NY Rangers Have Potentially Very Strong First Line

Apr 2, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

NY Rangers Have Potentially Very Strong First Line

Originally posted on New York Rangers On SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Aug 5, 2026 6:00 AM ET

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With the offseason starting to slow down and the New York Rangers getting set for next season, what the lineups will look like will be interesting to monitor.

The Rangers were an extremely aggressive team in their pursuit of trying to improve this summer, and the front office did a really nice job of accomplishing that.

Chris Drury was able to find the balance between getting younger and getting better this summer, and the future once again is starting to look bright for New York.

While there is still going to be work to do, the Rangers should be optimistic about the direction that they are heading in. Now, it is going to be on Mike Sullivan to put some of the pieces of the puzzle together and get the best out of what is a better roster than last year. A lot of that will start with the first line.

Rangers First Line Could Be Elite

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When looking at some of the potential line combinations for New York heading into the season, there will be some discussion about what the best course of action will be.

Last year down the stretch, the Rangers saw quite a bit of success from the trio of Gabe Perreault, Mika Zibanejad, and Alexis Lafreniere. This group really played well together, and it saw all three producing at a high level.

With some chemistry already set, it wouldn’t be overly surprising if this is the first line for the team to start the season. However, due to the addition of Pavel Dorofeyev and the long-term financial commitment that the team made to him, his being on the top pair also makes sense.

The talented scorer is arguably going to be the best one of the team at putting the puck in the net, and that usually means he is a first-line player. With the need to improve at scoring, especially on five-on-five, this trio is arguably the most talented on New York, and if they blend well, could be really good.

Lafreniere really does appear to be the x-factor for the group as of now. If he can play as he did in the final 25 games of the season and start to live up to some of that potential, it would be a massive boost for the team.

Overall, if players like Lafreniere and Perreault play like they did last season, the team is going to be in a much better position than they were a year ago.

This article first appeared on New York Rangers On SI and was syndicated with permission.

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