, there is another level that they can get to. 

Rangers Offense Will Get Better

Oct 13, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) follows through on a shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the unit has been better so far this year, especially at home, there is reason to believe that it will still be improving. This offseason, the Rangers’ big move was to add 25-year-old winger Pavel Dorofeyev. 

The talented forward is coming off of two straight years with the Vegas Golden Knights in which he was able to total over 30 goals. On paper, this seemed like a perfect fit for the Rangers, who needed a new young scorer to help lead the team forward. 

However, despite the success of the team so far this year, Dorofeyev hasn’t really produced up to his capabilities just yet. Through 11 games, he has totaled five points with two goals and three assists. Furthermore, after a year in which he was a real weapon for the Golden Knights on the power play, he has totaled just one goal and one assist on the man-advantage. 

Even though the results might not be there yet, there has been some encouraging play. In their most recent game against the Ducks, Dorofeyev had some excellent looks at getting his third goal of the year, but just couldn’t find the back of the net. 

However, as a talented player like he is, the type of effort shown on Monday night will eventually result in him scoring some goals. It feels like it is just a matter of time before Dorofeyev gets hot. When that happens, this offense will head to a new level.