The bane of many people’s existence on this site and among Rangers fans in general, Conor Sheary had a quietly solid season. Sheary struggled to score early, but was doing everything else right away from the puck. However due to perceived nepotism, Sheary was the focal point of much Rangers frustration this season, instead of players that were actually playing poorly. It’s funny how things work sometimes. Conor Sheary wasn’t perfect and he was not taking spots away from kids either.
On the ice, Conor Sheary played primarily a middle six role as the Rangers struggled mightily to find offensive consistency. Sheary played primarily with JT Miller (353 total minutes for the season) and Vincent Trocheck (116 minutes) early, but eventually found a home on the third line with Noah Laba (262 minutes) and Tye Kartye (245 minutes). Laba’s injury forced Miller to the 3C role, and Kartye-Miller-Sheary was also a fun line to watch.
Sheary finished the 2025-2026 season with 7 goals and 18 points in 62 games, which is a fine enough stat line for a third liner. However the issue that many had was his spot on the second line early in the season. Sheary’s first goal of the season came in December. His second goal of the season didn’t come until March, where he went on a bit of a heater with six goals and three assists in the final 19 games while playing third line minutes. Better late than never, but even with solid play away from the puck, you can’t ignore two massive scoring droughts.
Conor Sheary played very well away from the puck. His defensive play and forechecking were clearly consistent, and most of his offensive deficiencies last season were due to that scoring drought. It’s hard to criticize one of the only veterans who gave 100% on every shift, but he was the whipping boy because of inaccurate use of the word “nepotism.” The call was for kids to play, but it wasn’t until halfway through the season that the kids were ready. Once Gabe Perreault stuck with the club, Sheary was shifted down in the lineup.
Sheary outplayed Jonny Brodzinski and Taylor Raddysh and has earned a short term, low cost contract to stay with the Rangers next season. Ideally, Sheary fills out the fourth line with Jaro Chmelar. Sheary was effective, but his role should be reduced as kids like Adam Sykora continue to impress.
2025-2026 Conor Sheary report card grade: B
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