Rangers 2026 Offseason Report Card: Grading the notable trades, free agent signings

The Rangers have been awfully busy this offseason, making numerous moves in free agency and the trade market as they look to turn things around next year. 

Visit biznow.biz for more information.

Chris Drury likely isn’t done yet, but here’s how he’s graded out thus far…

Acquired Pavel Dorofeyev in trade with Golden Knights

Sent to Vegas: Pick No. 26, 2026 third-round pick, 2028 first-round pick

Drury found the Blueshirts a much-needed reliable scorer in a draft day stunner, bringing in Dorofeyev from the Knights for a trio of picks. He also wasted no time locking him up on a big money seven-year contract extension. 

At just 25, Dorofeyev seemingly just keeps getting better. He’s topped the 35-goal mark in each of the past two seasons and added a dozen points to his career-best total last season with the high-powered Golden Knights. 

Drury bringing him in without parting with the No. 5 pick was a massive win. 

GRADE: A

Acquired Joonas Korpisalo in trade with Bruins

Sent to Boston: 2028 fourth-round pick, LW Kalle Vaisanen

This move was a bit of a stunner, as the Blueshirts elected to part with a fourth rounder for a veteran backup, despite having youngster Dylan Garand on the roster -- him and Korpisalo will now compete for the spot behind Igor Shesterkin. 

Korpisalo has finished with a save percentage under .900 the past three seasons in Boston, and he’s under team control with a $4 million cap hit for the next two years. 

Even if the team wanted a more experienced backup than Garand, there were cheaper options out there. 

GRADE: D

Traded Vincent Trocheck to Mammoth

Acquired from Utah: D Sean Durzi, C Cole Beaudoin, 2027 third-round pick

Drury elected to keep Trocheck at last year’s deadline hoping for a better return in the summer, and he certainly received that from Utah here. 

Parting with a veteran piece in Trocheck is tough but Durzi should slide in on the second pairing of New York’s revamped d-core and Beaudoin gives them a legit top-tier center prospect coming off a 88-point campaign in the OHL. 

GRADE: B+

Apr 2, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck (16) shoots the puck past Montréal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson (8) in the first period at Madison Square Garden. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Acquired Marcus Pettersson in trade with Canucks

Sent to Vancouver: Conditional 2030 first-round pick (top-10 protected)

Giving up a first-round pick for a 30-year-old blueliner is a bit risky, but Pettersson should help this club right out of the gate. He’s a puck-moving d-man coming off a season in which he recorded 18 points over 82 games with Vancouver. 

Petterson is also solid defensively and should help on the penalty-kill. He’s plenty familiar with Mike Sullivan’s system from their time together in Pittsburgh, and is under club control for the next four seasons at a $5.5 million cap hit. 

GRADE: B

Traded Will Borgen to Bruins

Acquired from Boston: 2027 second-round pick, conditional 2028 third-round pick

Borgen lost his spot on the Rangers’ second pairing with Petterson and Durzi brought in. Even with his up-and-down time as a Blueshirt Drury was able to flip him for a pair of early-round picks which is a huge win. 

Borgen was due to earn $4.1 million each of the next four years. 

GRADE: B+

Signed Oliver Bjorkstrand to one-year, $4.5 million deal

Bjorkstrand’s coming off a down season in which he recorded just 32 points in 80 games, but the Rangers are hoping a change of scenery can help him return to form. 

The 31-year-old has multiple 20+ goal seasons under his belt.

Even if the production still isn’t quite there, Bjorkstrand is a reliable righty-shooting middle-six depth option for the Rangers’ forward group on a cheap one-year pact. 

GRADE: B

Signed Joe Veleno to one-year, $1.2 million deal

Veleno isn’t much of a threat offensively but he fills a big-time need for the Blueshirts, bringing a speedy defensive-minded center for the fourth line. 

He won 51.6 percent of his faceoffs last season with the Canadiens. 

GRADE: B

Read full story at source