For months, the New York Rangers have been changing the makeup of their roster. It started with the Jacob Trouba trade in December, followed by a series of other pre-trade deadline moves, including trading for J.T. Miller, acquiring Will Borgen in the Kaapo Kakko trade, and saying goodbye to 2025 pending unrestricted free agents (UFA), including Ryan Lindgren and Reilly Smith.
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This offseason, the Rangers were also busy and sent Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks, K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes and signed Vladislav Gavrikov, who is projected to serve as a much-needed partner for Adam Fox. In the process, the Rangers acquired Scott Morrow, who was a star defenseman with UMass and still only 22 years old, as well as premium draft capital for 2026. Plus, newly hired two-time Stanley Cup champion head coach Mike Sullivan could help steer things back in the right direction for the Rangers in 2025-26. But are the Rangers better off now than they were a little over 12 months ago, when they were in the Eastern Conference Final? It’s hard to say now, but the organization still has some clear flaws and the roster is far from ideal, despite the significant changes made.
The Biggest Need Going Forward
There’s one area the Rangers face an unknown that will likely have to be addressed at some point – a left-handed defenseman who can play in the top four. While Morrow probably becomes the organization’s second-best prospect in the system and could be a great pickup, he’s likely not an option at left defense (LD).
Assuming Gavrikov plays regularly with Fox, the only two legitimate other candidates to fill the Miller vacancy are Carson Soucy and Braden Schneider.
Soucy, soon to turn 31 years old, has made a living in the NHL playing on the third pair, although he did find some success with Fox at the end of last season, generating an expected goals rate of 63.28 percent in about 147 minutes when on the ice together at 5-on-5 in 2024-25, according to Natural Stat Trick. Noteworthy, but that’s with one of the league’s top defensemen in a small sample size. Pair Soucy with more of a stay-at-home defenseman like Will Borgen, and you probably won’t get the same results.
Schneider, meanwhile, has found some success on the second pair, especially dating back to the 2024 postseason when paired with Miller. However, asking him to play his offside next to Borgen won’t be an easy task. Maybe Schneider can find some success next to Morrow if the 22-year-old offensive-minded defenseman is ready for the responsibility. That seems like a better fit.
Potential Options for LD
However, as of now, that’s less than ideal. A second pair LD seems like the biggest need. Given that the market has cooled off with Bowen Byram and others likely no longer available via trade, the Rangers might have to wait until next year’s trade deadline to solve the issue.
Some top pending unrestricted 2026 free agents that play LD include Ryan McDonagh, Cam Fowler, Mattias Ekholm, Jake Walman, Juuso Valimaki and Mario Ferraro. Some options are less intriguing than others, and who actually becomes available at next year’s deadline will depend on how their respective teams perform and the appetite from front offices to sell.
Luckily, the Blueshirts have plenty of draft capital to dangle, as of today. This includes two first-round picks in 2026, plus one selection each round besides the fourth in next year’s draft. Moreover, the 2027 picks are there if they need to use them. So, the Rangers don’t lack assets to make a big move if they desire.
Rangers May Need Another Forward, Too
Now, the other area the Rangers may lack is a little more nuanced. The Kreider disposition creates both a vacancy inside the top six and an opportunity for someone else, simultaneously.
The answer could very well be inside the organization. Is Will Cuylle, who I always thought had the ceiling of an elite third-line player, ready to take a big jump? Is No. 1 prospect Gabriel Perreault, who played five games in the big leagues last season, truly ready for a prime role in the NHL out of college? Or will another top prospect like Brennan Othmann, Brett Berard or Adam Sýkora impress in training camp and give the coaching staff no choice but to hand one of them the job?
Unfortunately, there is no crystal ball to predict it. So we’ll have to wait and see. If none of them are ideal options for 2025-26, then the Rangers may need to wait until the trade deadline, again. Unless, of course, the Bluehshirts can swing a deal for the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Yegor Chinakhov, who requested a trade through his agent. While he would make sense, it’s hard to imagine that there’s any appetite to trade a 24-year-old with perhaps some untapped potential to a divisional rival. So, unless the Rangers overpay, it probably won’t happen.
Some pending UFAs in 2026 that play the wing include Kyle Connor, Patrik Laine, Evander Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jordan Eberle and former Rangers fan favorite Mats Zuccarello.
Overall, the Ranges got the hardest part figured out – finding a partner for Fox. Or, at least, we think they did. But as an NBA legend once said: “Job’s not finished.” Now it’s about identifying the right player for LD. Luckily, the front office does have time on their side, assuming they are in a playoff position by the 2026 trade deadline. It also buys them time to determine if the team has an efficient enough top-six forward group to go on a deep postseason run.
The other question is Schneider. If he can’t get the job done on the second pair for the Rangers, what value does he bring to the organization going forward? Especially if Morrow can provide the team with an offensive spark on the third pair. You have to wonder if the Rangers dangle Schneider to solve either the likely issue on LD or snag a top forward. The organization has the next several months to evaluate and decide.
