NY Rangers' Potential Lines Revealed at First Day of Training Camp

The New York Rangers showcased what their potential lines might look like to open the season.

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. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the New York Rangers get set for the start of the regular season, training camp is officially underway. 

With training camp underway, some of the big questions from the offseason will start to get answered. This summer, the Rangers were one of the more aggressive teams in trying to make improvements, and that led to a lot of new players joining the franchise. 

Head coach Mike Sullivan is going to have his work cut out for him in the coming weeks, and both the roster and lineups will have to be worked out. However, on the first day of camp, what the lines might look like to start the season were revealed. 

Early Lines Showcased 

Just based on jersey colors, it looks like forwards may be starting like this:

Perreault - Zibanejad - Lafrenière
Dorofeyev - Miller - Bjorkstrand
Cuylle - Laba - Tolvanen/Raddysh
Kartye - Veleno - Chmelař/Rempe#NYR

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) September 17, 2026

On the first day of training camp, some of the speculation about what the lines would look like for the Rangers was answered. Coming off a strong end to the season, Sullivan did indeed use what worked last year with Gabe Perreault, Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere. 

This trio was really good at the end of last season, and seeing what they can do once again makes a lot of sense. With that being the group on the ice for the Rangers, it did put Pavel Dorofeyev on the second line alongside J.T. Miller and Oliver Bjorkstrand. 

As the player who could be the best goal scorer on the team, Dorofeyev being on the second line will be something to monitor. Miller is coming off a down season, and New York will be hoping that he can bounce back. 

They will certainly want to put the talented 25-year-old in the best position to succeed and score goals. If he, Miller, and Bjorkstrand gel quickly and can become a good group, the Rangers will be in a strong position to succeed. 

Furthermore, there weren’t too many surprises in the bottom six, with the third line being Eeli Tolvanen, Noah Laba, and Will Cuylle. On the fourth line, they featured Joe Veleno, Tye Kartye, and Jaroslav Chmelar. 

For the defensive pairings, the one thing that was very notable was that it was Alberts Smits alongside Braden Schneider. The Rangers were open in saying that he was going to get a real chance to make the team, and he very well might be the favorite to do so at this point. 

D pairs are:

Gavrikov - Fox
Pettersson - Durzi
Šmits - Schneider
Robertson - Morrow#NYR

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) September 17, 2026

Overall, while it was just the first day of camp, seeing some clarity on the lines is good. Things can certainly change in the coming days, but New York seemingly has their starting point.