Dorofeyev missed the Golden Knights' preseason finale and is questionable for the season opener. Dorofeyev missed a big portion of the preseason due to a lower-body injury, but the Golden Knights haven't confirmed his status for Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Kings. That said, Dorofoyev was a full participant at practice on Tuesday and suited up on the team's top powerplay unit.
Coming off a disappointing 2024-25 season in which they missed the playoffs, the Rangers will hope to start the 2025-26 campaign on a positive note, likely turning to Shesterkin in their season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite serviceable totals, the 29-year-old Shesterkin had the worst season of his career statistically in 2024-25, posting an average .905 SV% and 2.86 GAA and 61 outings (27-29-5). The talented netminder will aim for his seventh NHL season to be more aligned with the first five of his career, where he boasted a .921 SV% and 2.43 GAA in 213 games (135-59-17). The Rangers enter Tuesday's contest as sizable -219 home favorites against the Penguins.
Miller suffered a lower-body injury earlier in training camp that kept him out of practice for over a week, but he returned to full-contact drills on Monday and has stated that he will be ready for New York's season opener on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 32-year-old Miller is entering his 14th NHL season and eighth in New York after being reacquired by the Rangers at the mid-point of last season. The newly appointed Rangers captain scored 21 goals and 70 points in 72 games last season.
Dorofeyev missed the Golden Knights' preseason finale and is questionable for the season opener. Dorofeyev has missed a big portion of the preseason due to a lower-body injury but the Golden Knights haven't commented on whether they expect him to be in the opening night lineup or not. With Dorofeyev hurt, the Golden Knights haven't had a full lineup all camp, so there are still questions to be answered. As of Saturday, head coach Bruce Cassidy was still noncommittal on whether Shea Theodore would be on PP1 or if it would be Dorofeyev in a five-forward look.
Miller had a scary fall on Monday at New York's practice and had to leave the ice immediately. The 32-year-old was without an update after practice but has since been listed as day-to-day and appears to have avoided any serious concerns. Miller is entering his 14th NHL season and eighth in New York after being reacquired by the Rangers at the mid-point of last season. The newly appointed Rangers captain scored 21 goals and 70 points in 72 games last season.
Miller had a scary fall on Monday at New York's practice and had to leave the ice immediately. The 32-year-old was without an update after practice but is being further evaluated. Miller is entering his 14th NHL season and eighth in New York after being reacquired by the Rangers at the mid-point of last season. If he is forced to miss some time, it will be a massive loss for the Rangers, who expected the veteran forward to occupy their top line and power play after 21 goals and 70 points in 72 games played last season.
New York brought back their 2024-25 AHL starter on Sunday after they announced the signing of Dylan Garand to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The 23-year-old was New York's 2020 4th-round pick (103rd overall) and appeared in 39 games as Hartford's (AHL) starter in 2024-25, posting a 20-10-9 record alongside his .913 SV% and 2.73 GAA. He is expected to return as Hartford's starter for the 2025-26 season, but has a shot to make his NHL debut if the Rangers run into any injury issues.
Velno was bought out by the Seattle Kraken a few weeks ago and has found a new home in Montreal after agreeing to a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Canadiens. The 25-year-old forward was once Detroit's 2018 first-round pick (30th overall) and has spent the last five seasons in the NHL, splitting time between the Red Wings and Blackhawks. He appeared in 74 games between Chicago and Detroit in 2024-25, picking up eight goals, 17 points and a -23 plus/minus.
Trudeau turned pro in 2023 and has played three straight seasons with the Laval Rocket. Most recently, the 22-year-old defenseman had five goals and 14 assists (19 points) in 68 games. With a loaded blueline in Montreal, Trudeau's path to NHL games is difficult.
Injuries on Nashville's blueline last season helped Del Gaizo become a lineup-regular for the first time at the NHL level, scoring nine points (2G / 7A) in 46 games. The 25-year-old defenseman has primarily played in the AHL, including scoring 12 points (8G / 4A) in 30 games with the Milwaukee Admirals last season.
Raddysh will join his third NHL team in the last three seasons after agreeing to a two-year, $3 million contract ($1.5M AAV) with the Rangers on Day 1 of Free Agency. The 27-year-old is likely to play a bottom-six role in 2024-25 but has proven to have enough scoring ability to temporarily hold down a top-six spot if needed, as shown by his 20 goals and 37 points with Chicago in 2022-23.
The 22-year-old Morrow has not yet established himself as a full-time NHL player but has high expectations after brief stints with the Carolina Hurricanes. He had six points (1G / 5A) in 14 games with the Hurricanes last season. He could be poised to take a more regular role with the Rangers in the 2025-26 season.
Cholowski was a first-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft but has not been able to establish himself as a full-time NHL player, playing more than 16 games only once in his previous five seasons. Still, he has a respectable 40 points (13G / 27A) in 156 career games as an NHL defenseman.
Cuylle had a breakout 2024-25 season, emerging as one of the league's better power forwards, earning himself a two-year, $3.9 million AAV contract extension with the Rangers. The 23-year-old Cuylle had a career-high 45 points (20G / 25A) in 82 games last season while being amongst the league leaders with 301 hits.
Dowling played a career-high 52 games with the New Jersey Devils last season, scoring seven points (2G / 5A). The 34-year-old forward has played 152 career games and will likely continue his role as a depth forward, battling for lineup deployment with the Rangers.
One of the biggest free agency targets is off the board after New York announced Tuesday that they have signed Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year deal worth $7.0M AAV ($49.0M total). The 29-year-old stay-at-home defenseman finished 22nd in the NHL in plus/minus (+26) in 2024-25 while averaging 23:05 TOI and putting up five goals and 30 points.
After being acquired from Chicago earlier in the week (for Andre Burakovsky), Joe Veleno has been placed on unconditional waivers by Seattle for the purposes of a buyout. The 25-year-old forward is in the 2nd year of a 2-year, $4.55 million contract and will incur a hit of $2,275,000 AAV in the 2025-26 season.
Robertson was a second-round pick in 2019 and made his NHL debut during the 2024-25 season, appearing in two games with the Rangers. He spent most of the season with Hartford (AHL), where he had one goal and 24 assists (25 points) in 60 games. Robertson will likely be in a battle for the No.6 defenseman spot in training camp.
