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J.T. Miller, New York Rangers (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

3 Positive Takeaways From Rangers’ 2024-25 Season

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Lucas Standel | Last updated Apr 24, 2025 9:25 AM ET

It’s been almost a week since the 2024-25 season ended for the New York Rangers. A season that started with Stanley Cup aspirations ended in heartbreak as the team failed to qualify for the playoffs after a season full of drama and roster turnover. While the overall season is seen as a negative, there were some positives to take away as the team moves forward to next season. In this piece, we are going to look at three positives from the 2024-25 season for the Rangers and see what they can build upon going into next season.

The Arrival of J.T. Miller and His Impact on Mika Zibanejad

In the biggest move of the season, general manager Chris Drury made a huge trade with the Vancouver Canucks. He brought J.T. Miller back to the Rangers in late January, and his impact on the team was immediate. He scored two goals in his first game and would go on to have 13 goals and 35 points in 32 games with the Rangers. Despite the concern about his age and how long he has left on his deal, Miller proved to be an impact player and will have to be a key contributor for the team next season and for the next few years. However, it wasn’t just his play individually that was impressive, it was how he also impacted his linemates. In particular, how he impacted and improved the play of Mika Zibanejad.

Zibanejad was having a very poor season by his standards before Miller arrived. In 50 games, he only had nine goals and 29 points, which is far below what is expected from him. When Miller arrived, he was put into the center ice position, and many thought the Rangers would have him, Zibanejad, and Vincent Trocheck each center their own line. However, Zibanejad was put onto the right wing of Miller, and they became a very good duo to end the season. In 32 games, he had 11 goals and 33 points and finished the season with 20 goals and 62 points. If Drury is unable to move him in a trade this summer, the next head coach should look to keep these two players together at least to start next season. They became a great duo for the Rangers, and maybe Miller can be the player who gets Zibanejad back to playing like he was a few seasons ago, when he was one of the top goal scorers in the entire NHL.

The Development of Will Cuylle

It has been known for years that the Rangers are not the best team when it comes to developing their young talent. Just look at some of the names that have been drafted in recent years that are not even on the team anymore. Vitali Kravtsov, Lias Andersson, and Nils Lundkvist, just to name a few. They even traded Kaapo Kakko this season, the 2019 second-overall pick, because he failed to develop into the player they thought he would be. Speaking of Andersson, they traded him to the Los Angeles Kings at the 2020 Draft in exchange for a 2020 second-round pick. They used that pick to select Will Cuylle, and right now, he is looking like a homerun of a pick, and a player that will be part of the core of the team for years to come.

Cuylle had a very mediocre rookie season, with just 13 goals and 21 points in 81 games. He followed it up with an amazing year this season with 20 goals and 45 points in 82 games. He was the bright spot on the team through their dark times in late November and into December. He seemed like the only player who was trying every game, and that would be the case throughout the entire season. He broke the franchise record for hits in a single season with 301, and that was tied for third in the entire league. The Rangers have their power forward of the future here as he can be an offensive threat while also being a great physical presence in the lineup. They are going to have to give him a new contract this offseason, but he is going to be a key part of the future, and this season should be just the first step in further development going forward.

The Rangers Have Plenty of Young Talent

When the season was starting to go off the rails, it became time to see what the Rangers had in the farm system and which players could make an impact at the NHL level. While the core players on the team are all 30 or older, the Rangers do have young talent that is ready to come up and play in the NHL, and we saw glimpses of it this season. On the current roster, there are 11 players (forwards and defensemen) under the age of 24. And yes, while all of them might not be on the team to start next season, there is hope for them going forward that they can become part of the new core. Players like Brett Berard, Brennan Othmann, and Gabe Perreault are all wingers 22 or younger. They all got chances in the NHL this season, and while they didn’t get consistent opportunities, they proved that they will be part of the team in the future.

Rangers forward Brennan Othmann (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Even players who played a smaller role on the team, like Matt Rempe and Adam Edstrom, proved they can be relied on at the NHL level and will likely be key pieces of the Rangers’ bottom six for years to come. On the backend, you still have players like K’Andre Miller and Braden Schneider. While both of them had down seasons, they are still young and could still be part of the defensive core for the foreseeable future if they can turn their games around. While it is concerning that the top end of the roster is all getting older, it is good to see that the Rangers still have some players they can build around for the future, and it was good to see them get some NHL experience, even if it was a small sample size.

Fans have every right to be upset with how this season turned out for the Blueshirts. It was incredibly disappointing to see them turn into a shell of what they were a season ago. However, there were still some positives to take away from this season, and if you need something to get you excited for next season, this list should give you some hope that maybe things can turn around quickly for the Rangers.