NY Rangers' Opening Night Roster Feels Far From Set

Apr 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan stands on the bench during the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

NY Rangers' Opening Night Roster Feels Far From Set

Originally posted on New York Rangers On SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Sep 11, 2026 2:00 PM ET

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As rookie camp gets going, followed by training camp, the New York Rangers have a lot of big questions to answer before the start of the season.

Coming off a year to forget, the Rangers will be hoping to be a much-improved team this coming season. New York worked really hard to improve this summer, and on paper, they look a lot better.

At forward, the team was able to fill some holes and added the scorer that they needed. Pavel Dorofeyev was the major acquisition from the Vegas Golden Knights in a trade.

While the price was steep both in terms of his contract and the draft capital they had to use to get him, he is 25 years old and will be a big part of the team for years to come.

Furthermore, the team also signed Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen to provide them with some good middle-six options on the wing.

For the blueline, this is a group that is also much-improved. Adding Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson gives New York a completely revamped second-pair, and the team now all of a sudden has some nice depth for the blueline.

However, with all of the new faces, it is going to be interesting to see how the lineups will look. Over the next couple of weeks, that will be for Mike Sullivan and the coaching staff to figure out.

Rangers Roster Feels Far From Set

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Following the plethora of moves this summer, New York will have a lot of decisions to make regarding what roles players will have. While the Rangers should be set at forward, what they elect to do with Matt Rempe will be an interesting question.

The big bruiser is a fan-favorite, but whether or not he will be a mainstay on the fourth line remains to be seen.

Furthermore, the big roster decision that will be looming over the team will be for the final spot on the blueline. With both the first-pair and second-pair set, the Rangers will need to figure out who will be alongside Braden Schneider on the third-pair.

Fifth overall pick Alberts Smits will be in the mix, but the Rangers could elect to have him start the year in the AHL to build up some confidence. Furthermore, Matthew Robertson and Urho Vaakanainen are also viable options on the left side.

There will be no shortage of lineup decisions to make, but both the fourth line and third-pairing on the blueline are also where roster decisions will have to be made.

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

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