Why Rangers have big Drew Fortescue decision to make next season
It was a small sample size, but Drew Fortescue didn’t appear to be overwhelmed at all in his first nine NHL games with the New York Rangers at the end of the 2025-26 season. But should the Rangers count on him to be in their top-six defense corps at the start of next season?
Let the debate begin.
Jess Rubenstein from The Prospect Park, a contributor to Forever Blueshirts and long-time talent evaluator, is adamant that the best course of action is to let Fortescue start 2026-27 with Hartford in the American Hockey League. Having him play top-pair minutes there at even strength and on both specialty teams in his first full pro season seems to make a lot of sense, for sure.
That’s the path Fortescue’s good friend Gabe Perreault — a teammate at Boston College and with the United States at the 2024 and 2025 World Junior Championships — took last season. Perreault proved to be Hartford’s best player over 20 games and then found a regular role on Broadway with the Rangers as a 20-year-old rookie. The 2023 first-round pick closed strong, playing on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere, and finished with 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists), one hat trick, and plenty of gained experience in 49 games with the Rangers.
Comparing Fortescue and Perreault, though, is not apples to apples. First off, Fortescue is a defensive-minded defenseman, not a highly-skilled forward like Perreault. And the rule of thumb is that it takes defensemen longer to adjust to all the nuances of playing the pro game than forwards.
So let Fortescue marinade in the AHL to begin next season, Rubenstein contends. And if the Pearl River, New York, native is needed by the Rangers at some point, or forces his way back into the NHL lineup, he will be set up to best succeed by first playing in the minors.
And keep in mind, Fortescue just turned 21 years old in late April. He’s still a kid, no reason to rush him, especially with the Rangers in their retool phase.
Rangers must decide if Drew Fortescue is ready for full-time NHL role
Fortescue picked up and assist and logged 17:23 TOI in a rousing NHL debut at Madison Square Garden on March 27, a 6-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. That was shortly after he completed his third season at BC and signed an entry-level contract with the Rangers.
He ended up with two assists and was plus-4 in nine games, averaging 14:51 TOI in a fairly-sheltered role on the third pair, typically partnered with Braden Schneider. Fortescue had a 42.75 percent expected goal share in more than 131 minutes at 5v5, per Natural Stat Trick. Obviously, that’s not great. Though the Rangers did outscore opponents 8-4 with Fortescue out there 5v5, and scoring chances were pretty much even — 58 against, 53 for.
Coach Mike Sullivan spoke often about Forstecue needing to bulk up, get stronger, and add muscle to his 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame. Sullivan even scratched Fortescue against the Dallas Stars on the final road trip, though he did let the rookie play against the heavy-hitting Florida Panthers twice down the stretch.
But there’s no doubt that Fortescue has a fan in the Rangers coach.
“He doesn’t just play safe hockey, he plays smart hockey. He doesn’t play reckless hockey. There’s a difference between those three,” Sullivan explained in early April. “I like the fact that he’s trying to play smart hockey. He’s not just trying to play safe hockey.
“I am really impressed with his puck poise, his vision. He keeps it simple, but he’s not just an off-the-glass-and-out guy. He’s looking to go tape-to-tape. He has the composure and confidence to find, say, the middle play on a breakout.”
So, there’s certainly a case to be made that Fortescue could and maybe should be given every chance to make the varsity out of training camp in the fall. Remember, K’Andre Miller was a 21-year-old rookie that never played in the minors before his NHL debut in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. Schneider, on the other hand, logged 24 games in Hartford before landing on Broadway full-time in 2021-22.
Rangers have options to consider this summer for left side of defense corps
Right now the Rangers have Vladislav Gavrikov locked in on the left side of the top defense pairing with Adam Fox. Matthew Robertson, coming off a solid rookie season is likely best suited for a bottom-pair role on a good team. And Urho Vaakanainen likely is an extra defenseman outside the top six.
So, where does that leave the left side of the Rangers defense corps this summer?
Do they pursue a veteran to play in the top four on the left side? Someone like, say, unrestricted free agent Mario Ferraro of the San Jose Sharks, a physical shot-blocking demon cut from a similar cloth as Ryan Lindgren?
Or perhaps towering 6-foot-7 free agent Logan Stanley?
Or do they go even younger than Fortescue if they select a left-handed defenseman like Alberts Smits or Carson Carels with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and deem that youngster to be ready for the big stage?
If any of those options comes to fruition, that sets up a battle between Robertson and Fortescue for playing time on the third pair. It also sets up the Rangers to have a better blue line than in 2025-26, even if Schneider remains on the trade block and Sullivan still wants another puck-moving d-man behind Fox.
The answers will come in due time. But be certain that Fortescue is right in the middle of all decisions regarding the defense corps moving forward. Whether it’s his time next season or shortly after, he appears to be a staple moving forward.
