Rangers in Retreat: How a Once-Promising Contender Lost Its Way
The New York Rangers are no strangers to reinvention. As one of the NHL’s Original Six, they’ve seen eras of dominance and drought, near-glory and full-on rebuilds. But what’s happening now in the wake of their 2024 Presidents’ Trophy run feels different - not just a stumble, but a full-on slide into uncertainty.
Two seasons ago, the Rangers were knocking on the door of the Stanley Cup Final. Now, they’re stuck in a holding pattern with a fractured roster, a front office under fire, and a fan base wondering how it all went so wrong so fast.
Let’s break it down.
From Presidents’ Trophy to Playoff Collapse
Winning the Presidents’ Trophy is supposed to be a sign that everything is clicking. But for the Rangers - like the Bruins (2023), Panthers (2022), and Lightning (2019) before them - it became more of a curse than a crown.
The Rangers’ 2024 playoff exit was gutting. After taking a 2-1 series lead in the Conference Final against the Panthers, they lost three straight one-goal games to bow out in six.
That locker room after Game 6? Somber doesn’t even begin to describe it.
You could feel the weight of what was coming - not just the end of a playoff run, but the unraveling of a core that had once looked built for sustained contention.
A Series of Missteps
The fallout from that loss wasn’t subtle. It started at the top with GM Chris Drury, whose handling of key departures and trade rumors created a ripple effect of instability.
Barclay Goodrow and Jacob Trouba were both shown the door in ways that didn’t sit well inside the room. But the real head-scratcher was the public messaging around Chris Kreider - a heart-and-soul player for the franchise - being shopped. That kind of move doesn’t just shake up trade value; it sends a message to the locker room that no one is safe.
Then there’s the Artemi Panarin situation. Publicly airing out your leading scorer - a guy who’s been producing at an elite level for seven seasons - is a PR nightmare.
It’s not just about bruised egos; it’s about what kind of culture you’re building. And right now, New York isn’t exactly looking like a destination franchise.
Add to that the carousel behind the bench. Drury has cycled through three head coaches during his tenure.
Peter Laviolette and Mike Sullivan both came with resumes, but neither has been able to turn this roster into a cohesive, playoff-hardened unit. Whether that’s on the coaches, the players, or the front office is up for debate - but the results speak for themselves.
Meanwhile, around the league, younger coaches like Spencer Carbery in Washington and Ryan Warsofsky in San Jose are showing what fresh voices can do. The Rangers? They're still trying to make yesterday’s answers work in today’s NHL.
Lessons from South Florida
If the Rangers are looking for a blueprint, they don’t have to look far. The Florida Panthers were in a similar spot not long ago - a Presidents’ Trophy team that got bounced early. But instead of doubling down, GM Bill Zito tore into the foundation and rebuilt with purpose.
Zito didn’t just shuffle the deck; he changed the culture. His first big swing was trading for Patric Hornqvist, a move that brought grit and leadership.
Then came Radko Gudas in free agency, adding bite to the blue line. And when he moved on from Andrew Brunette - even after a 122-point season - it was clear he wasn’t chasing popularity.
He was chasing fit.
Paul Maurice came in and did exactly what the Panthers needed: unified a roster, maximized every player’s role, and created a team-first identity. That’s not lip service - it showed up on the ice.
Zito’s trades weren’t just splashy; they were smart. He brought in Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, Seth Jones, Brad Marchand - players who fit the system and elevated the group.
He found value in players like Carter Verhaeghe and Gustav Forsling, and gave second chances to veterans like Dmitry Kulikov and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Even Niko Mikkola, who the Rangers let walk, has become a key piece in Florida.
The result? Back-to-back Cups and a roster that plays like a unit, not a collection of individuals.
So, Where Do the Rangers Go From Here?
Right now, the Rangers are stuck. Drury is still calling the shots, and Sullivan appears to be the guy behind the bench for the foreseeable future. There’s no cavalry coming from the farm system, and the team’s two first-round picks this year feel more like lottery tickets than lifelines.
The harsh truth is this: New York’s front office has lost the benefit of the doubt. When you publicly dangle stars like Panarin and Kreider, you don’t just lose leverage - you lose trust, both in the locker room and around the league.
And yet, the Rangers will continue to fill the Garden. That’s the paradox of being an Original Six team in a die-hard market.
The fans will show up. The corporate dollars will keep flowing.
But unless something changes - and fast - the product on the ice won’t match the price of admission.
The Rangers aren’t just in a slump. They’re in an identity crisis. And until they figure out who they want to be - and build a team that reflects that - they’ll keep spinning their wheels while other franchises pass them by.
The question isn’t just “Where do we go from here?” It’s “How did we get so far off course?”