NY Rangers' Young Talent Should Be Considered a Major Plus

Are the New York Rangers in good shape with some young talent on the roster getting better?

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) skates against the Washington Capitals during the second period at Madison Square Garden. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

As the New York Rangers prepare for the offseason, the front office is going to have a lot to evaluate after a disappointing campaign. 

Coming into the year, the Rangers were expected to be a playoff contender, but fell well short of that goal. New York ended up with the worst record in the Eastern Conference and will have the third-highest odds for the first overall pick in the NHL Draft. 

While it is easy to be negative about a team that just had the worst record in the conference, the Rangers do have some positives that they should be optimistic about. Getting a high draft pick will be a nice jolt to the franchise, and that can help turn things around quickly. 

Furthermore, the team will also have a plethora of cap space that they will be able to use to help improve things as well. Despite the poor record, New York isn’t a team that has no talent. They have a nice veteran core on the roster already, and some of their young players developed as the season went on with expanded roles. 

As the team heads into the summer, the development of some of that younger talent should be considered a major bright spot. 

Young Core Should Be Considered a Major Plus

New York Rangers left wing Will Cuylle / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Even though it is easy to be pessimistic about a team that just came in last place, the young talent for New York did start to emerge. While he might be considered a veteran now after finishing his sixth season with the team, former first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere is still just 24 years old and coming off a solid campaign. 

When looking a bit more down the roster, some other players started to thrive in expanded roles as well. Gabe Perreault had a really nice campaign down the stretch, recording his first hat trick of the season. The move to the first line alongside Mika Zibanejad and Lafreniere seemingly did wonders for him. 

Furthermore, third-year forward Will Cuylle recorded his second straight 20-goal season, making him a rising star for the franchise. With some other young players like Matthew Robertson, Adam Sykora, and Tye Kartye all starting to make names for themselves, the depth of the team seems pretty good. 

As the offseason approaches, it will be interesting to see where the Rangers might look to upgrade. More scorers seem like the logical place to start based on the season overall, but they do have some young up-and-comers to continue to develop.