Inside look at New York Rangers

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the New York Rangers.

Mike Sullivan believes the improvements the New York Rangers targeted heading into this offseason have been made.

"We're certainly a better team on paper," the coach said.

Even if they are, the Rangers face a daunting task to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season after finishing last in the Eastern Conference in 2025-26 (34-39-9).

Unless, of course, the improvements are real, meaning the additions prove impactful, the subtractions get washed out by the continued emergence of a youth brigade, and the most predictable part of it all, the elite goaltending they get from Igor Shesterkin, remains.

"We're looking forward to exploring different combinations for what we think will give us the balance that we need and the balanced production that is so important to helping teams win consistently in this league," Sullivan said. "From that standpoint, I'm real excited about the potential of this team and where we could go."

The Rangers targeted a need to be better at getting out of their defensive zone.

Enter Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson, puck-moving defensemen with offensive instincts and defensive awareness who likely will form New York's second defense pair behind the returning Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov.

Durzi, 27, arrives following a trade with the Utah Mammoth that sent center Vincent Trocheck to the Western Conference. Pettersson, 30, was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks; he played under Sullivan for five full seasons and parts of two others with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Durzi should get a look on the second power-play unit with Fox quarterbacking the first. Pettersson is likely going to be a key part of the penalty kill.

"We talked about trying to improve our team speed, and it starts with our ability to move the puck," Sullivan said, "and I think those guys on the blue line are going to help us in that regard."

New York targeted a top-line scorer to replace Artemi Panarin, who was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 4. Enter Pavel Dorofeyev, who in the past two seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights scored 72 goals, tied for 15th in the League, and played all 164 games.

Dorofeyev, who was acquired in a trade with Vegas, scored 37 goals in the regular season and 12 in the playoffs last season. He is expected to play on a line with one of the Rangers’ top two centers, either Mika Zibanejad or J.T. Miller.

"He's a scorer and he needs somebody to get him the puck, and one of the things when we watched him in Vegas, he was playing with a guy like Jack Eichel, who is pretty good at getting guys the puck," Sullivan said. "Whoever that center is that's going to play with him, and it's more than likely going to be either Mika or J.T., their ability to get him the puck is going to be important to set him up for success. We feel like both of those guys have the ability to get him the puck."

The Rangers also tried to improve their bottom-six forward depth and landed Joe Veleno and Oliver Bjorkstrand.

Bjorkstrand, who signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract, is expected to be a middle-six right wing, potentially on the second line if he can again become a 20-goal scorer. He has scored at least 20 in six of his nine full seasons. He also had 18 in 56 games in 2020-21, but Bjorkstrand scored 12 in 80 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season.

Sullivan said he thinks he will stretch the lineup, possibly allowing two-time 20-goal scorer Will Cuylle to play on the third line.

"He's got a proven track record," Sullivan said.

Veleno should be New York's fourth-line center after he signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract on July 1.

"He can really skate," Sullivan said.

Sullivan said he expects likely third-line center Noah Laba to take an increased role on the penalty kill and on defensive zone face-offs, replacing what Trocheck provided in those areas.

He also hopes to see forward Gabe Perreault continue to develop into a front-line scorer with a defined top-six role after he had 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in the final 23 games of last season.

Sullivan said forwards Jaroslav Chmelar and Tye Kartye performed well, giving the Rangers a clearer idea for who should be able to take on defined roles in their bottom-six forward group.

There's also a chance defenseman Alberts Smits, the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, emerges and earns minutes on the third defense pair with Braden Schneider.

Indeed there are options, many of them the Rangers either developed or procured this offseason, all targeting identified areas of improvement aimed at turning this last-place team into a perennial playoff contender again.

"The beauty of the NHL I think is it's a fresh start every year," Durzi said. "It's a prove-yourself league and you've got to do it every single day. … We start from zero. Everyone starts from zero. It's a prove-yourself league, and from Day 1 we're going to do that."