The New York Rangers are getting set for an important offseason, and how they address free agency will be key. Following another down year, the Rangers are entering the summer with a need to improve. This is a team that has been retooling, and a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference was certainly something that nobody wanted to see. Now, with the team not in a complete rebuild, the expectation will be for the team to be better in the 2026-27 campaign. New York has done a nice job of creating a plethora of cap space this summer. Unfortunately, the free agency class isn’t the strongest, and the lack of impact scorers is not ideal for the Rangers. However, while the options to improve their top six might not be great, New York could look toward quality depth to try to fill out their lines. Furthermore, while it seems highly likely that the team will be trading Vincent Trocheck, there will be a need for some help up the middle. The center position is one that is in a premium this offseason, but a possible option for their bottom six could be 35-year-old Minnesota Wild center Marcus Johansson.Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Johansson / Alan Poizner-Imagn ImagesAt his age, Johansson’s best days are obviously behind him, but he could be a really strong option for New York on either their third or fourth line up the middle. With Noah Laba expected to play an important role, Johansson could provide some veteran leadership up the middle to help provide some insurance if Laba isn’t ready. This season with the Wild, Johansson totaled 49 points with 15 goals and 34 assists. It was his most points in a season since the 2016-17 campaign with the Washington Capitals, and he showed there is still some gas left in the tank. Especially if the team ends up moving Trocheck, adding a veteran center like Johansson makes a lot of sense. While he might not be a top-six center, he could provide a nice scoring punch to the third line. Due to options to improve the top six being limited, adding quality depth for the bottom that can help create a balanced scoring attack among their lines makes sense. With the veteran being 35 years old, the Rangers would also likely be able to get him on a short-term, affordable deal. Not locking up some of the cap space that they have created would be ideal, and they could accomplish that by signing Johansson.