Continuing on with our 2026-2027 standing projections, we've got the New York Rangers at
#19.
The Rangers are a team that are getting a little too much hate coming into this season. They're not a bonafide dogass team. Literally EVERYTHING went wrong for them last season. They'll be better... but i'm still seeing some glaring concerns that have me placing them outside of a playoff spot.
At offense, the Rangers look VERY boom-or-bust. You're hoping Zibanejad can replicate last season. You're hoping Lafreniere can take the next step. You're hoping Bjorkstrand and JT Miller can revert to their previous forms from a few years ago. Outside of Gabriel Perreault & Pavel Dorofeyev, a lot of that offensive core doesn't ooze confidence for me... it's just a lot of hope. Sure if everything goes right for the offense, they could honestly be a playoff team. But what are the odds of that?
Defensively, this team got much better. They've brought in Marcus Pettersson, Sean Durzi, and potentially Albe...