NY Rangers Wrongly Not Seen as a Playoff Contender Following Strong Summer

The New York Rangers were surprisingly not seen as a team that is going to be able to contend for a playoff spot.

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

The New York Rangers have been one of the busiest teams this offseason, but the outlook for the team is still up for debate. 

Coming off a terrible campaign last year, the Rangers are a team that came into the summer hungry to improve. While many thought that New York should break it down and rebuild, the team has elected to retool, and the job Chris Drury has done is an impressive one. 

It is not an easy task to get both younger and better, but that is what the Rangers have been able to accomplish. While there is still work to be done, the team is in a much better spot than they were last year. 

Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report recently wrote about teams that were in the NHL Draft Lottery that would improve for next season. Surprisingly, despite a plethora of moves this year, the Rangers were a team that wasn’t seen as one that would be improved. 

New York Wrongly Not Seen as an Improved Team

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) skates against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It is a bit shocking to see the Rangers not being seen as a team that got good enough to contend for a playoff spot. This summer, New York started their offseason off with a bang in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. 

The Rangers were able to trade for Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights to greatly improve their offense. The 25-year-old is coming off a 37-goal season. Scoring was a need for the team, and getting a young goal-scorer fills a massive need. 

Furthermore, while improving at forward was a need, so too was getting some help for their blueline. The first-pair for New York was really strong last year, but the depth of the group overall was not strong. 

The Rangers were able to completely reshape their second-pair with the additions of Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson. This duo should help the team quite a bit in an area of need and make them better. 

While there are a lot of new faces for the team, the health of some of their veterans will be key. This was a team that didn’t have star defenseman Adam Fox for a good chunk of the season, and he was missed. 

Overall, while the team might not be a Stanley Cup contender, they are much better than they were last year and should be able to fight for a playoff spot.