The Rangers’ season has already taken on a familiar shape: promise, turbulence, and a whole lot of questions.
It started with a strong home opening stretch that had New York fans feeling pretty good about where this team was headed. Then came October 9 in Washington, when starting goaltender Igor Shesterkin went down in the second period against the Capitals after injuring his leg on a play.
The next day, the team announced the injury was season-ending, a brutal blow less than two weeks into the season. Shesterkin’s career numbers - a .917 save percentage and a 2.51 goals-against average - explain why the loss landed so hard, especially after last season’s rocky finish.
With Shesterkin out, Dylan Garand was pushed into the spotlight. The 24-year-old, who had only five NHL games on his résumé, got the start in the next home game against the Vancouver Canucks on October 11 and helped the Rangers to a 6-2 win. Garand stopped 19 of 21 shots and used the opportunity to show he could handle the moment.
The bigger issue, though, is whether the Rangers’ young players can carry more of the load. Alexis Lafrenière, Will Cuylle, and Gabe Perreault are all being asked to take on greater responsibility as the season moves along.
Lafrenière, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, has been waiting for the kind of breakout that was expected of him, and this season has given him a chance to make that leap. He already has a hat trick against the New York Islanders, and through 15 games he has nine goals and seven assists.
Even with that offensive upside, the defense has been a mess. The Rangers have had trouble staying steady, especially on the road, where recent losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators exposed the cracks.
In the 5-4 loss to Toronto, they gave up 35 shots. Against Ottawa, defensive breakdowns helped the Senators build an early lead in a 7-4 defeat.
The problems kept coming at home. On October 26, the Los Angeles Kings beat the Rangers 6-3, and on November 1, the Edmonton Oilers handed them a 4-1 loss.
Against the Kings, the defense failed to support James Reimer, who had been signed the day before from AHL Hartford. Reimer allowed three goals on eight shots, and Garand had to come in after the first period.
Against Edmonton, the Rangers were down 2-0 within the first few minutes, another early hole that showed how quickly things can unravel when they don’t establish control.
That defeat to the Oilers was the Rangers’ fourth straight loss, and it left the fan base asking the obvious question: will they be able to stop the slide?
If there’s one player helping keep the picture from getting completely bleak, it’s Adam Fox. The defenseman has been one of the team’s bright spots offensively, putting up a goal and 16 assists through 15 games.
But even that production doesn’t erase the larger issue. The Rangers have to cut down on turnovers and stop handing opponents easy scoring chances.
Right now, the path forward depends on whether the young core can mesh with the defense and create something more stable from shift to shift. The talent is there, but the consistency and shared mindset that define regular playoff teams has not shown up yet. At 7-7-1 with 15 points, a postseason push is still out there, but it is far from locked in.
For Rangers fans, the uncertainty is nothing new. If this team is going to turn the season into something better, it will take grit from the players and the coaching staff alike to avoid another slump.
Lafrenière has a real chance to keep building his case as one of the team’s offensive leaders, and Garand now has the chance to prove he belongs at the NHL level. Shesterkin’s absence still looms over everything, and whether Garand can fill that void remains the biggest question of all.
Fans, for now, are left to watch with cautious optimism.
In Other News...
Adam Edstrm Is Making The Rangers Regret This One
Adam Edstrms move out of New York looked like a fairly routine depth shuffle at the time, the kind of transaction that barely registers once the roster churn settles. But after the Rangers sent him to Nashville, the big forward quickly found a more defined role with the Predators and has started to show the blend of size and finishing ability that made him an intriguing piece in the first place.
In Nashville, Edstrm has been getting more ice time and the results have followed, with five goals and an assist in 14 games along with strong underlying numbers. It has only sharpened the contrast with how he was viewed in New York, where former head coach Mike Sullivan publicly questioned his consistency while Edstrm was working back from injuries, leaving the Rangers with a familiar what-if as his game starts to click elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Make Another Forward Shuffle With One Roster Spot In Focus
The Rangers continued their forward juggling act by recalling Jaroslav Chmelar from AHL Hartford and sending Taylor Raddysh back the other way, another small but telling move as the club keeps sorting through its depth options. Chmelar has already gotten into seven NHL games this season, while Raddysh has had a brief run with the big club after his latest recall, and both have been productive enough in Hartford to stay in the conversation.
For the Rangers, the timing matters as much as the transaction itself. Chmelar is back in the mix after his earlier look at the NHL level, and Raddyshs status gives the team something to weigh as it manages its roster spot and decides who best fits the next stretch of games. The shuffle leaves one opening worth watching, especially with both forwards still trying to turn their AHL production into a steadier role in New York. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face An Early Season Test They Can't Afford To Fail
The Rangers are trying to steady themselves after a rough stretch that has left them searching for traction early in the season. Recent play has put them in a difficult spot in the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference, and the next few days offer a chance to start changing the conversation before the schedule gets tougher again.
Home games against the Blues and Flyers now loom as an important reset before the club heads out on its first major road trip of the season. With Pavel Dorofeyev and Dylan Garand drawing attention for their recent performances, the Rangers have at least a few individual bright spots to lean on, but the bigger question is whether those can translate into the kind of team results they need right away. [Read more 🡒]