New York Rangers’ Early 2026-27 Lineup Projections

The 2026-27 NHL season does not begin for another two months, but it’s never too early to begin making lineup projections for teams as the season gets closer. For the New York Rangers, they have made plenty of moves this offseason that will impact what this lineup could look like come opening night.

While other free agent signings or trades might be made prior to the season, it seems most of the work has been done to get this roster set for this season. In this piece, we will go over some early lineup projections for the Rangers as they look to have a bounce-back season.

The Top-Six Forwards

Some of the biggest changes the Rangers made this offseason have impacted their top-six forward group. Vincent Trocheck was finally traded to the Utah Mammoth, and the team brought in two new players to help fill out the top six.

Pavel Dorofeyev was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights via trade, and Oliver Bjorkstrand was signed to a one-year deal as a free agent on July 1. These moves immediately make the top six better, as you had players like Conor Sheary and Tye Kartye getting those minutes consistently last season.

When it comes to what the top two forward lines could look like, it would make sense for head coach Mike Sullivan to keep together his top line that was dominant over the second half of last season. The trio of Mika Zibanejad, Gabe Perreault, and Alexis Lafreniere should remain together to start this season after the success they had together last season.

This would mean the second line would consist of captain J.T. Miller playing with the two newcomers in Dorofeyev and Bjorkstrand. That line could be interesting, as Miller is more of a passer and Dorofeyev is a great goalscorer. If those two can find chemistry and the top line remains as good as it was last season, the top six could become a strength for the team rather than a weakness.

The Bottom-Six Forwards

The bottom-six forwards are where there is more competition to be had, as there will be multiple players fighting it out for six spots. Two of those spots will belong to Will Cuylle and Noah Laba, both of whom should be on the third line to start the season.

One player who should get consideration to fill out that line is the aforementioned Kartye, who played well after being claimed off waivers last season. He brings speed and goal-scoring ability to a bottom six that lacked it last season. If these three players start out on the third line together, it could be the most exciting third line to watch since “The Kid Line” from a few seasons ago.

The fourth line is where it will get more interesting, as there are plenty of options the Rangers could choose from. It seems Joe Veleno will be the new fourth-line center after signing as a free agent, so that leaves two open spots on the wings. Players like Taylor Raddysh, Matt Rempe, Adam Sykora, Jaroslav Chmelar and Juuso Parssinen are all going to be competing for those last two spots.

If I had to make a prediction now, Raddysh and Chmelar would get those last two spots, with Rempe being the extra forward to start the season.

The Defense

The Rangers played better defensively last season despite how poorly they finished in the standings, and with the moves made this offseason, the defense looks better than it has in years. They have their first pairing still consisting of Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov. This pair played well together in limited time last season due to Fox missing time with two different injuries.

Behind them, the second pair should consist of two new players: Sean Durzi, who the Rangers got back as part of the return for Trocheck, and Marcus Pettersson, who they acquired via trade with the Vancouver Canucks. This new pairing provides the team with more puck-moving defensemen, which is something they lacked heavily outside of Fox last season.

The third pair is where there is going to be the most competition among the remaining players, and it will likely be for only one spot. If Braden Schneider is still on the team to start this season, he will play on the right side of the third pair. That leaves the left side open to a few options, including Matthew Robertson, Urho Vaakanainen, Drew Fortesue, and the fifth overall pick from this past draft, Alberts Smits.

The Rangers believe Smits could be NHL-ready, but if they want to give him time to adjust to playing in North America, they could start him in the American Hockey League (AHL). That means this last spot will likely go to Robertson, while Vaakanainen will be the seventh defenseman to start the season.

The Goaltending

The easiest spot to predict on this roster is the starting goalie. Igor Shesterkin is going to be the number one goalie for the Rangers once again, and he wants to prove that he is still the best goalie in the NHL after coming off a season where he played well but missed time due to injury.

When he is on his game, there is no goalie better in the league than him, and he alone could help carry this team back to the playoffs if he can play at a high level consistently. Many still question if his $11.5 million cap hit is worth it, but if he wasn’t on this team, the Rangers would be nowhere near fighting for a playoff spot and would be closer to getting the first overall pick every year than competing for a Stanley Cup.

With Jonathan Quick retired, the Rangers are going to need a new backup goalie this season. The two names who are going to be fighting for that spot are Dylan Garand and Joonas Korpisalo. Garand got into his first three career NHL games last season and played well, and many thought he would be the backup going into this season.

Then, the team traded for Korpisalo in a move no one saw coming, as he is coming off two bad seasons with the Boston Bruins, and he makes $3 million a year for this season and next. It seems likely he is going to be the backup based on the money he’s making, but Garand is going to make it a fight, and it will be interesting to see who plays better during training camp and preseason.

The Rangers are a team looking to get back to the playoffs this season, and the moves they have made this offseason have improved the team over what it was. However, these new players still have to adjust to playing in a new system, and the team is still going to need its star players to do most of the heavy lifting. It is still early in the offseason, and other moves could be made, but this is what the Rangers’ lineup could look like when they open the season at the end of September.