The New York Rangers were one of the more active teams during the NHL Draft and early free agency. President and general manager Chris Drury traded for and extended Pavel Dorofeyev; acquired Marcus Pettersson, Sean Durzi and Joonas Korpisalo; signed Oliver Bjorkstrand and Joe Veleno; and added a slew of new prospects, notably Cole Beaudoin and 2026 No. 5 pick Alberts Šmits.Meanwhile, out went Vincent Trocheck, Will Borgen and depth forwards Jonny Brodzinski, Conor Sheary, Brett Berard and Adam Edström. It all leaves the Rangers with a much different-looking team than the one that ended the 2025-26 regular season at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Drury wanted to retool, and he’s certainly done that. The question is whether that will lead to results.The Athletic spoke to four scouts and two executives with other NHL teams to get their take on the Rangers’ offseason shuffle and what their future might hold. The opinions were mixed: Some were more bullish on the changes, while others remain unconvinced about the long-term vision.For simplicity’s sake, we’ll refer to the survey participants as Scout 1 (who is from a Western Conference team), Scout 2 (Eastern Conference), Scout 3 (Western Conference), Scout 4 (Eastern Conference), Executive 1 (Eastern Conference) and Executive 2 (Eastern Conference). All were granted anonymity to speak candidly about an opposing club’s decisions.Here’s a collection of their answers to seven questions we posed.NHL offer sheets are just businessSean Gentille and Sean McIndoe1. Are the Rangers now a playoff team?After winning the 2024 Presidents’ Trophy with the league’s best record, the Rangers have missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Now they hope to get back into contention.“They’ll be on the cusp,” Scout 1 said. “Washington got a lot better, Carolina of course are defending champions and they don’t seem like they’re going anywhere, but after that I find (the Metro) to be pretty open. … They should make an improvement from last year.”“I would say they’re in,” Scout 2 added. “There’s no way it’s going to go sideways like last year at the start.” (The Rangers started 3-5-2 and didn’t score in their first three home games.)Executive 1 gives New York a chance, in large part because of star goalie Igor Shesterkin.“We’re not talking about challenging for the (Metropolitan Division),” he said. “We’re talking about battling for playoff spots.”“I think their back end has improved,” Scout 4 added. “They’ve added a couple of pieces up front, and with the progression of some of those younger guys that you hope to take a step, I think that they’re definitely heading in the right direction.”Scout 3 exercised some skepticism, alluding to the ages of the team’s top two centers in Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller (both 33).“I still don’t love their centers,” said the scout, who predicts the Rangers will miss the 2026-27 playoffs. “They’re old down the middle.”Executive 2 also does not believe the Rangers will be a playoff team. For those keeping score, that’s one evaluator who believes they’ll make it, three who believe they’ll be in the mix, and two who don’t.NHL free agency: Early winners and losersShayna Goldman and Madison Eades2. How did Drury do on the Trocheck return?The Rangers traded Trocheck, who primarily played second-line center after signing with New York in 2022, to Utah for Durzi, Beaudoin and a 2027 third-round pick. Trocheck turns 33 this weekend but still carries a manageable $5.625 million cap hit for the next three seasons.“For an aging center that brings so much like Trocheck, that’s a big get for Utah,” Executive 1 said. “What’s coming back is interesting because there’s a chance you get a player or two that are good, but there’s no guarantees there.”Durzi, a 27-year-old who has played top-four minutes since entering the league, is more of a sure thing than Beaudoin, who is only 20 and has never played a professional hockey game. The Rangers will likely pair the former with Pettersson, acquired from Vancouver on July 1 for a 2030 first-round pick.“I feel like (Pettersson-Durzi) is a really nice complementary pair if they’re going to play together,” Scout 1 said. “Pettersson is more of a defensive mainstay — just a steady, more defensive-minded player — whereas Durzi is a little bit more mobile (of a) puck mover (and) has a little bit more offensive ability.”Scout 2 believes Durzi will be a better fit on the Rangers than Borgen, whom New York traded to Boston, saying the ex-Mammoth defenseman both skates and moves pucks better.“Durzi’s a very capable second-pairing defenseman that can also run your second power play, or run the top power play if (Adam) Fox is out,” Scout 4 said. “He’s not a big guy, but he’s feisty. … I think there’s more upside there.”Scout 3 also likes Durzi but didn’t feel he was enough to be the centerpiece of the trade, especially because he views Beaudoin as having “fourth-line center upside.” That scout is concerned about the young forward’s skating but noted he works hard on the ice, “so you appreciate the player.”