NY Rangers Receive Encouraging Placement in Early NHL Power Rankings

The New York Rangers have been placed in an encouraging spot in an early NHL power rankings.

Apr 2, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With training camp underway for the New York Rangers, the team is back on the ice hoping to be a much-improved group this coming season. 

Following a tough 2025-26 campaign, the Rangers were a very aggressive team this offseason trying to improve. New York very easily could have went into rebuilding mode and moved some more of their veterans, but Chris Drury has been retooling instead. 

It is not easy to find the balance between building for the future while trying to compete, but that is the current vision of the Rangers. There is some risk that the team could get stuck in the middle with this strategy, but they clearly needed to do something after a last place finish in the Eastern Conference. 

Due to where the team was last year and all of the changes, it is hard to predict how good they might be this season. Barring injuries, this should be an improved group, but just how much will be the question. 

Recently, Lyle Fitzsimmons of Bleacher Report released his NHL power rankings heading into the preseason. For New York, it was a solid place for the franchise to start. 

Rangers Receive Encouraging Preseason Placement

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

Coming off a year in which they were the worst team in the Eastern Conference, being placed at 22nd to start the preseason is an encouraging placement for New York. 

While things did not go well last year, that was partially due to some injuries to key players like Adam Fox. The star defenseman was nearly a point-per-game player for the Rangers when healthy and that production was missed for more than a quarter of the season. 

However, while a healthy Fox will be important, it was the new additions that are going to make the biggest difference. This summer, the Rangers added a lot of new talent, and the hope is going to be that they can get them back into playoff contention. 

At forward, the team most notably added Pavel Dorofeyev, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Eeli Tolvanen to their top nine. On the blue line, the team added Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi to help strengthen an area of need. Furthermore, they also used the fifth overall pick on Alberts Smits, who very well could be making the team. 

Overall, while there is still a lot of work to do for the Rangers, the placement in the power rankings is an encouraging indication of the offseason that they have been able to accomplish.