Sometimes out of NHL training camp, a player makes the team that you originally wouldn’t have expected. Players outperform and give the coaching staff no choice but to write their name on the opening night lineup, and other times, injuries happen to create opportunities.
Last season, it was a mix of both for the New York Rangers. Former prospect Victor Mancini wowed during the 2024-25 preseason (posting an impressive expected goal for share of 63.54 percent, according to Natural Stat Trick), and an injury to Ryan Lindgren opened up a spot so he could make the team.
Related Rangers’ Gabriel Perreault May Not Make Opening Night Roster, and That’s Okay
For 2025-26, a few spots will be available, notably among the forward core. The obvious contenders for the open spots up front will be Gabriel Perreault, Brett Berard and Brennan Othmann. Also, the bottom six players who cracked last season’s roster, including Adam Edström and Sam Carrick, will be safe – but not a guarantee – opening up some more potential spots if someone else grabs the attention of the coaching staff. Below, we list five dark horse candidates that could find themselves wearing a red, white and blue sweater on Tuesday, Oct. 7, if everything goes right for them.
Noah Laba
Noah Laba is a legitimate prospect in the Rangers’ system. While not overly flashy, the 6-foot-2, 192-pound forward excels when he’s stick-handling to the net. There’s upside to becoming a top-nine forward and a viable path to achieving that. The odds are against him for 2025-26 – but I can see the coaches, led by Mike Sullivan, admiring his game and giving him deep consideration for the opening night roster.
Ideally, you would like to see Laba spend at least a full season in the American Hockey League (AHL) and gain more experience playing pro hockey. So far, he’s only played 11 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack, registering a solid five points. But Laba is certainly a prospect to keep an eye on – plus he plays a valuable position – center – something NHL teams can never have enough of. Laba will likely be competing with Carrick and Juuso Pärssinen, among others, for a spot.
Adam Sýkora
About a year ago, you could see Adam Sýkora making the team if he stood out in training camp – even though the odds weren’t in his favor. His first season as a teenager with the Wolf Pack resulted in 23 points in 66 games. Not amazing, but a fine season for his age…
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