Oliver Bjorkstrand Lands One-Year, $4.5 Million Deal With Rangers After Career-Worst Season

The New York Rangers made their first real play in NHL free agency Monday, and it’s a short-term bet on a guy who had a rough year.

Oliver Bjorkstrand is signing a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Rangers, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and later confirmed by Remy Mastey of The Hockey News. The deal gives Bjorkstrand a chance to reset after a season that didn’t go the way anyone hoped.

Bjorkstrand got traded from Seattle to Tampa Bay at the 2025 deadline. With the Lightning, he put up 41 points in 98 regular-season games. That’s not great. In four playoff games, he had zero points. He couldn’t crack Tampa’s top six, and that’s probably why he ended up hitting the open market without much momentum.

A Rebuild in Progress

The Rangers have been trying to fix their offense after two ugly seasons. They traded Artemi Panarin at the deadline, which opened up a hole on the wing. Pavel Dorofeyev came over in a deal that cost two first-round picks. Bjorkstrand is the other piece of that puzzle, at least for now.

But there were bigger problems in New York last year. Some of the veterans still on the roster played poorly. The team missed the playoffs in 2024 and didn’t look much better this season. So the question is whether adding Bjorkstrand and Dorofeyev is enough to get them back in the dance. It’s not a sure thing.

Depth in Net, Too

The Rangers also made a trade on July 1, picking up goalie Joonas Korpisalo from Boston. He’ll back up Igor Shesterkin after Jonathan Quick retired. Shesterkin has dealt with injuries in the past, so having a capable backup like Korpisalo could matter a lot over an 82-game grind.

For Bjorkstrand, this is a prove-it deal. He had the worst offensive season of his career at the worst possible time. But he’s still only 30, and he’s shown he can score when he gets minutes. If the Rangers struggle again, he could be a trade piece at the deadline. If he finds his game and drives the offense, maybe he earns a bigger extension. Either way, it’s a low-risk swing for a team that needs a couple of them to work.

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