Pierre's Optimistic NYR Season Preview

What Could Happen If a Lot of Things Go Right

Let's establish something up front: this isn't a prediction that the Rangers will definitely finish with 99 points.

It's an optimistic look at what the 2026–27 Rangers could accomplish if a lot of things go right.

Last season New York finished with 77 points, scoring 235 goals while allowing 249. Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck are gone, and there isn't an obvious superstar forward waiting to replace them.

So why the optimism?

Because the Rangers may have improved the part of the team that caused many of last season's problems.

It Starts With Defense

The Rangers spent far too much time trapped in their own end last season. Failed exits became extended defensive-zone shifts, putting enormous pressure on Igor Shesterkin. And when New York finally escaped, too many offensive possessions were one shot and done.

Adding Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson alongside Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov should improve both the defense and the Rangers' ability to move the puck.

But that's our first big assumption:

The rebuilt defense has to be as good as it looks on paper.

If it is, better exits should mean less time defending, more possession, more offensive-zone time and ultimately more scoring opportunities.

Better defense could actually create more offense.

Igor Has to Be Igor

Shesterkin remained good despite what frequently happened in front of him last season.

Put a better defensive structure in front of Igor and Vezina-caliber numbers are possible — somewhere around a .920 save percentage and 2.30 GAA.

But that's another assumption:

Igor needs to remain one of the best goaltenders in hockey.

If he does, reducing goals against from 249 to somewhere around 228 becomes conceivable.

The Rangers don't need Igor to become a better goalie. They need to make his job easier.

Where Do 260 Goals Come From?

There isn't another Panarin, so the Rangers will need balanced scoring.

Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, Pavel Dorofeyev, Alexis Lafrenière, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Will Cuylle provide a respectable offensive foundation, while Gabe Perreault and Noah Laba offer intriguing young upside.

I'm looking for roughly 35 goals from Dorofeyev, 30+ from Zibanejad and 20+ each from Lafrenière and Cuylle, with meaningful production from Miller, Perreault, Bjorkstrand and the defense.

Several players need to produce simultaneously.

Approximately 260 goals over 84 games — 3.10 per game — would represent good, playoff-caliber offense rather than an unrealistic offensive explosion.

The Rangers don't need one player to replace Panarin.

They need to replace his production collectively.

The Young Players Matter

Perreault and Laba don't need to become stars immediately, but they do need to become productive NHL players.

If one exceeds expectations — or Lafrenière finally takes a significant step — there's offensive upside beyond this projection.

If the kids struggle, however, the roster becomes considerably thinner.

The Deadline Wild Card

The opening-night Rangers don't necessarily have to be the team they take into the playoffs.

If New York reaches the trade deadline looking like a legitimate contender — with the defense working, Shesterkin playing at an elite level and the Rangers firmly in the playoff picture — New York could become an attractive destination for a star-caliber player looking for an opportunity to win.

The Rangers also possess potential trade assets, prospects and draft capital.

Rather than forcing an offensive move now, Chris Drury can see exactly what the team needs and potentially address it during the season.

If the Rangers prove they're worth adding to, another scorer could substantially raise their ceiling.

That's upside, not something this projection assumes.

What Could Go Wrong?

Plenty.

Replacing Panarin's playmaking won't be easy. Losing Trocheck hurts center depth and faceoffs. Zibanejad and Miller need to remain productive. Dorofeyev needs to score. Lafrenière needs to contribute consistently. Perreault and Laba need to establish themselves.

The new defense needs to work.

Shesterkin needs to remain elite.

And the Rangers need to stay reasonably healthy.

That's a lot of "ifs."

Which is precisely why this is an optimistic scenario rather than a prediction that the Rangers suddenly become one of the NHL's elite teams.

Pierre's Optimistic Scenario

44-29-11 — 99 points

260 Goals For
228 Goals Against
+32 Goal Differential

That puts the Rangers squarely in the Eastern Conference playoff fight.

If even more goes right — Igor has a Vezina season, a young player breaks out and Drury adds another scorer — 102–106 points becomes conceivable.

If several of these assumptions fail, the Rangers could easily find themselves back in the 80s and outside the playoffs.

Bottom Line

The Rangers don't need to become an offensive powerhouse.

They need to become competent offensively, substantially better defensively and much better at getting the puck out of their own zone.

If they score around 260 while reducing goals against to approximately 228, Shesterkin gives them something most teams don't have: an elite goaltender playing behind what could finally be a legitimate defense.

That's why I'm optimistic without predicting a miracle.

Less star power. Better defense. More balanced scoring. Elite goaltending.

A lot has to go right.

But if it does, 99 points and a return to the playoff race is achievable — with enough upside for the Rangers to become considerably more dangerous than most people expect.

2025–26 Actual vs. Pierre's Optimistic Scenario

The Goal-Differential Turnaround

🔴 2025–26: −14 → 🟢 2026–27 optimistic scenario: +32

Projected improvement: +46 goals in differential

That graphic is really the thesis of the article: 260 GF is nice, but the projected transformation comes from simultaneously going from 249 GA to 228 GA.

Where Would 99 Points Put Them?

Pierre's call: 99 points — optimistic and achievable, but only if a lot of things go right.