Rangers 2026-27 schedule breakdown: What are the key games?

The Rangers finished last in the Eastern Conference last season, and GM Chris Drury has reshaped the roster significantly since declaring a “retool” in mid-January.

But is the roster improved enough over the group that finished 34-39-9 overall — and 14-17-3 after Drury’s declaration — for the Rangers to climb out of the basement and back into the playoff picture?

Here’s an analysis of the Rangers’ new, 84-game schedule announced by the NHL on Thursday.

Key tests

The Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes reside in the Rangers’ division, the Metropolitan. And the Rangers will see them — and everyone else in the division — four times, the first being Sunday, Nov. 22, a 1 p.m. start at Madison Square Garden. That will come after a stretch of five consecutive days off. How the well-rested Rangers look against the champs (against whom they were 1-2-1 last season) will tell a lot about where they measure up against the league. They’ll see them again eight days later, Nov. 30 at the Garden.

The young and rapidly improving San Jose Sharks visit the Garden Dec. 3. Macklin Celebrini had a hat trick in the first game between the teams last October at MSG in a 6-5 Sharks OT win, then had two more goals in a 3-1 Sharks win in San Jose in January. Will the Rangers be able to contain Celebrini this year?

Longest road trip

There are two four-game trips, the one to Seattle and Western Canada (Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver) from Nov. 7-13, and a Metro Division tour that sees them visit the Islanders, Philadelphia, Carolina and Washington in a six-night span from Feb. 18-23. That one includes back-to-back afternoon games in Philadelphia and Carolina Feb. 20 and 21.

Longest homestand

They’re home for five straight from Nov. 28 to Dec. 7 against Calgary, Carolina, San Jose, Colorado and New Jersey, with the homestand bookended by home-and-away back-to-backs — they’re in Chicago on Black Friday, Nov. 27, and at Carolina Dec. 8.

Back-to-backs

The first of 11 back-to-backs comes on Oct. 1-2, when they open the season with three games in four nights. (Their season opener is in Boston Sept. 29; their home opener is Oct. 1 vs. Tampa Bay, then they visit Detroit Oct. 2 for the Red Wings’ home opener.)

Their first three sets of back-to-backs are home-away, then they have back-to-back away games at New Jersey and Philadelphia Dec. 15-16, at Los Angeles and Anaheim Jan. 11-12, and at Pittsburgh and Ottawa Jan. 29-30. They have back-to-back home games against Pittsburgh and Washington March 20-21.

They have one set of back-to-backs in October and November, two in December, three in January, two each in February and March.

Long breaks

They have five days off from Oct. 27-31, five days off from Nov. 17-21, four days off over the Christmas break, from Dec. 23-26, and eight days off over the All-Star break, Feb. 4-11.

Games of note

Their second home game, Oct. 4, will be against Utah, and former Ranger Vincent Trocheck will make his first appearance at Madison Square Garden since being traded July 1. Two nights later, Oct. 6, the Islanders come to the Garden. The rivals play each other again Feb. 12 at the Garden, in the Rangers’ first game back after the All-Star break, and are at UBS Arena Dec. 20 and Feb. 18. The Devils come to the Garden Dec. 7 and 22, and the Rangers go to Newark Oct. 15 and Dec. 15. Artemi Panarin returns to the Garden for the second time since being traded to the Kings in February on Oct. 26.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.