3 Players Who Could Surprisingly Make the Rangers’ Opening Night Roster

The New York Rangers want to make it back to the playoffs this season, like every team in the NHL, and they made some moves this offseason to prove they were willing to do whatever it takes to make it back to the postseason. They pulled off a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, landing Pavel Dorofeyev, and added Joonas Korpisalo to bolster their goaltending depth with Jonathan Quick’s retirement.

They also traded Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth, adding Sean Durzi to the mix to bolster their defensive depth, and seem prepared to make any other moves to build a strong team that won’t miss the playoffs yet again.

Despite the strong additions, there are still some spots that could be open going into training camp, and in this article, we take a quick look at three players who could surprisingly make the Rangers’ opening night roster.

Adam Sykora

Adam Sykora, who is 21 years old, is a left-shot forward who was drafted by the Rangers in the second round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft at 63rd overall. Last season, he got his first taste of NHL action, playing 11 games where he scored three goals and added one assist for four points.

He played the majority of last season with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League (AHL), where he scored 12 goals and added 17 assists for 29 points through 62 games.

After a few seasons in the AHL with the Wolf Pack, Sykora seems ready to make the full-time jump to the NHL and could be someone who earns a bottom-six forward role with a strong training camp.

Alberts Smits

The Rangers drafted Alberts Smits, a left-shot defender, at fifth overall in the recent 2026 NHL Draft.

Smits played the majority of the 2025-26 season with Jukurit in the Finnish Liiga, where he scored six goals and added seven assists for 13 points through 38 games.

He stood out in the 2026 U20 World Junior Championship with Team Latvia, playing five games where he scored one goal and added four assists for five points, maintaining a point-per-game average.

Smits also represented Latvia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, where he had two assists through four games.

His calm demeanour and focus on the defensive side of the game could be key reasons why the Rangers drafted Smits, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he gets a look in their lineup to start the season.

The Rangers did acquire Marcus Pettersson, who will likely start the season on their second pairing, but Smits has a good chance at beating out Matthew Robertson or Urho Vaakanainen for the final spot.

Smits has tools in his games that make him an NHL-ready defender, which is likely why the Rangers selected him so early in the draft, and it seems possible he gets at least a stint to start the 2026-27 season.

Juuso Parssinen

Juuso Parssinen is another forward that could steal one of the final bottom-six forward spots with a strong training camp.

Parssinen, who is 25 years old, played 20 games with the Rangers last season, scoring two goals and adding one assist for three points. He has 157 games of NHL experience, having scored 22 goals and added 34 assists for 56 points.

With the Wolf Pack in the AHL last season, he scored five goals and added two assists for seven points through 15 games. His offensive production could be intriguing for the Rangers, who could benefit from adding depth scoring.

With a strong training camp, Parssinen could be someone who gets a look on their opening night roster, as well, but he would have to beat out some other solid depth forwards like Jaroslav Chmelar or Joseph Veleno.

As the 2026-27 season approaches, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news, updates, and more from around the NHL and the hockey world.