2026 Rangers Report Card: Matthew Robertson

This article is part of an ongoing series of Rangers Report Cards, grading the performance of each member of the 2025-26 New York Rangers. To view more report cards in this series, go here. 

There was a point at which many New York Rangers fans were ready to give up on Matthew Robertson because of how many years had passed since his draft class without him getting a look in the NHL. After four full seasons in the AHL, Robertson finally got his first call up for the last two games of the 2024-25 season, and then had every opportunity to make the team out of camp. Robertson took that opportunity and ran with it in his first full season in the NHL. 

Expectations

When we did our season preview series last summer, we didn’t even include Matthew Robertson.

He had only played in two NHL games at the time and given all the attention on the newly-acquired Scott Morrow, it didn’t look like there was much of a chance that he’d be in contention for a roster spot come opening night. Sure enough, the Rangers front office decided that Morrow needed more seasoning in the AHL and he was assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack. This meant that with an extra roster spot on the blue line, it was Robertson’s to lose. Not only that, but the only defenseman on the Rangers roster keeping him out of their nightly lineup was Urho Vaakanainen. 

Performance

72 GP | 6 G | 12 A | 18 PTS | -1 | 79 SOG | 38 PIM

A big part of why Vaakanainen did not live up to the big expectations I set for him in his season preview was because of the numbers Robertson put up this season. Again, this was someone we felt didn’t even warrant a season preview because of how little experience he had and how low the expectations were for him at that point. In the end, he finished just ten games short of appearing in every game for the Rangers this season. In fact, only seven players on the Rangers roster—Alexis Lafrenière, Will Cuylle, Vladislav Gavrikov, Braden Schneider, Mika Zibanejad, Will Borgen, and Noah Laba) appeared in more games. 

Now, a large part of that had to do with injuries. But nonetheless, Robertson became an important part of the Rangers’ blueline. Seeing a variety of defense partners throughout the season, Robertson mainly played alongside Will Borgen and Braden Schneider. In 439:11 minutes of ice time with Borgen, the second pairing registered a 48.2 xGF%. In 251:24 minutes with Schneider, the two had a 47.9 xGF%. It was around those high forty percentages Robertson spent most of the season, which is perfectly fine for a guy whose ceiling is likely a third-pairing defenseman. 

In 33:13 total minutes with Adam Fox, however, the two had an xGF% of 81.5. In just over 23 minutes with Carson Soucy, it was 66.7%. Small sample size, sure. But it’s worth noting as Robertson very well could be an effective player you can plug and place anywhere in your lineup as needed. At 25 years old he’s still very much learning the ropes of professional hockey, especially at the NHL level. At the same time, he has enough experience now to justify trusting him in a variety of roles. 

It's also important to note that there were several instances throughout the season where Robertson saw 3-v-3 ice time when the Rangers were forced to overtime. Again, small sample size—and perhaps it says more about the state of the Rangers than it does Matthew Robertson—but an encouraging sign for him in the eyes of this current coaching staff.

Leading up to his draft year, Robertson was regarded as a sizable, strong defenseman who can skate well, move, and protect the puck—everything the Rangers claim to be their biggest need heading into this off-season. While it hasn't been the most exciting development path, Robertson has proven to be a reliable two-way defenseman who can contribute offensively without sacrificing the defensive side of the game.

One of the biggest compliments you can give a defenseman is that, more often that not, you hardly notice him. It's one of the things that made Ryan Lindgren such a compliment to Adam Fox on the top pairing, at least in the early stretches of his Rangers' tenure. That obviously went south at an alarming rate, resulting in him being traded as his contract was coming to a end, but it's also a quality that's been sorely missing on this Rangers team ever since. There were times in which Will Borgen brought that to the table, but it is something that Robertson has done really well in his first full season in the NHL.

And that's not to mention that Robertson finished the season third in scoring among defenseman. His six goals ranked him third in goals from a defenseman and he tied Braden Schneider with 18 points. His ceiling may not be the highest, but one full season in, he's done everything the Rangers could have asked for him and has shown signs of being exactly the type of player they're looking for as they enter a retool.

Grades

Author's Grade: B-

Banter Consensus: B+

Final Evaluation

When you really consider the bigger picture, it’s hard to suggest that this season was anything but a tremendous success for Matthew Robertson.

As mentioned, this was a guy who was barely on anyone’s radar just over a year ago and went from a total of two career games in the NHL, to practically an every-day regular. Simply based on that, he’s deserving of an A. Yet the reason I gave him a B- is actually a bit of a compliment. 

I nearly forgot how little experience Robertson had from an NHL perspective upon initial grading and reflection on his season. It wasn’t just the amount of games played this season, but how he looked on a nightly basis that really made him feel like he’s been a part of this team all along. The big question moving forward is can he remain in that picture or will he get pushed out by draft picks, other prospects, or additional free agent signings?

As things currently stand, this is what the Rangers defense looks like:

Gavirkov - Fox
Robertson - Schneider
Fortescue - Borgen
Vaakanainen - Iorio/Morrow

Let’s suppose the Rangers draft Carson Carels and sign Mario Ferraro. All of a sudden, Robertson’s back to a seventh defenseman at best. Let’s take it a step further and say the Rangers sign Rasmus Andersson and Mario Ferraro and draft Carels or a Keaton Verhoeff, Chase Reid, or Albert Smits. And that’s not to mention the uncertain futures of Braden Schneider and Will Borgen. As of right now we have no reason to believe they won’t be here, but in a word in which they’re traded, who’s to say the Rangers aren’t going to be acquiring more defensemen in return?

There’s loads of uncertainty when it comes to piecing together the Rangers potential opening night lineup for next season. The Rangers wouldn’t be doing their job if they just penciled Robertson’s name into their defense pairings next season. They have to try and find ways to improve the roster and it starts on the blueline. At the same time, they should find comfort in the fact that Robertson can essentially be plugged into the lineup and play with anyone at an effective NHL standard.