The New York Rangers came into this season with a mix of hope and hesitation-a team caught between high expectations and recent underachievement. When you bring in Mike Sullivan, a two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach, you're not signaling a rebuild.
You’re signaling that it’s time to win. But after a disappointing campaign last year-especially following a deep playoff run the season before-the Rangers entered this season with more questions than answers.
And now, a couple of months in, the picture is starting to take shape: this is a team stuck in the NHL’s dreaded middle ground.
Let’s be honest-this version of the Rangers doesn’t look like a contender, but they’re not bottoming out either. That’s the problem.
They’re not bad enough to blow it all up, but they’re not good enough to scare anyone come playoff time. At home, they've struggled mightily, and their place in the standings reflects a team that’s been more frustrating than formidable.
Yet, it’s not like the roster is devoid of talent. Adam Fox remains one of the game’s elite defensemen, and Igor Shesterkin is still a top-tier goaltender capable of stealing games on his own.
That kind of backbone-an all-world blueliner and a world-class netminder-is something most teams would kill for. Up front, names like Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and J.T.
Miller bring credibility and past production. On paper, it doesn’t look half bad.
But hockey isn’t played on paper.
Trocheck has missed time with injury. Panarin, once the heartbeat of this offense, hasn’t looked like himself.
J.T. Miller has been inconsistent, a mix of lingering health issues and underwhelming play.
Then there’s Alexis Lafrenière, still searching for that next step, and Will Cuylle, who’s hit a wall after a promising start. The secondary scoring?
It’s been nearly nonexistent. When your top guys are off and the supporting cast can’t pick up the slack, you get what the Rangers are right now-an offense that’s sputtering more than surging.
Defensively, though, there’s been progress. This is a group that’s historically had its issues keeping the puck out of the net, but this season has been a different story.
Fox is back to playing at a Norris-caliber level. Vladislav Gavrikov has lived up to his contract, anchoring the blue line with steady, physical play.
Will Borgen has been a quiet revelation, and the rest of the unit has held up well. It’s not an elite group, but it’s been good enough to keep the team afloat.
So what do you get when you combine a slightly above-average defense with a below-average offense? You get a team hovering around .500. You get the “mushy middle.”
Mike Sullivan is doing what he can-tweaking lines, adjusting systems, trying to squeeze more out of a roster that might not have much left to give. There’s no magic button here.
The core is aging, and it’s starting to show. The younger players haven’t stepped up in a meaningful way.
That’s not a coaching issue. That’s a roster reality.
Looking ahead, the big question is how the Rangers get out of this middle ground. Artemi Panarin’s contract coming off the books in free agency will free up cap space-but for what?
The upcoming free agent class doesn’t offer much in the way of game-changers. J.T.
Miller could rebound, but the days of him pushing 100 points seem like a thing of the past. And even if Lafrenière takes a leap, what’s the ceiling?
Maybe a 70-75 point winger at best?
Right now, this team’s ceiling feels like a wild-card squad that leans heavily on its goaltender to cover up the cracks. And the floor? A team that slips out of the playoff picture entirely.
It’s not a disaster. But it’s not the kind of trajectory you want when you’ve got a Cup-winning coach behind the bench and high-end talent on the roster.
The Rangers need a spark-whether it comes from within or via a bold move from the front office. Because in today’s NHL, the middle isn’t a place you want to be.
It’s where teams go to get stuck.