{"id":557494,"date":"2026-04-21T21:09:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T21:09:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/557494\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T21:09:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T21:09:32","slug":"why-rangers-must-fix-this-issue-their-top-6-is-not-frightening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/557494\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Rangers must fix this issue: ‘their top 6 is not frightening’"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York Rangers News<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"avatar\"\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Based on comments made by Chris Drury and Mike Sullivan last week, the top-six forward group is not an area the New York Rangers plan to prioritize when they look to upgrade the roster this offseason.<\/p>\n

Sullivan, the Rangers coach, pointed out that another puck-moving defenseman and some bottom-six forward help were areas of need, when speaking with reporters at breakup day. Drury did the equivalent of \u201cYeah, what Sully said,\u201d when the general manger faced the same question later on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m like, what about the top six? And [Sullivan] used so many words talking around that, it was really, really funny,\u201d Newsday beat reporter Colin Stephenson told Forever Blueshirts<\/a> on the Rink Rap podcast. \u201cBut, yes, their top six is not frightening to anybody. If I\u2019m an opposing coach I am not losing any sleep worrying about that top six.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rangers averaged 2.87 goals per game, and finished 23rd in the NHL<\/a> in scoring. They were shut out 10 times, tying a dubious franchise record in their centennial season.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t fall solely on the shoulders of the forwards in the top six. But at the end of the day your best players need to be your best players. And the Rangers didn\u2019t get nearly enough production from their best forwards, even despite an outstanding bounce-back season from center Mika Zibanejad<\/a>, who led the Rangers<\/a> with 34 goals, 78 points, and 16 power-play goals in 81 games.<\/p>\n

Zibanejad, voted Rangers MVP, was their best player all season. And down the stretch, he formed serious chemistry with Alexis Lafreniere<\/a> and rookie Gabe Perreault<\/a>. Lafreniere had 28 points in the final 26 games, and tied his career high with 57 points. Perreault tied for 17th among NHL rookies <\/a>with 12 goals, and 20th with 27 points, despite playing only 49 games.<\/p>\n

\"NHL:Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Stephenson acknowledged the positives there, but stuck to his belief that the Rangers need more high-end talent atop their lineup.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were [positive] signs post Olympic break. You had to like what you saw from Gabe Perreault, you had to like what you saw from Lafreniere, I think Mika had a great year all year long. That\u2019s three guys, you now what I mean?,\u201d he said. \u201cGive me a Jason Robertson or someone, and I\u2019m not throwing him out there as a rumor or anything like that. I mean somebody like that. Somebody that makes that opposing coach have to really work hard and sweat to try and figure out \u2018what are we going to do to stop this guy?\u2019 They don\u2019t have that guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colin Stephenson questions how Rangers can replace Artemi Panarin\u2019s production<\/p>\n

\"NHL:Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Of course, the Rangers did have that guy as recently as three months ago. But the Rangers traded Artemi Panarin<\/a> to the Los Angeles Kings for forward prospect Liam Greentree and a third-round draft pick because they didn\u2019t want to re-sign the 34-year-old, who was a pending unrestricted free agent at that time. The trade kick-started the retool the Rangers<\/a> now work under, trying to improve the roster without it turning into a full-on rebuild.<\/p>\n

Stephenson, for one, was never on board with trading Panarin, who had 607 points (205 goals, 402 assists) in 482 regular-season games with the Rangers. His 1.26 points-per-game average is best in franchise history<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand it,\u201d Stephenson stated. \u201cMy thinking is always, OK you have this, maybe you think he\u2019s not good enough, but you have to replace him somehow. And I don\u2019t feel like they\u2019ve replaced him, and I don\u2019t see how they can replace him. And I\u2019m sure we\u2019ve all gone to the web site to see what available free agents are going to be out there this summer, and it\u2019s not an appetizing list. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I don\u2019t know how you\u2019re going to replace, I mean you had a 90-point guy every year, led your team in scoring for the first six years and would\u2019ve led them in scoring again this year. So, how do you replace this guy? You haven\u2019t yet, and what\u2019s the plan?\u201d<\/p>\n

Drury told reporters last week that the Rangers don\u2019t want to be \u201crelying on one person\u201d to be the go-to offensively. Perhaps that was a shot at Panarin? Or simply that, say, six 25-goal scorers is better than having one 45-goal scorer, and the rest of the group lagging far behind in production.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as scoring and looking at the top six, I do think we have a lot of really good players in the top six that got a lot more opportunity down the stretch and produced at a good rate,\u201d Drury contended.<\/p>\n

\"NHL:Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

In that mix is Will Cuylle<\/a>, who scored 20 goals for the second consecutive season, and might be a third-liner on a real Stanley Cup contender. Then there\u2019s Vincent Trocheck<\/a>, an absolute all-situations dynamo, who scored 16 goals in 67 games and is a prime candidate to be traded this summer, all things considered. And captain J.T. Miller<\/a>, a 100-point player two seasons ago, who dropped to 53 in 68 games in 2025-26.<\/p>\n

Before acquiring anyone this offseason, the Rangers next best top-six forward options within the organization are a pair of 20-year-olds just finishing their junior careers \u2014 Nathan Aspinall and Greentree. No one in Hartford of the American Hockey League or on the current roster is a real top-six threat.<\/p>\n

The Rangers do have a top-five pick<\/a> in the 2026 NHL Draft, which could wind up being No. 1 overall if they win the draft lottery on May 5. So, there is the chance the Rangers could land a top forward prospect like Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg. That could alter the equation some. But considering their history with Lafreniere, the No. 1 pick in 2020, the Rangers shouldn\u2019t pin all their hopes on a lottery win turning into a superstar addition, or at least not right away.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need some top-six players. You need to draft a 50-goal guy, or a 40-goal guy. Go get a 90-point player,\u201d Stephenson said. \u201cYou can have draft picks, but you better hit on those draft picks. Just to have [lots] of draft picks just because is not anything.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"avatar\"<\/p>\n

\t\tJim Cerny is Executive Editor at Forever Blueshirts and Managing Editor at Sportsnaut, with more than 30 years of … More about Jim Cerny<\/a><\/p>\n

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