NY Rangers Projected Lines for Preseason Opener Against Devils Revealed

Who will line up with who for the New York Rangers against the New Jersey Devils.

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

With an 84-game regular season schedule on the horizon, the New York Rangers have a condensed period of time for training camp.

With only a few days of sessions under their belt and an off day on Sept. 20, the Rangers are hitting the road for their first preseason game of the year against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

New York has separated their 48-player training camp roster into two groups that have been competing against each other. Now, some of those players will have the chance to face off against another team in live action in the first exhibition.

The Rangers are going to be facing an uphill challenge against a Devils squad that is already 1-0-0 in the preseason, defeating the New York Islanders in their opener. Now, they are going to deploy a lineup that more closely resembles the one they will be using when the regular season rolls around.

Rangers facing nearly full Devils lineup

Apr 9, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (86) skates with the puck during the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Luther Schlaifer-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Two of their newest additions, Luke Evangelista and Anthony Mantha, will be in the lineup tonight. Evangelista will skate alongside Nico Hischier and Timo Meier, with Mantha on a line with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt.

No one who projects as a top-six forward for the Rangers when the regular season begins is expected to be in the lineup against New Jersey. Tonight’s group is made up of mostly AHL and rookie camp players.

As shared by Vincent C. Mercogliano of The Athletic on X, there are only a handful of players who are even in the mix for the opening night roster and will be taking the ice against the Devils: forwards Liam Greentree, Adam Sykora and Matt Rempe; defensemen Matthew Robertson, Urho Vaakanainen, Drew Fortescue, Scott Morrow and Vincent Iorio; and goalie Dylan Garand.

#NYR game group for tonight looks like:

Blidh - Gawdin - Greentree
Sýkora - Dowling - Pärssinen
Aspinall - Roobroeck - Lamb
Battaglia - Terrance - Rempe
McConnell-Barker

Robertson - Morrow
Fortescue - Iorio
Vaakanainen - Cholowski
Trudeau

Garand
Tung

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) September 21, 2026

This will be more about getting ice time and live action for New York than the outcome, as the deck is stacked against them talent-wise.

Rangers using mostly non-NHL roster players in preseason opener

Jun 28, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Liam Greentree is selected by the Los Angeles Kings with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft at The Sphere. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Mercogliano shared some projected lines for the Rangers as well. The first line is expected to be Anton Blidh, Glenn Gawdin and Greentree. On the second line, Sykora will join Justin Dowling and Juuso Pärssinen.

On the third line, New York will have Nathan Aspinall, Dylan Roobroeck and Brody Lamb. The fourth line grouping is Jacob Battaglia, Carey Terrance and Rempe. Bryce McConnell-Barker is the last forward listed.

Defensively, the first pairing is Robertson on the left and Morrow on the right. Behind them in the pairings are Fortescue and Iorio. The third pairing is Vaakanainen and Dennis Cholowski, with William Trudeau as the seventh defenseman.

Garand is the expected starter in net, with Callum Tung as the backup goalie behind him.

There are so many players being held out because New York has a quick turnaround, set to play their second preseason game tomorrow, Sept. 22, at Madison Square Garden against the Islanders.