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Mike Sullivan, Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Rangers’ Path to Being Serious Contenders in 2025-26

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Nicholas Seitz | Last updated May 5, 2025 4:25 PM ET

While the New York Rangers underperformed in the 2024-25 season, there is reason for optimism in 2025-26. This article will illustrate why the Rangers have a real chance at being serious contenders once again next season.

New Head Coach

In all sports at all levels, sometimes a team simply needs a new voice in the locker room. In the NBA this season, the Detroit Pistons replaced Monty Williams with J.B. Bickerstaff and more than tripled their win total from last season with little roster turnover. In 2022-23, the Vancouver Canucks fired Bruce Boudreau when their team was 18-25-3. They finished that season with a 20-12-4 record under new coach Rick Tocchet and then went 50-23-9 the following season. The Winnipeg Jets have experienced immense regular-season success in each of the last three seasons after Paul Maurice moved on, who went on to lead the Florida Panthers to a Stanley Cup.

While of course the correlation does not always hold between a new head coach and an improved level of play, the Rangers showed all the signs this season of a team that needed a new voice behind the helm. They were lackadaisical in the important areas of the ice, they had several players voice frustrations during the season, and there was far too much drama surrounding the team from start to finish.

As well, the fact that the new voice is Mike Sullivan is a positive in many ways. Sullivan is an experienced coach who has seen lots of success in Pittsburgh with the Penguins, highlighted by his two Stanley Cup wins early in his tenure. There were no indications that he lost control of the locker room in Pittsburgh this season despite their struggles; they were simply a flawed team from a roster-construction standpoint. Having Sullivan behind the bench should be a huge plus for the Rangers as they look to begin fresh in 2025-26.

Existing Talent

The Rangers have a lot of high-end talent, many of whom were main contributors when the Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2023-24. Igor Shesterkin is an elite goalie who, despite his lower save percentage this season, had strong underlying numbers and remains one of the NHL’s best netminders. Artemi Panarin had another strong season as one of the league’s most skilled wingers, Adam Fox remains a shifty and smart defender, and Vincent Trochek remains a steady, consistent center who wins faceoffs and contributes in all situations. Finally, J.T. Miller arrived midseason and looked like the 100-point scorer he was with Vancouver.

While the drop-offs Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and Alexis Lafrenière experienced are worrying, the 2024-25 Rangers still had far too much talent and depth to miss the playoffs. The lack of defensive effort and intensity was the main culprit, a trend that should hopefully be rectified with a fresh start to the season and a new voice behind the bench.

Less Drama (Hopefully)

There were countless off-ice storylines that seemed to distract from the task at hand and create uncomfortable situations. There were the public attempts to trade their former captain Jacob Trouba before he eventually got traded to Anaheim. There was the Kappo Kakko trade debacle, in which he got shipped to the Seattle Kraken after voicing his displeasure at being a healthy scratch. There was the healthy scratching of longtime Ranger Chris Kreider due to his poor play. Zac Jones expressed his unhappiness at not playing to the media. Recently, there were the public comments from Calvin de Haan berating the Rangers’ management for their handling of his ice time.

While a certain amount of drama is inevitable over the course of an 82-game season, the Rangers had an exorbitant amount of it. There should not be this much drama next season, especially if general manager Chris Drury can adequately address some of the existing questions this offseason.

The Positive Spin

Forgetting the disaster that was the 2024-25 season, the Rangers are not in a bad position for next season. They have an experienced, respected head coach taking the helm, plenty of existing talent, and a great chance to start fresh with less drama surrounding the roster. While anything can happen once the puck drops on 2025-26, there is certainly a path for the Rangers to get back to being a serious contender once again.