New York Rangers fantasy projections for 2026-27

As part of NHL.com's 32 in 32 series, the fantasy hockey staff ranks the top five New York Rangers players for standard leagues and provides skater points and goalie wins projections for the 2026-27 season.

1. Igor Shesterkin, G

NHL.com fantasy rank: 42

Among the 19 NHL goalies who played at least 50 games last season, Shesterkin was tied with Andrei Vasilevskiy and Logan Thompson for the best save percentage (each had .912) – even with the Rangers missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive season. Shesterkin, who missed some time because of injury, had 25 wins (18th among goalies) in 51 games but only one shutout compared to six in 2024-25 and four in 2023-24. Shesterkin, who has three seasons of 35-plus wins in his career, remains a fringe top five goalie and is worth reaching for in the third or fourth round of standard drafts.

NHL.com win projection: 32

2. Mika Zibanejad, F

NHL.com fantasy rank: 66 

Zibanejad was one of two players in the entire NHL with at least 75 points (78), 200 shots on goal (215) and 100 hits (105) last season; the other was Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators. Even after the Rangers traded elite left wing Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings, Zibanejad thrived while playing center down the stretch of the season; he had 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) over his final 22 games on a line with mostly wings Gabe Perreault (21 years old) and Alexis Lafreniere (will turn 25 years old Oct. 11). Zibanejad, who’s 33 years old and had his highest point total in 2022-23 (91), is still worth prioritizing in the middle rounds of standard drafts, especially with exposure to offseason acquisition Pavel Dorofeyev.

NHL.com point projection: 79 

3. Adam Fox, D

NHL.com fantasy rank: 77

Fox was limited to 55 games last season because of injury but was still among the NHL defenseman leaders in points per game (0.96; tied for fifth), assists (44; 15th), power-play points (24; tied for ninth) and power-play goals (five; tied for eighth). Since 2021-22 (past five seasons combined), Fox is tied for third among defensemen in points (333) and alone in third at the position in power-play points (137). Fox is a fringe top 10 fantasy defenseman in NHL.com’s rankings, and, together with a healthy Shesterkin and an elite goal-scorer like Dorofeyev, gives the Rangers sneaky bounce-back potential this season.

NHL.com point projection: 74

4. Pavel Dorofeyev, F

NHL.com fantasy rank: 78

Dorofeyev has scored at least 35 goals in consecutive seasons and is tied for second in the NHL in power-play goals over the past two seasons combined (33; behind Wyatt Johnston’s 38). Over that same span (since 2023-24), Dorofeyev is one of two players with at least 65 goals (72), 25 power-play goals (33) and 450 shots on goal (484); the other is Alex DeBrincat of the Detroit Red Wings. Dorofeyev departs Vegas, where he played frequently with elite forwards like Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner and Mark Stone on the first power play, but still has a high goal-scoring ceiling considering New York ranked fifth on the power play last season (24.7). Dorofeyev, who will turn 26 on Oct. 26, is a potential draft bargain with two high-scoring center options (Zibanejad and J.T. Miller) to build chemistry with.

NHL.com point projection: 65

5. J.T. Miller, F

NHL.com fantasy rank: 98 

Miller has a high points ceiling from the past (103 in 2023-24 with Vancouver Canucks) and always brings strong category coverage but is coming off a down year offensively in his first full season back with the Rangers (17 goals, 53 points in 68 games). Even so, Miller was one of 13 players in the entire NHL to average at least 0.75 points per game (0.78), 1.50 hits per game (1.81) and 2.00 shots on goal per game (2.12) last season. Miller, who’s a top-six and first power-play fixture for New York, is a fantasy bounce-back candidate who could be one of the biggest steals based on average draft position, especially in leagues that count face-off wins (61.5 face-off win percentage last season; third in NHL among those with at least 300 face-off attempts).

NHL.com point projection: 62

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Other NYR players on preseason draft lists:

Breakout candidates: Gabe Perreault, F (point projection: 57); Alexis Lafreniere, F (point projection: 54)

Deep sleepers: Oliver Bjorkstrand, F (point projection: 45); Sean Durzi, D (point projection: 35)

Category coverage player: Will Cuylle, F (point projection: 49)

Category specialist: Vladislav Gavrikov, D (blocked shots; point projection: 32)