2027: Is This Finally the Year the New York Rangers Rise Again?

 

For the first time in what feels like forever, there is a different feeling surrounding the New York Rangers.

Not necessarily because the Rangers are guaranteed to be a Stanley Cup contender. They aren't.

Not because every question has been answered. It hasn't.

But because this team finally looks like it has a chance to become something different.

After a disappointing 2025–26 season that saw the Rangers finish 34-39-9 and miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs, President and General Manager Chris Drury went to work. The result is a dramatically reshaped roster that looks younger, bigger, faster and, perhaps most importantly, different.

And that brings us to the biggest question facing Broadway:

Can the New York Rangers make the playoffs in 2027?

I believe they can.

But it's going to take almost everything going right.

The Rangers Don't Need One Hero — They Need a Team

The biggest mistake New York could make is believing that one player is going to save this franchise.

This team needs contributions from everywhere.

It needs the kids to take the next step.

It needs the veterans to rediscover their best hockey.

It needs the defense to become dependable.

And it needs Igor Shesterkin to continue being Igor Shesterkin.

That's a pretty good starting point.

The Rangers still have one of the best goaltenders in the world in Shesterkin. When you have an elite goaltender, you always have a chance to steal games, steal points and steal a playoff position.

But the Rangers can't ask him to stand on his head every night.

That's where the new-look defense comes in.

Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi: The Steady Hand

The additions of Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi could turn out to be two of the most important moves of the Rangers' offseason.

Neither player needs to become a superstar.

That's not the point.

They need to be reliable.

They need to make the first pass.

They need to win battles.

They need to clear the front of the net.

They need to give Adam Fox the ability to play his game.

And they need to help turn the Rangers' defense from a question mark into a strength.

With Fox anchoring the group, Pettersson and Durzi give New York more options and more stability. The projected defensive combinations have Fox alongside Vladislav Gavrikov, with Pettersson and Durzi forming another potential pairing.

That could be a major difference between watching the playoffs on television and actually playing in them.

Adam Fox Has to Be Adam Fox

Nobody should have to explain how important Adam Fox is to this team.

He's the quarterback.

He's the player who can settle things down when the game gets chaotic.

But Fox also needs help.

For years, there has been an expectation that Fox can somehow compensate for every weakness around him.

That's not realistic.

If the Rangers can give Fox dependable partners and reduce the amount of defensive chaos in front of Shesterkin, his impact could become even greater.

The Veterans Have to Lead the Way

This might be the most important part of the entire equation.

J.T. Miller.

Mika Zibanejad.

Adam Fox.

These aren't kids anymore.

They're veterans who have been through the wars.

And in 2027, the Rangers need them to look like veterans who still have something to prove.

Miller and Zibanejad are both 33 entering the 2026–27 season, and New York is counting heavily on them down the middle.

Mika doesn't necessarily need to return to being the 50-goal scorer Rangers fans once dreamed about.

But he needs to be dangerous.

He needs to win important faceoffs.

He needs to produce on the power play.

He needs to be trusted in big situations.

And when the Rangers desperately need a goal, Mika Zibanejad needs to be one of the guys everybody expects to deliver.

The same goes for J.T. Miller.

The Rangers need the aggressive, nasty, north-south version of Miller.

The guy who drives the net.

The guy who creates offense.

The guy who gets under the opponent's skin.

The guy who makes himself impossible to ignore.

If those two veterans have bounce-back seasons, New York's playoff chances improve dramatically.

Then There Are the Kids

This is where things get really interesting.

Gabe Perreault.

Noah Laba.

Jaroslav Chmelar.

Matt Rempe.

These players represent completely different pieces of the Rangers' future.

Perreault brings skill and hockey IQ.

Laba brings size, intelligence and two-way potential.

Chmelar brings something the Rangers desperately need — size with offensive potential.

And then there's Matt Rempe.

Love him or hate him, Rempe changes the physical temperature of a hockey game.

But the next step for Rempe isn't simply becoming tougher.

It's becoming a better hockey player.

If Rempe can become a legitimate fourth-line contributor who can forecheck, kill penalties, protect teammates and occasionally put the puck in the net, his value goes way beyond fighting.

And Chmelar?

That's a player Rangers fans should be watching closely.

At 6-foot-4 and 226 pounds, he has the physical frame to make an impact. He has already been part of the Rangers' development picture, although the organization has continued to manage his development through Hartford.

Imagine a Rangers lineup where Chmelar eventually becomes a legitimate power forward while Rempe provides physicality.

That's a very different Rangers team than we've seen in recent years.

Gabe Perreault: The Skill Guy

Perreault may be one of the most important young players in the organization.

The Rangers don't need him to be perfect.

They need him to become dangerous.

He needs to become the player opposing teams have to game-plan for.

If Perreault takes a major step offensively, suddenly the Rangers have another legitimate weapon to put alongside their veteran forwards.

That could change everything.

Noah Laba: The Middle of the Ice

Noah Laba could be another fascinating piece.

Center depth has become extremely important for this Rangers team, particularly after the offseason changes.

Laba doesn't need to become a 70-point player.

If he becomes a reliable two-way center who can win faceoffs, play responsible defense and contribute 40-plus points, that's a huge win.

The Rangers need players like that.

And Then There's Alexis Lafrenière

Let's be honest.

This is the elephant in the room.

Is this finally the year Alexis Lafrenière breaks out?

At some point, potential has to become production.

Lafrenière has been through coaching changes, lineup changes, expectations, criticism and constant comparisons to the players selected around him.

But now?

The opportunity is sitting directly in front of him.

With Artemi Panarin no longer part of the equation, Lafrenière has a chance to take on a much larger offensive role.

And that's exactly what the Rangers need.

They don't need Lafrenière to become Connor McDavid.

They don't need him to become Sidney Crosby.

They need him to become Alexis Lafrenière.

A confident, aggressive, creative offensive player who attacks the net and believes he belongs among the team's stars.

If Lafrenière finally puts together a 30-plus-goal, 60-plus-point season, the entire complexion of this Rangers team changes.

And if he goes beyond that?

Watch out.

Pavel Dorofeyev: The Next Superstar on Broadway?

Now here's the wild card.

Pavel Dorofeyev.

The Rangers didn't acquire Dorofeyev to simply add another forward.

They acquired him because they believe he can be a major offensive weapon.

Dorofeyev scored 37 goals and 64 points for Vegas in 2025–26 before adding 12 goals in 22 playoff games. New York then signed him to a seven-year contract worth $77 million.

Those aren't projection numbers.

Those are already serious NHL numbers.

The question now is whether Dorofeyev can take another step.

Could he become a 40-goal player?

Could he become the Rangers' next true scoring superstar?

Could he become the guy who has Madison Square Garden standing every time he touches the puck?

That's the gamble.

And it's a gamble worth taking.

So… Do the Rangers Make the Playoffs?

Here's my prediction:

Yes.

But I don't think it will be easy.

The Metropolitan Division is going to be a war.

The Rangers don't have the luxury of wasting January and February and assuming they can turn it on in March.

They need to start fast.

They need to stay healthy.

They need Shesterkin to be elite.

They need Fox to be Fox.

They need Miller and Zibanejad to lead.

They need Lafrenière to finally break through.

They need Dorofeyev to prove he's worth the massive investment.

They need Perreault and Laba to develop.

They need Chmelar to bring size and skill.

And they need Rempe to become more than just a sideshow.

That's a lot.

But that's also what makes this team fascinating.

The 2027 Rangers Could Be the Most Interesting Team in New York

Maybe this isn't the Stanley Cup team yet.

Maybe it is.

That's the fun part.

The Rangers have enough veteran talent to compete now.

They have enough young talent to grow.

They have an elite goaltender.

They have a Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman.

They added size.

They added defensive stability.

And they added a legitimate goal scorer in Dorofeyev.

The Rangers finished near the bottom of the Eastern Conference last season.

But the offseason was designed to make sure that doesn't happen again.

Now the players have to prove it.

And if everything clicks?

If Lafrenière finally breaks out…

If Dorofeyev becomes a superstar…

If Perreault becomes a top-six weapon…

If Laba develops into a legitimate NHL center…

If Chmelar becomes the big-bodied scoring winger Rangers fans have been waiting for…

If Rempe becomes a legitimate NHL power forward…

If Miller and Zibanejad rediscover their game…

If Fox stays healthy…

And if Igor Shesterkin does what Igor Shesterkin does…

The New York Rangers could absolutely be playing playoff hockey in 2027.

And once you're in?

Anything can happen.

Broadway may finally be ready for Act Two.

Prediction: Rangers make the 2027 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Best-case scenario: 2nd–3rd in the Metropolitan Division

Realistic scenario: Wild-card contender fighting until the final weeks

Worst-case scenario: Injuries, inconsistent veteran production and another year of missed opportunities

My call: Playoffs — and potentially a dangerous first-round matchup for whoever has to face them.