Today marked the first day of on-ice activity for the Rangers for the 46 healthy attendees at camp. Aidan Thompson – week to week and Cole Beaudoin – day to day, both say out, but the others were split into two squads that appear to indicate where coach Mike Sullivan might see things going to start with.

Group A was heavy on NHL talent, with line combinations that generally match the predictions. Notably Scott Morrow, Jaroslav Chmelar, Taylor Raddysh and Alberts Smits were all in this group. Urho Vaakanainen was not. Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo also was slotted in with the A squad, relegating Dylan Garand to play largely with the AHL heavy Group B.

DAY 1 LINE COMBOS

In prior camps the initial line combos in camp often reflect the desires of the coach of the time, and that’s certainly true to some degree this year as well. Mike Sullivan seemed to confirm as much when asked about it.

It’s interesting to see the Zibanejad line staying together, and though I projected it earlier this week, it’s far from certain that they’ll remain this way through to opening night. With two thirds of the second line new to the organization, it probably makes sense to try to start with something that had some success last year, but it also would mean that the Rangers will have to figure out how to get Miller’s line going quickly.

Having Chmelar in the group switching it up with Rempe is probably good news for the Czech. Given his finish to the season last year and Rempe’s injury, it’s probably not that surprising that Sullivan would go first to him. This also might be the first official indication that Taylor Raddysh might be heading to a healthy scratch – or Hartford. Tolvanen looks to be a player who can contribute more to the line-up, and having Raddysh play there rather than fourth line is likely an indicator that he’s been surpassed on the depth chart too.

DEFENSE ADJUSTMENTS

On defense it was the expected Vladislav Gavrikov – Adam Fox pairing followed by Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi as a second pair. The coach then used two more pairs with Alberts Smits skating alongside Braden Schneider and Matthew Robertson with Scott Morrow.

Sullivan had mentioned yesterday that Smits had a chance at an opening night spot, and by pairing him with Schneider he’s likely looking to begin to gauge his readiness for the jump. Morrow and Robertson are more known to Sullivan, as is Vaakanainen who has also clearly been usurped on the depth chart.

GOALTENDER “BATTLE”

The Rangers had talked about setting up competition between Korpisalo and Garand for the backup position. First indications suggest they already have the Finn as the de facto winner of that battle. It’s certainly possible that Garand could win the battle yet, or the team might even start the season with three goaltenders to avoid waivers.

For whatever reasons, the Rangers have been slow to trust Garand despite his success in Canadian Juniors and for the Canadian World Juniors squad. He even played at last year’s World Championships for Canada and acquitted himself well. In Hartford his results have been more mixed, and that might be why they’ve given him so little opportunity. Looking back on 2025-26, it’s disappointing that they didn’t try him earlier, and instead signed UFA Spencer Martin who clearly struggled in his return to the NHL.

Garand was available after practice:

https://www.nhl.com/rangers/video/nyr-training-camp-garand-6405210042112

ROUND UP

There were a handful of players that caught the eye of the beat reporters, including Marc Del Gaizo who definitely made an impression with Colin Stephenson of Newsday. The 5-11 defenseman knocked down Nathan Aspinall and got into with Matt Rempe during the sessions today.

Another guy who appeared to catch the eye was Will Cuylle. Cuylle plateaued a little last season. He still managed 20 goals, but dropped off a bit in terms of points and his impact on games during the year.

Mike Sullivan was pleased with the intensity of the practice and spoke with the media afterwards:

https://www.nhl.com/rangers/video/nyr-training-camp-mike-sullivan-6405209633112