Rangers Hit the Olympic Break Reeling - Can Sullivan and Miller Steady the Ship?
As Team USA boards the flight to Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics, there’s a conversation that needs to happen at 30,000 feet - and it has little to do with gold medals.
Mike Sullivan and J.T. Miller - head coach and captain of the New York Rangers - are both heading to Italy, but it’s what happens when they return to Manhattan that could define the franchise’s next chapter.
Because right now, the Rangers aren’t just struggling. They’re spiraling.
At 22-29-6, New York sits dead last, and Thursday night’s 2-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden wasn’t just another tally in the “L” column - it was another gut punch in a season full of them. The effort wasn’t there.
The energy wasn’t there. And judging by the postgame comments, the answers weren’t there either.
“I don’t know,” Miller said when asked what message he gave the team heading into the Olympic break. “We just need to enjoy or take time - I literally don’t know. Come back with a better mindset, I guess.”
It was raw honesty, but it also raised eyebrows. Miller’s frustration is understandable - he’s been grinding through a brutal season - but as the captain, his words carry weight. And in moments like this, the team needs direction, not just candor.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman didn’t hold back, saying on his 32 Thoughts podcast, “I know losing sucks, but he’s got to find a better way to deliver the message. Because the way he’s doing it right now, unfortunately, it’s making it worse.”
That’s the reality of leadership in the NHL. The captain doesn’t just wear the ‘C’ - he sets the tone. And when the tone is confusion or resignation, it can ripple through the entire locker room.
But Miller isn’t the only one under the microscope. Sullivan, in his first season behind the Rangers bench, has tried to keep things positive through the turbulence. On Thursday, that positivity cracked.
“I thought tonight we lacked a certain competitive spirit,” Sullivan said postgame. “That just is simply unacceptable on our part, and that was my discussion.”
That’s as pointed as Sullivan’s been all season. And it’s telling.
The message - at least for now - isn’t landing. You can see it in the way the Rangers play.
You can hear it in the way they talk. And you can feel it in the standings.
This wasn’t the plan. When the Rangers brought in Sullivan last spring, they weren’t just hiring a coach - they were bringing in a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the kind of presence that commands a room. The idea was that his experience and voice would stabilize a team that had gone from Presidents’ Trophy winners and Eastern Conference finalists in 2023-24 to missing the playoffs last season.
But the cracks in the foundation weren’t as easy to patch as expected. Injuries to key players like Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin didn’t help. And while the team hovered around the playoff bubble early, they’ve fallen off a cliff since late December, going 3-13-1 since December 27.
That slide prompted general manager Chris Drury to hit the reset button. The message is clear: the retool is on.
That process began this week with the trade of Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings. Rather than extend the dynamic winger - who’s in the final year of a seven-year, $81.5 million deal - Drury opted to move on.
More moves are expected before the March 6 trade deadline. More roster turnover.
More change. But Drury isn’t going anywhere.
Neither is Sullivan. And Miller’s staying too.
That means the responsibility of salvaging something from this season - even if it’s just pride, accountability, and a stronger culture - falls squarely on the shoulders of the coach and the captain.
“You can’t just come back and waste your last six weeks of the season,” Friedman said.
And he’s right. The Rangers may be out of the playoff picture, but that doesn’t mean the final 25 games - packed into just 49 days - are meaningless.
This is where habits are built. This is where young players learn what it means to compete every night in the NHL.
And this is where leaders prove their worth, even when the stakes are no longer measured in playoff seeding.
Tanking? That’s not in Sullivan’s vocabulary.
And it doesn’t seem to be in Miller’s either. They’re both wired to compete, even when the odds are stacked.
And that’s exactly what the Rangers need right now - a recommitment to effort, identity, and accountability.
The season hasn’t gone the way anyone in New York hoped. But how it ends still matters.
And when Sullivan and Miller return from Italy, they’ll need to be on the same page - because the final stretch isn’t just about finishing strong. It’s about laying the groundwork for what comes next.