Rangers Need Oliver Bjorkstrand to Have a Bounceback Season – The Hockey Writers – New York Rangers

The New York Rangers had a disappointing 2025-26 season and finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference, but they added some key players this offseason. They acquired Pavel Dorofeyev, Sean Durzi, Marcus Pettersson, and Joonas Korpisalo in trades. They also signed free agent winger Oliver Bjorkstrand, who had a down season with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2025-26, to a one-season deal, and the hope is that he will have a bounceback season.

Journey to the Rangers

The Columbus Blue Jackets drafted Bjorkstrand in the third round of the 2013 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut in 2015-16 and spent his first seven seasons with them. He was reliable defensively and backchecked while producing around 40 points per season. His best season with them came in 2021-22 when he finished with 28 goals and 29 assists in 80 games.

Bjorkstrand spent most of the next three seasons with the Seattle Kraken and became one of their top forwards. He helped them make the postseason in 2022-23 and had 20 goals and 25 assists in 82 games. He also played a big role in the playoffs and had four goals and four assists in 14 games. He was strong all-around and helped them upset the Colorado Avalanche in the first round.

Though the Kraken missed the playoffs in 2023-24, Bjorkstrand continued to play well and set a career-high in points (59) as he had 20 goals and 39 assists in 82 games. During the 2024-25 season, he was traded to the Lightning at the deadline and finished with 21 goals and 25 assists in 79 games but missed the postseason with an injury.

Last season, Bjorkstrand spent a lot of time on the Lightning’s third line and on their top power play unit. The veteran forward has a quick wrist shot and was effective on the power play, but failed to produce much offensively at even strength. He had 12 goals and 20 assists in 80 games, but just three goals and 15 assists came at even strength, and he was held without a point in four playoff games.

Role This Season

Bjorkstrand’s one-season, $4.5 million contract is a low-risk deal that could pay off for the Rangers. Though last season was a frustrating one, he can still provide steady defensive play and have a bounceback season offensively.

The Rangers will likely keep their first line of Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafreniere, and Gabe Perreault together since they were excellent late last season, but Bjorkstrand has an opportunity to earn a spot on their second line. If he does, he would like to play with veteran J.T. Miller and Dorofeyev, who scored 37 goals with the Vegas Golden Knights last season. Playing with skilled linemates in a top-six role should help him get more scoring chances than he had on the third line with Tampa Bay last season.

The Rangers could also play Bjorkstrand on their third line where he would likely play alongside Noah Laba and Will Cuylle. Though he would not be expected to produce as much offensively, both Laba and Cuylle are solid two-way forwards, and the line could still be successful and produce more than New York’s third line did last season.

Bjorkstrand can also contribute on the power play this season, though he will likely begin the season on the second power-play unit. He finds open space, can set up teammates, and still has a good wrist shot. Last season, the Rangers struggled on the power play when Adam Fox missed time, but acquiring Durzi and Dorofeyev gives them two new threats on the power play. If everyone is healthy, the second unit should be improved and could get more ice time than last season.

Importance for the Rangers

Last season, the Rangers lacked depth, but they’ve added a lot of solid players, including Bjorkstrand. That depth could make a big difference, and they will need to get contributions up and down their lineup to make up for losing some key players, including Artemi Panarin, whom they traded just before the deadline last season, and Vincent Trocheck, whom they traded this offseason. After a frustrating 2025-26 season, Bjorkstrand has an opportunity to rebound and become a key player for New York this season.