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Rangers stock report: Which young players up, down, including Noah Laba
The New York Rangers dropped the puck on their centennial season on Oct. 7, and had their fair share of ups and downs since.
It feels like a good time to analyze where the Rangers’ higher-profile younger players stand two months into the 2025-26 season. So, let’s examine whose stock is on the rise, and who is trending the other way.
To be included in this stock report, players must be 24 years old or younger, and have fewer than 100 games of NHL experience. That excludes young NHL “veterans” like Alexis Lafreniere, Braden Schneider, Will Cuylle, and Juuso Parssinen, and put the focus where we want, on the next wave of Rangers youngesters.
Noah Laba is the gold standard this season among the Rangers top young players and prospects. Already a favorite of coach Mike Sullivan, the 22-year-old rookie just gets better by the day. Laba’s the anchor in the middle of the third line, playing a committed 200-foot game, averaging more than 13 minutes TOI, and contributing eight points (four points, four assists). His compete level is never in question, and his maturity on and off the ice stands out. He has the makings of being a lineup staple for years to come. So, yes, his stock is definitely up.
Brennan Othmann:
After underwhelming in training camp and failing to make New York’s opening-night roster, Brennan Othmann’s stock continues to sink within the organization. So much so, that Othmann trade rumors are a thing, with other teams trying to buy low on the 2021 first-round pick. Sullivan is no fan of Othmann’s defensive play nor effort, and that’s a big reason the forward spent most of the season with Hartford of the American Hockey League. Othmann has eight points (two goals, six assists) in 16 AHL games, continuing his underwhelming trend. He was recalled twice by the Rangers, but played only one late October game.
Like Othmann, Gabe Perreault is another first-round pick (2023) who failed to crack the opening-night roster on Broadway. The difference is that Perreault’s a rookie pro developing nicely in the minors. The 20-year-old leads Hartford with 10 goals and 17 points in 17 games, playing important minutes on the top line. Perreault has a pair of two-goal games in his past three outings, and earned AHL Player of the Week honors earlier this season. Perreault played three games with the Rangers in mid-November, and picked up his first NHL point, assisting on a Lafreniere power-play goal against the Nashville Predators. As Sullivan noted, the kid has things to work on and must get stronger physically. But his stock remains on the rise, for sure.
Handed the reins to be Hartford’s No. 1 goalie this season, presumably as a run-up to one day soon becoming Igor Shesterkin’s back up with the Rangers when Jonathan Quick decides to retire, Dylan Garand hasn’t exactly taken off with the opportunity. The 23-year-old, an AHL All-Star last season, is 4-6-2 with a 2.88 goals-against average and .903 save percentage, though played better of late. When Quick landed on IR recently, the Rangers recalled Garand. But Sullivan elected to start Shesterkin in every game, including both ends of a back-to-back set, showing little confidence in Garand, who’s yet to make his NHL debut. As of today, Garand’s stock is down, but that certainly can change moving forward.
Scott Morrow: Stock Even
For most of the first two months, Scott Morrow’s stock was on the decline. A gifted offensive defenseman, Morrow struggled at both ends of the rink with Hartford, and received little opportunity when called up to the Rangers. But the 23-year-old acquired in the K’Andre Miller trade this past summer found his footing the past four games with the Rangers. He’s been solid on the third defense pair since Adam Fox landed on LTIR, holding his own against elite opponents like the Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, and Vegas Golden Knights. The next step is for him to earn more trust defensively and begin producing more points, the true strength of his game.
Matthew Robertson: Stock Up
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