Just a few seasons ago, the New York Rangers were at the top of the league, Presidents’ Trophy winners. Now, New York is 22-25-6 and fighting to keep their season alive. What happened during these last few seasons to create the mess that is the Rangers now? There are plenty of reasons, so let’s break them all down.
Drury mismanaged the roster
The man who is drawing the ire of the fans the most this season is Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury. Drury was promoted to the GM role after Jeff Gorton was fired in 2021. Since then, Drury has made some questionable moves. He’s traded a lot of New York’s younger talent, including Kaapo Kakko and Flilp Chytil. Drury also signed Alexis Lafrenière to his mega contract a few seasons ago, a contract that Lafrenière hasn’t lived up to.
Probably the most infamous move that Drury made was the trading of Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider. The release of Barclay Goodrow is of note as well. Goodrow was a playoff darling for the Rangers just the year before, but his regular season play wasn’t up to par in the eyes of Drury. Despite Goodrow wanting to stay and having a no-move clause to do it, Drury put Goodrow on waivers to be claimed by the San Jose Sharks, a move that had been discussed by both teams. Trouba, who was captain at the time didn’t have a choice but to be traded, which raised eyebrows across the league.
The Culture Problem
The Rangers solution to trading their captain was to trade for J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks. However, this move hasn’t panned out and left fans wondering what Drury’s plan was. Trading two good young players for someone who is over the age of 30 and won’t be playing much longer is odd. After missing the playoffs last season, many thought that Miller would fix the issues in the Rangers’ locker room after being named captain, but it seems to be getting worse.
We’ve seen frustration from the Rangers often this year, and a lack of hope and fight in the team is evident every night. That frustration, melded with the roster problems, have sent the Rangers’ season spiraling down the drain. Now, the Rangers are retooling, announced in a letter to the fans from Drury. As bad as Drury has been though, he is not completely at fault.
Player’s Aren’t Getting the Job Done
The Rangers had an opportunity to win the Stanley Cup multiple times. 2024-25 was their best chance, but New York’s top players disappeared when the team needs them most. Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider vanished against the Florida Panthers, and the result was a blown opportunity. New York had a chance to win the Cup against the Edmonton Oilers, who the Rangers matched up well into.
This season, many players are unperforming as well. Panarin had a slow start to the season, and his contract demands have pushed the Rangers to make him available for trade. William Cuylle, who many expected to take a massive step this year has been disappointing. Miller has had rough stretches, but he’s playing better as of late.
Where to Go from Here
For the Rangers, the main focus now needs to be on developing their young players. The main player the Rangers need to pan out is Gabe Perreault. Perrault is New York’s first round pick from 2023, and he’s seen some action with the main club. Despite scoring only eight points in 20 games, Perrault has shown flashes of greatness here and there. He is the future of this Rangers’ team, and developing him is a top priority.
WHATTA FEED by the rookie Gabe Perreault to Miller for the goal 🔥🚨 pic.twitter.com/pzNYVi5MvO
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 27, 2026
Matthew Robertson and Scott Morrow are interesting prospects to watch as well. Robertson is favoured by head coach Mike Sullivan, and he’s been getting more minutes since Adam Fox went down with an injury. Since then, Robertson has shown his reliability defensively and a little juice on offence too. Morrow is a good puck mover who could replace someone like Fox in the future.
Main Photo: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images