Green Day’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” used to be the annual song for the start of hockey. While it’ll still hold true for some NHL teams who must wait for October to kick off the longer and more condensed 84-game schedule, the Rangers get going tonight when they visit the Bruins for the second part of an ESPN tripleheader.

Unlike last year, expectations are higher this time around. Thanks in large part to team president and general manager Chris Drury overhauling a roster that struggled offensively and defensively this past offseason, there’s more excitement surrounding the Rangers. Call it guarded optimism that Drury’s biggest moves can pay off in hopes of seeing them returning to the playoffs.

Is there a chance? Sure. But everything must go right for the Blueshirts to avoid missing the postseason for a third straight year. It’s a much different roster than the one they entered 2025-26 with. As the last hints of a hot summer drop this week, we’ll soon find out if it’ll be a more hopeful forecast for autumn and the long winter that awaits.

FORWARDS

The biggest change is the arrival of Pavel Dorofeyev from Vegas. Knowing he needed to bring in a goalscorer to aid an offense that’ll enter its first full season without Artemi Panarin since 2018-19, Drury rolled the dice by acquiring Dorofeyev for a pair of first round picks. He then signed the 25-year-old forward to a seven-year, $77 million contract. His $11 million cap hit ranks right behind Igor Shesterkin ($11.567 million AAV) on the team.

Dorofeyev has totaled 72 goals over the last two seasons. He’ll no longer have Jack Eichel to set him up. While much has been made of that, he should have no problem connecting on the power play receiving feeds from Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad. A strong shooter with a lethal one-timer, Dorofeyev led the Golden Knights with 20 power-play goals last season. Of the 72 he’s scored the past two years, 33 have come on the man advantage.

If there’s an area he’ll need to produce, it’s at even strength. Still a relatively young player entering his fourth season, he’s getting better. In 2025-26, Dorofeyev set personal bests in goals (37), assists (27), and points (64). That included 34 even-strength points (17-17-34) and 30 power-play points.

Despite being the Rangers’ best finisher, he’ll start with J.T. Miller and Oliver Bjorkstrand on the second line. Miller is looking to bounce back from an injury riddled season that limited his effectiveness. If he can return to form, the Rangers captain should be able to put up 70 points. Bjorkstrand signed for one year at $4.5 million. A proven scorer who usually can get 20 goals, he’s being counted on to solidify the top six. Bjorkstrand is a streaky player who will be used on the second power play unit. If he’s up to the challenge, 40 to 50 points is possible.

Although he scored an identical 20 goals for the second straight season, the gritty Will Cuylle is better suited for the third line. His skating and physicality make him the Rangers’ toughest forward. A no-nonsense player who isn’t shy about finishing checks, Cuylle went over 300 hits for the second consecutive year. Due to his instincts, he’s also featured on the penalty kill. If Bjorkstrand struggles, Cuylle could find his way up into the top six. Second-year head coach Mike Sullivan will over see that.

Due to how well they finished together, Zibanejad remains between Alexis Lafreniere and Gabe Perreault. The question is whether or not both Lafreniere and Perreault can duplicate the chemistry they had with Zibanejad, who paced the Blueshirts in several categories, including goals (34), assists (44), points (78), and power-play goals (16). The Rangers’ franchise all-time leader in PPG’s (124) is the unquestioned leader of the offense. He was asked to do too much last year.

It falls on Lafreniere to finally put together a true breakout season. Matching his previous career best in points (57) was nice. It hardly qualifies for the money they’re paying him. At times, the former 2020 top pick has had issues finishing. There have been moments where he wasn’t noticeable. He made strides improving defensively thanks to Sullivan calling him out. Now in his seventh year, Lafreniere needs to become a more consistent performer in order for the Rangers to have success. That means getting 30 goals and 70 points.

The 21-year-old Perreault has some superb vision and offensive instincts that should make him a dangerous player. Coming off a solid rookie year that saw him finish strong with 27 points in 54 games, the 2023 first round pick could be in line for an early breakout. The organization decided to wait before signing him to an extension. They want to see it first before committing lots of years and dollars. Perhaps they decided to proceed with caution after rewarding Lafreniere so early in 2024-25.

It’s my belief that Perreault will produce at least 30 assists. Despite starting on the second power play unit, he should be able to crack 50 points. We’ll see if he forces Sullivan’s hand. For now, the top unit will feature Zibanejad, Dorofeyev, Miller, Lafreniere, and Fox.

If there’s an area that looks improved, it’s the bottom six. In particular, the third line which features Cuylle alongside second-year center Noah Laba and key addition Eeli Tolvanen. For a first-year player who made the roster out of training camp, Laba proved that he belonged. An effective two-way forward who excels at winning battles, the 23-year-old from Northville, Michigan earned Sullivan’s trust through hard work. Using his six-foot three, 218-pound frame well, he plays with a tenacity that rubs off on teammates.

Bringing in former Kraken forward Tolvanen for $1.5 million over one year made sense. He plays a similar style that should fit what Sullivan wants from his energy line. All three forwards should be able to hit double digits in goals. Tolvanen has reached double figures seven times in his career, including a career-best 23 in 2024-25. Laba put up nine in his first season while also winning over 50 percent of faceoffs. He’ll once again be featured on the penalty kill with Cuylle, who has good hands in front.

The fourth line has a new center. Replacing Sam Carrick is Joe Veleno. He won’t do much offensively. However, he’s a solid checking type who likes to get the jersey dirty. He’ll start with Tye Kartye and Matt Rempe. Kartye is by far the most skilled of the trio. He brings a lot of energy, speed, and physicality. Primarily, that line’s job isn’t to provide offense. However, it would be nice if at some point, Kartye has someone who can bring more than grit to the table. We’ll see how long Rempe lasts before Jaroslav Chmelar comes in.

In regards to the team’s improved depth, the proven Taylor Raddysh will start in Hartford. Dylan Roobroeck remains the favorite if Sullivan feels he needs an injection of younger legs. The Rangers will be monitoring the progress of Adam Sykora (out until February) following the lower-body injury he sustained versus the Devils last week. He definitely would’ve pushed for a spot. Hopefully, he can return healthy and resemble the player the organization saw last spring.

DEFENSEMEN

Even after bringing in Vladislav Gavrikov to pair up with Fox last season, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Rangers’ defensive deficiencies. Nobody was fooled except for Drury about the reality of handing Will Borgen a big contract that guaranteed him top four minutes. As it turned out, subtracting the reliable K’Andre Miller and having no replacement was an unmitigated disaster.

At one point, Sullivan was employing the slow and slower tandem of Borgen and Carson Soucy as his second pair last year. There was also Fox’s injury that led to him trying Gavrikov and Braden Schneider together on the number one pair. They were unwatchable. Unfortunately, Schneider has never become the top four defenseman the organization envisioned. In fact, Drury and Schneider settled on one year for $5.5 million. It’s a good bet that if the team isn’t in contention, Schneider will be the first to go.

At least Drury realized he miscalculated. By unloading the remainder of Borgen’s contract to Boston, he was able to pivot by acquiring Marcus Pettersson from Vancouver. It cost a 2030 first round pick to bring in an experienced defensive defenseman that Sullivan is familiar with dating back to their days spent in Pittsburgh. By also adding reliable skating right defenseman Sean Durzi from the Mammoth in the Vincent Trocheck deal, which also netted promising prospect Cole Beaudoin, Drury remade the second pair.

The best part about Durzi is that he’s a mobile, puck moving defenseman capable of contributing offensively. Unlike the past few seasons when Fox was asked to carry the offense from the blue line, he’ll finally have some help. Durzi has gone over 30 points twice in his career. In 60 games last season for Utah, he had 27 points. Fox will no longer be asked to run the full power play. Durzi will run the point on a second unit that looks more promising.

As for Fox, he was still excellent putting up 53 points in 55 games despite missing significant time. He remains one of the league’s best defensemen. At this point, he’s underrated due to where NHL Network ranked him. There’s no way Fox shouldn’t be in the top 10. None of that matters. He’s one of the best at making perfect outlets to start plays out of his zone that lead to transition. Fox is a genius at keeping pucks in and remains one of the best at running the power play due to his passing and hockey IQ. While not the fastest, he makes up for it in smarts. The Rangers need a healthy Fox to again remind people what makes him special.

When they selected Alberts Smits with the number five pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, it was with an eye towards the season. Listed at six-foot-three, 208 pounds, the 18-year-old Latvian combines skating with defensive awareness. In two preseason games, Smits didn’t look out of place. As is the case for most young players, he’ll make some mistakes. Sullivan must be patient with the rookie defenseman.

Smits will start the season on the third pair with Schneider. Hopefully, his skating and ability to transition from defense to offense can aid Schneider, who sometimes can have issues getting out of his end.

Unlike last year, the Rangers have stronger depth on the back end. They decided to go with eight defensemen by keeping both Matthew Robertson and Scott Morrow. Robertson was a pleasant surprise last season, earning praise from Sullivan. A smart and steady left-handed defenseman, he is solid in his end and capable of contributing. In a way, it’s unlucky that he’s become the seventh defenseman because he didn’t do much wrong. It speaks to how highly thought of Smits is. If he struggles with the speed of the game, he can go down to Hartford.

Morrow came over from the Hurricanes as part of the return for Miller, who helped them win a Stanley Cup. An offensive defenseman who plays the right side, he had his issues last season. Some inconsistency defensively led to him spending the majority of 2025-26 with the Wolf Pack. Now 23, the Darien, Connecticut native showed improvement in the preseason scoring against the Islanders. He’s number four on the depth chart behind Schneider. It remains to be seen if Morrow will get a chance. That might depend on how the season goes.

GOALTENDING

For the sixth straight year, Shesterkin will be largely counted on in net for the Blueshirts. Now a 30-year-old veteran in the second year of a huge contract, Shesterkin looks to lead the Rangers back to the playoffs.

Considered by many to be the game’s best goalie among a list that includes Andrei Vasilevskiy, Connor Hellebuyck, and Ilya Sorokin, he hasn’t won 30 games since 2023-24 due to the team in front of him. Defense was indeed optional the past two seasons. With Drury making improvements to the blue line and up front by adding both scoring and checking, Shesterkin could be in line to challenge for his second Vezina.

Nobody is expecting him to ever duplicate the 2.07 goals-against-average and .935 save percentage he had when he was voted the league’s best goalie by general managers in 2021-22. However, Shesterkin should win more games and have better numbers across the board. Hopefully, that also means more shutouts. After recording six in 2024-25, he only posted one last season. He has 22 for his career. He’s 13 shy of 200 victories. That’s a milestone he should reach.

The importance of Shesterkin is similar to Fox on the blue line. If both can stay healthy unlike last season, the Rangers should be much better. Considering that Sullivan will likely give him close to 60 starts due to the schedule, they need Shesterkin to be at his best.

In camp, Joonas Korpisalo beat out Dylan Garand for backup duty. He’s been around long enough to know how to prepare for starts. When the Rangers play four games over six days early on, they’re going to be counting on the 32-year-old Korpisalo to provide steady goaltending. He can’t let in soft goals that have defined his career. They need him to be similar to former backup Jonathan Quick. Maybe not the 2025-26 version. But more often than not, Quick could go in and not miss a beat.

Hopefully, Korpisalo can be trusted enough to spell Shesterkin. If he struggles, it shouldn’t be long before we see Garand.

COACHING

Hired last year by Drury to replace Peter Laviolette, Sullivan enters his second season behind the Rangers bench. Obviously, the first year didn’t go as planned. Even with the injuries to key stars, the team continued to play for him.

When Drury made the difficult decision to move on from Panarin, Sullivan adjusted by putting Zibanejad with Lafreniere and Perreault. A line that he’ll lean on early to set the tone. If they get out slowly, how long before he bumps up Dorofeyev? Ideally, he should play with the best playmakers, which are Zibanejad and Perreault.

It’ll be interesting to see how Sullivan handles the losses of Panarin and Trocheck. While so much of the focus is on what Panarin brought, the value of Trocheck wasn’t only the offense he provided. It was also his leadership and intangibles that convinced a young team like the Mammoth to part with Durzi and a good prospect to bring him in.

Sullivan has more of a roster that he prefers. There shouldn’t be any catering to one star.

ANALYSIS

There’s no doubt that the Metropolitan Division remains very weak. Even with the Capitals and Devils upgrading their rosters, there isn’t any reason that the Rangers can’t compete for a top three spot. The Hurricanes are the hunted now that they’re the champs. After the Devils, who look to have more scoring depth despite questions in net, there’s a big drop-off. If everything works out, the Rangers should challenge for the playoffs.

PREDICTION: 4th in Division