Mike Sullivan is finding out fast that coaching the Rangers comes with its own kind of heat.
The first season in New York did not go the way anyone around the team wanted. After replacing Peter Laviolette, Sullivan inherited a club that stumbled to a 34-39-9 record and finished with the worst mark in the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference. By the middle of January, general manager Chris Drury had already sent a letter to fans laying out a “retool'' approach.
Drury kept his job, Sullivan was brought back for a second year, and now the coach is dealing with the kind of pressure that comes with the bright lights of Broadway. The difference this time is that the results have been there.
New York opened the 2026-27 season with a loss to Boston, then quickly climbed to the top of the Metropolitan Division standings. That momentum took a hit when goalie Igor Shesterkin was lost for the season against the Washington Capitals earlier this month, a blow Sullivan could not control.
Even with that setback, Sullivan has taken heat for some early-season decisions. Still, the Rangers’ system has shown clear fingerprints of his staff: an aggressive approach built on structure and strong defensive play.
Some of the offense is coming from moves Drury made this offseason, but making those pieces fit has fallen to Sullivan. At the moment, the Rangers are one point outside the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
The conference race is tougher than it was a year ago, with several teams reshaping their rosters over the summer. Even so, the Rangers remain in the mix, and that comes back to Sullivan’s ability to absorb the noise, learn from his rough first year in New York and keep the group moving forward.
In Other News...
Oilers Could Arrive Shorthanded For Rangers After Early Injury Scare
The Rangers may catch a break on the schedule with Edmonton dealing with an early injury scare from Isaac Howard, who went down after a knee-on-knee collision against the New York Islanders and needed assistance getting off the ice. For a moment, it looked like the Oilers might be facing a much bigger problem, but head coach Mike Babcock said the injury is not as serious as first feared, which at least eased the immediate concern around the winger.
Even so, Howard is expected to miss the upcoming game against the Rangers while the Oilers continue to sort through his status and adjust their lineup. Edmonton is already considering different options to fill the opening, and how it handles that spot will be worth watching for a team trying to keep its forward group intact through a busy stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Brutal Test As Lineup Questions Linger Out Of Break
The break is over, and the schedule does not exactly ease the Rangers back in. They open a demanding eight-game stretch in 16 days Sunday at Madison Square Garden against Edmonton, a matchup that immediately asks a lot of a team trying to settle back into rhythm after time off. The Oilers arrive with Connor McDavid and the leagues highest-scoring attack, while New York is still sorting through some uncertainty on the back end because of injuries and illness among its defensemen.
Dylan Garand is set to start in goal, giving the Rangers another look at a netminder who has been thrust into a heavy workload since Igor Shesterkin went down with a season-ending knee injury. Edmonton is expected to counter with Matt Tomkins, but the bigger issue for New York is how its lineup holds up against a top-tier opponent when the blue line is not fully settled. For a team trying to navigate a brutal run of games, Sunday feels like an early stress test. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Already Face A Big Development Question With Their Top Pick
The early returns on Alberts Smits have given the Rangers something to monitor closely, even if it is far too soon to draw any firm conclusions. The fifth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft has been in the NHL from the start of the season, and his first month has offered a look at how the organization plans to handle a young defenseman learning on the fly. He has settled into a third-pair role with Braden Schneider, which at least gives him a manageable landing spot while the staff evaluates what comes next.
The bigger question now is how the Rangers balance patience with progression. Smits has already drawn a C+ grade from Bleacher Reports Hannah Stuart, and the discussion around his development is less about raw talent than about the best way to accelerate it without overloading him. A possible change in defensive partners is part of that conversation, along with the idea of giving him more ice time, which would make this an early test of how aggressively the Rangers want to push their top pick. [Read more 🡒]