New York Rangers 2025-2026 Season Preview

Gone are Chris Kreider and K’Andre Miller, who were traded to the Anaheim Ducks and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively. Former captain Jacob Trouba, along with Kappo Kakko, Jimmy Vesey, Reilly Smith, Ryan Lindgren, and Filip Chytil were all traded last season.

Those transactions are just the tip of the iceberg in what was one of the most boisterous offseasons in recent memory for the Rangers, who are celebrating their centennial season. Year-round coverage of all things Rangers and NHL can be found right here at Stadium Rant.

Without further ado, here’s a look at how this season could go down for Broadway’s Original Six hockey club.

The Rangers Have A New Sheriff In Town… Sort Of

For the fourth time since 2020-2021, New York has a new head coach.

Back in May, two-time Stanley Cup champion and the Pittsburgh Penguins’ winningest bench boss, Mike Sullivan, returned to Madison Square Garden as the 38th head coach in Rangers history.

The ice at the World’s Most Famous arena isn’t foreign territory for Sullivan. “Sully” worked for the Rangers as an assistant for four seasons (2009-13) on then-coach John Tortorella’s staff. He’s also the sixth-winningest among active coaches in the NHL, and coached Team USA at the inaugural 2025 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

Sullivan isn’t the only familiar face. Former Rangers head coach David Quinn, who coached the team from 2018-2019 to 2020-2021, also returns as an assistant coach.

Will The Bread Man Be Extended or Traded?

Artemi Panarin is in the last year of his contract, and negotiations between his agent and general manager Chris Drury remain private.

As far as regular season production goes, Panarin is one of the greatest free-agent signings in team history. “Yeast Mode” is eighth all-time among all Rangers in assists. His 550 points since 2019-2020 ranks fourth among all NHL players, and he’s received Hart Memorial Trophy votes in two of his six seasons in New York.

For all of Panarin’s prowess in the regular season, there are detractors who rightfully point out the lack of playoff production. Panarin has registered just 35 points in 46 playoff contests as a Ranger, and many believe that he’s better off being traded to another team in exchange for draft capital.

It would be asinine for Panarin to walk away next summer in free agency for nothing, so the front office will have a major decision to make. With the NHL’s salary cap projected to surpass $100 million by 2026-2027, the franchise stalwarts of the league are looking to cash in.

Minnesota Wild left winger Kirill Kaprizov is one such example, and a very prominent one at that.

Kaprizov inked the most lucrative contract in NHL history, and any hopes of him being a future Ranger were dashed. With Panarin still being a point-per-game winger and a deft puck handler, he’s justifiably seeking one last big score.

Would it be wise for the Rangers to dole out a mega deal to Panarin, or is it better to trade him for assets? Te trade deadline for this season is Friday, March 6th, 2026, so the Korkino, Russia native’s future will be determined by then.

A No-BS Captain Is Named For Lady Liberty

The trend of familiar faces dominating the narrative for this season continues! J.T. Miller, who was drafted by the Rangers 15th overall in 2011, was named the 29th captain of the Rangers back in September.

Team captains don’t have a great recent history with the Blueshirts. The previous triumvirate of captains – Ryan Callahan, Ryan McDonagh, and Jacob Trouba – have all been traded within the last 11 years. Miller has been involved in two different trades involving his current squad – 2018 and 2025 – so he’s no stranger to the vicissitudes of the business side of things.

Miller also garnered some major press with his new demeanor and t-shirt during training camp.

Regarding the new apparel, Miller said, “We want to be a fast, in-your-face, F-U type of team. What are (other teams) going to say about the Rangers in their room? What do we want them to think about us? ‘They’re a team that’s not going to give you an easy night.”

For a team that had ample distractions and locker room politics last season, Miller’s approach is fresh and welcome – but will it end up reverberating around the entire team?

The Fox Finally Has His Hound

Adam Fox is objectively the Rangers’ best defenseman since Brian Leetch. There’s no debate about that. He won the Norris Trophy in 2020-2021, and he’s finished in the top 12 in voting every season since.

Fox was usually paired with former teammate Ryan Lindgren, but those days are over. Beginning this season, Fox’s new pairing will be with Vladislav Gavrikov, who agreed to a seven-year, $49 million pact with the Rangers on July 2nd. A former sixth-round selection, Gavrikov has ascended to the upper echelon of NHL defensemen.

Ryan Lindgren was a stoic, courageous warrior who was a fan favorite. But with all due respect to a beloved former Ranger, Gavrikov is miles ahead of the player that Lindgren is, and the numbers show it.

Considered to have had a disappointing season by his standards, Fox still put up 61 points and finished 12th in Norris voting last season. Among all defensemen, Fox finished seventh in points per 60 minutes, and fourth in primary assists. If that’s a bad year, then just about anybody would gladly take it. Now imagine what Fox can do with an elite defenseman playing opposite him every day.

Can The Prince Look Like The King Again?

Goalie Igor Shesterkin has proven himself to be a worthy successor to Hall of Fame net minder Henrik Lundqvist, especially because their struggles are eerily identical.

How many times did Lundqvist bail out the Rangers and carry them during deep playoff runs? That number is astronomically high, and the same can be said for Shesterkin.

Shesterkin became the highest-paid goalie in the NHL in overall salary and AAV when he signed an eight-year, $92 million contract last December. While he left plenty to be desired last season – his entire team did – the numbers weren’t as putrid as they might have seemed.

Among goalies who played at least 45 games last year, Shesterkin ranked very well overall. He ranked fifth in high-danger unblocked shot attempt save percentage, goals against average better than expected, and goals saved above expected.

This is a man who, after all, has already had one of the greatest seasons ever by any goalie in the history of the game, and he’s got a Vezina Trophy. Can he get help from the team in front of him?

What Can The Unproven Guys Do?

Even though the Rangers have a generational left winger, a Norris and Vezina winner, and two tantalizing prospects, there are far more question marks than exclamation points on this team right now.

Mike Sullivan has already assigned Gabriel Perreault and Brennan Othmann to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League. The two first-round picks form a pair of intriguing prospects not seen in years at Madison Square Garden, and they’ll hopefully get ample ice time down the road.

What can be made of the bottom six? Noah Laba, Brett Berard, Taylor Raddysh, and the fourth line of Adam Edstrom, Sam Carrick, and fan favorite Matt Rempe have to help form an identity for their team.

The same quandary is prevalent with the last two defensemen pairings – Carson Soucy/Will Borgen and Urho Vaakanainen/Braden Schneider.

End Of My New York Rangers Rant

It was an offseason full of changes for the Broadway Blueshirts, and now it’s time to see how said alterations will produce a winning team again.

Mike Sullivan will, fittingly, have his debut as Rangers head coach against his former team, the Penguins, on Wednesday night. Whether the Rangers return to relevancy remains to be seen, and coach Sullivan’s first contest as New York’s bench boss is one step in finding out.

Here’s to a season that can’t possibly be worst than last year… right?