Rangers’ Slide Continues: Leadership Questions Mount as Season Slips Away
With the Olympic break pausing most of the NHL schedule this February, the latest installment of our Ten Game Temp Check series comes early-and with it, another tough look at where the New York Rangers stand. After a brutal 2-6-2 stretch last time out, the team has followed that up by winning just one of their next seven.
The Rangers now sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and 30th overall in the NHL. If the season ended today, they’d be staring down the third overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, per Tankathon projections.
Let’s take a look at the last seven games:
- @ Los Angeles - 4-3 Loss
- @ San Jose - 3-1 Loss
- vs. Boston - 4-3 OT Loss
- @ NY Islanders - 5-2 Loss
- **vs.
NY Islanders - 2-1 Win**
- @ Pittsburgh - 6-5 Loss
- vs. Carolina - 2-0 Loss
One win in seven tries. That’s the reality.
And while the Rangers haven’t officially been eliminated from playoff contention, any hopes of climbing back into the race are now firmly in the rearview mirror. The season, in terms of postseason aspirations, is over.
The Trouble Runs Deep
It’s not just the losses-it’s how they’re happening. This team isn’t getting blown out every night, but they’re not competing consistently either.
There’s been a noticeable lack of urgency, of battle, of the kind of tenacity you expect from a group trying to claw its way out of the basement. The Rangers aren’t just struggling-they look disengaged.
And when a team looks like it’s going through the motions, eyes naturally turn to leadership.
The J.T. Miller Dilemma
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: J.T. Miller.
When the Rangers reacquired Miller around this time last year, the move made sense on paper. They moved on from Filip Chytil-an understandable decision given his trajectory-and cashed in on Victor Mancini, a fifth-round pick with a limited ceiling.
The front office gave up draft capital in a calculated effort to keep the team competitive. It was a bold swing, and at the time, it felt justified.
But fast forward to now, and the return on that investment is looking grim.
Miller is currently sidelined with injury, so it’s fair to acknowledge that his impact is limited at the moment. But even before the injury, the signs weren’t encouraging.
As the captain of the New York Rangers, Miller was expected to set the tone-on the ice, in the locker room, and in the culture. He was supposed to be the guy who dragged his teammates into the fight, the one who embodied the “No BS” mantra that was echoed throughout training camp.
Instead, we’ve seen a captain struggling to lead a team that’s unraveling.
It’s not just about the stat sheet. It’s about presence.
Accountability. Fire.
And right now, those qualities are hard to find in the Rangers’ dressing room. When a team is spiraling like this, leadership matters more than ever.
And Miller, for all the praise he received as a tone-setter and culture guy, hasn’t delivered when it’s mattered most.
To add another layer, his reputation as a glue guy was strong enough that the U.S. Olympic team left off its top American goal scorer to make room for him.
That speaks volumes about how he’s viewed in hockey circles. But the version of Miller we’ve seen in the last year hasn’t lived up to that billing.
Bigger Than One Player
To be clear, this isn’t all on J.T. Miller.
Far from it. The Rangers’ problems are systemic.
The roster lacks cohesion, the effort level is inconsistent, and there’s little sign of a team identity forming. But when things go south, the spotlight naturally shifts to the leadership group-and Miller is at the center of that.
The Rangers need more than just a healthy lineup. They need accountability.
They need urgency. And they need their captain to lead like one.
Looking Ahead
With the Olympic break now underway, the Rangers have some time to regroup. But let’s be honest-this isn’t about salvaging the season anymore.
It’s about finding out who’s going to be part of the solution moving forward. Which players still have fight.
Which voices still carry weight. Which leaders step up when the games feel meaningless but the message still matters.
Because even in a lost season, you can learn a lot about a team. And right now, the Rangers have some serious soul-searching to do.