The New York Rangers are placing a bet on themselves, which is the most charitable way to read their moves this offseason. GM Chris Drury is betting that the Rangers, anchored by Vezina-winning goalie Igor Shesterkin and Norris-winning defenseman Adam Fox, will bounce back with the aggressive moves they’ve made this offseason. He’s betting that a revamped New York Rangers defense will make all the difference despite the team’s long-term needs down the middle.
That’s at least how former New York Rangers goalie and current MSG analyst Martin Biron reads it. Biron, who finished his final four seasons in New York, told the “Rangers Recon” podcast that the Rangers look like a team built to win tight hockey games. He even suggested they could compete for the Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed.
It’s not the worst bet in the world. The Rangers, who had numerous issues on their way to finishing 30th in the NHL last season, were actually one of the better teams by high-danger chances, per Natural Stat Trick.
Revamped New York Rangers Defense Big Story in 2026
The Rangers could very well have three new defensemen in the lineup in two months. Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi will both play, likely on the second pair. Alberts Smits, drafted fifth overall in June, has already signed his entry-level contract. Even if it’s not on opening night, all three are likely to see time together this season.
The biggest story might be the acquisition of the right-handed Durzi.
“I love Sean Durzi. I think he’s always been a type of player underrated. Maybe people didn’t watch him as much, because he’s always on the west coast. This is a really, really solid defenseman that can put up some points.”
Durzi, for his career, is a 39.1 points-per-82-game player. The numbers are solid. The Rangers have to hope he stays on the ice, since Durzi has missed 84 games in the last two seasons.
Biron raved on “Rangers Recon” about the defensive group as a whole. He did wonder about whether Vladislav Gavrikov would remain Adam Fox’s partner. The acquisition of Marcus Pettersson could change that, though it’s believed Pettersson will open the season with Durzi.
Rangers Built to Win Low-Scoring Games
The revamped New York Rangers defense, paired with goalie Igor Shesterkin, is what Biron sees as the team’s big strength.
“When I look at the forwards, you lose Trocheck. You lose Panarin last year. Did you replace those guys? Not really. But I think you made your defense better. And, at the end of the day, what is the strength of the Rangers? What the strength of the Rangers should be is looking at the guy in net in Shesterkin and your defense and saying we are going to be competing for the Jennings Trophy, lowest goals against in the league. That’s what we want to do. Let’s play that way. Let’s build our team that way.”
Biron was less sure about the Rangers forwards, particularly after winger Pavel Dorofeyev lost playing time at five-on-five during the Stanley Cup Finals. He was the Rangers’ premier acquisition for a team that struggled to score last season.
The Rangers might have to win this way in the wake of the trades of Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck.
Could the Rangers Carry Three Goalies?
It remains to be seen if the Rangers will become the latest team to convert to a three-goalie system. With the revamped New York Rangers defense, is it necessary? Biron believes it’s possible the Rangers could carry three based on the rest of the league.
“I think that you’re looking at the Rangers. Would you have gone into the year really confident in Shesterkin and Garand? Do you think that that’s good where you may have to play a young goalie 35 games? 30 games depending on injuries. I think you needed to go get a solid back-up.”
Biron saw it first-hand last season in Buffalo as an MSG analyst. The Sabres ran it with great success. Consequently, New Jersey may convert to it this season.
The Rangers traded for a big-money backup in Joonas Korpisalo. The acquisition cost was quite low, but Korpisalo carries a $3 million cap hit for two seasons. They also extended prospect Dylan Garand to a two-year contract at $875,000 per season. Garand looked promising at the end of last season, but he’s now waiver-eligible. Plausibly, the Rangers could still plan on giving Igor Shesterkin 55 appearances (his five-year average) while splitting the other 29 among Korpisalo and Garand. That number could tick down if the Rangers hope to keep Shesterkin as healthy and fresh as possible. The Metropolitan Division looks open beyond Carolina at the top.
The Rangers Defense is Part of the Formula
New York’s formula, before the wheels fell off in back-to-back seasons, was good goaltending, elite special teams play and treading water at five-on-five. Following the Eastern Conference Finals loss to Florida in 2024, Chris Drury identified the Rangers’ deficiencies at five-on-five as the thing holding them back from contending for the Stanley Cup.
The expectation was that head coach Mike Sullivan might solve some of the Rangers’ major five-on-five deficiencies. And, in some respects, he did solve some of them. The Rangers finished fifth in the NHL in fewest high-danger chances allowed per 60 minutes last season, according to Natural Stat Trick. That would indicate that this revamped New York Rangers defense is not entirely about defending.
New York finished ninth in the NHL in offensive zone time, according to NHL Edge. Except the Rangers massively struggled to convert zone time into opportunity. The Rangers finished 30th in shots-for per 60 minutes and 20th in high-danger chances for per 60 minutes, all according to Natural Stat Trick.
Can the Revamped New York Rangers Defense Help Offensively?
That’s, presumably, the intention behind acquiring Sean Durzi. The 27-year-old puck-moving right-hander provides notable insurance in case Adam Fox gets hurt. He also provides better puck movement at five-on-five, which should, in theory, help the team’s play in transition. Consequently, that could help forwards like J.T. Miller, who seemed overmatched at times last season.
If Martin Biron is right, the team should be much more competitive in 2026-27 thanks to the revamped New York Rangers defense.
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