6 Reasons the Rangers Will Make the Playoffs in 2025-26

Meanwhile, offseason trade rumors last year regarding Jacob Trouba carried through the regular season, leading to an awkward breakup. Now, those same distractions aren’t there.

Remaking the Defensive Core

But the offseason was far from quiet in terms of changes. After shipping Trouba and Ryan Lindgren out of town while adding Will Borgen last season, more work was needed to complete the transformation of the blue line.

The most important move was finding a competent partner to play with Adam Fox – and Drury likely did that by bringing in shutdown defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. Another move this offseason involved the trade of Miller, which brought back draft picks and defenseman Scott Morrow. While what Morrow will turn into at the NHL level is unknown, the upside is intriguing. The right-handed defenseman was a star with UMass in the NCAA, where he posted an impressive 94 points in 109 games.

The Sully Effect

After the Rangers fired Peter Laviolette, the dream was for Mike Sullivan to become available. Once he did, Drury wasted no time in hiring him.

Of course, Sullivan gets all the headlines for his back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2016-2017. But as we broke down previously, the likely future Hall of Fame coach took the Penguins to another level with his elite tactics. Specifics include running an aggressive 1-2-2 forecheck in the offensive zone, designed to force the opposition into turnovers. In the defensive zone, his strategy focuses on zone coverage.

Return to Elite Special Teams

Given the talent and what the personnel have done in recent history, it’s unconscionable that 2024-25 resulted in an abysmal 28th overall ranked power play.

From the elite passing of Artemi Panarin, and high hockey IQ of Adam Fox, to the laser shot of Mika Zibanejad – you have to think the Rangers will at least figure things out and wind up with a power play that’s at least in the top 10 this season.

Weak Division

As we made the argument recently, the Metro Division is far from the strongest one out there. While the Carolina Hurricanes have consistently been a great team in recent years, nobody else in the division scares you.

The lack of prowess from the Washington Capitals and the New Jersey Devils will allow the Rangers to rebound this season.

In Igor We Trust

Outside of Connor Hellebuyck and perhaps Andrei Vasilevskiy, every team would pick Igor Shesterkin as their long-term choice between the pipes. Goaltending is a volatile position throughout the NHL – but nobody has been more consistent in recent years than Shesterkin. Even in a down 2024-25, the 29-year-old saved more than 21 goals than expected to rank fourth in the league amongst goalies that appeared in at least 60 games, according to MoneyPuck.

Sure, goaltending is a volatile position – meaning Shesterkin will likely endure a tough stretch at some point this season. Even still, you almost expect him to be one of the top five goaltenders, regardless. That’s likely enough alone to carry the Rangers back into a playoff position.

For the most part in recent years, the Rangers’ success model has been elite special teams followed by elite goaltending. The Rangers’ off-ice issues and abysmal power play cost them mostly in 2024-25. But with a well-respected new coach coming in, the Blueshirts are in a prime position to put last season’s nightmare behind them and at least qualify for the playoffs this season. The Rangers are from perfect heading into 2025-26 – but odds are in their favor to play hockey into May.