The 2026-27 NHL season has already split teams into two camps: the ones rolling early, and the ones still searching for an identity. For a few clubs, that search looks less like a phase and more like a problem that needs a new voice behind the bench.
Philadelphia is the clearest case. The Flyers have been the most disappointing team in the NHL, and the frustration is spilling over from the stands to the ice.
Fans are complaining about the ice time for their stars, and the bigger issue is that the team simply should not be this bad. The power play has been poor, the goaltending situation remains shaky, and the Dan Vladar contract extension is already looking like a mistake early on.
Vladar is on a five-year deal, and dark times are in Philly right now. Rick Tocchet’s track record isn’t helping either, with consistency year after year historically being a problem during his time with the Arizona Coyotes and the Vancouver Canucks.
This young group needs a new leader.
San Jose is a different kind of mess. The Sharks’ issue isn’t talent so much as culture, and that’s why Ryan Warsofsky belongs on this list.
The team needs a new identity, and the buy-in questions are already showing up in player interviews. When the coach and the room aren’t aligned, and people are talking about “buy-in,” that’s a sign something is off.
The Sharks are sitting in the middle of the pack, but there’s still a clear problem hanging over the team. Something needs to change.
Then there’s New York, where the Rangers’ issues have piled up fast enough to put Mike Sullivan under the microscope. Chris Drury made moves to give him help, including the Pavel Dorofeyev trade, the signing of Oliver Bjorkstrand, and a trade for some defensive pieces.
But the results haven’t followed, especially from the 11-million-dollar forward, Dorofeyev. The power play has been inconsistent, and the team still hasn’t settled on the right five players.
Drury’s handling of the roster is part of the problem, but Sullivan isn’t getting a pass either. The decision to move off Adam Edstrom to keep Matt Rempe is already looking rough, with Edstrom about to have a career year in Nashville while Rempe has been sitting in the press box.
At 8-7-1, the Rangers are making too many mistakes to be taken as a dominant team, and the blame lands on the coach as much as anyone.
In Other News...
Rangers Finally Delivered The Late Push Fans Had Been Waiting For
For a team that had been waiting on a timely finish, the Rangers finally gave Madison Square Garden one. New York trailed Philadelphia before finding its push in the third period, scoring twice to turn a one-goal deficit into a 3-2 win and give the home crowd the kind of late surge it has been hoping to see more often.
Dylan Garand backed it up with 23 saves, and the result also fit a broader trend the Rangers have been trying to build at home and against Metropolitan Division opponents. The comeback left the Flyers paying for a costly mistake, while the Rangers walked away with a win that felt like more than just two points. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Young Forwards Are Giving This Team Real Reason For Hope
The Rangers have spent plenty of time looking for a younger core to grow into bigger roles, and there are real signs that the forward group is starting to answer. Will Cuylle has already shown he can finish, Alexis Lafrenire has settled into a top-line wing spot while leading the team in scoring, and Tye Kartye has added offense after coming over on waivers. Even Gabe Perreault, still working to establish himself on the roster, has brought the kind of pace and skill that keeps him in the conversation.
What makes this stretch encouraging is that it is not coming from one player carrying the load. Cuylles versatility, Lafrenires continued rise, Perreaults upside and Kartyes ability to chip in give the Rangers multiple paths to more scoring depth. For a team that has been searching for more long-term certainty up front, that kind of development is exactly the sort of thing that can change the outlook, even if the final shape of the group is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Adam Fox Led The Rangers Response When They Desperately Needed One
The Rangers finally found a way to flip a game they had been chasing all season, rallying past the Flyers 3-2 at Madison Square Garden. After two periods of playing from behind, New York got the response it had been waiting for, with Pavel Dorofeyev and Tye Kartye scoring in the third to turn a tight night into a much-needed comeback win.
Adam Fox was at the center of it, helping drive the push when the game started to tilt. He assisted both third-period goals and logged a season-high 25:28 of ice time, a workload that fit the moment for a team desperate for someone to steady the bench and spark the turnaround. [Read more 🡒]