Just two seasons ago, the New York Rangers earned the Presidents’ Trophy as the best regular-season team in the NHL. They went on to battle the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final, where they fell in six games. A fantastic season with a disappointing end, but still with hope that their Cup-contending window would remain open.
In 2024-25, they finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division and six points out of a playoff spot.
They also fired their coach, traded their captain and, in the off-season, unloaded Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks just one year after a 39-goal season.
Needless to say, there’s been some upheaval in Manhattan the past 12 months.
It’ll be tough for the Rangers to turn it around this season, admittedly, given the resurgence of the Washington Capitals, the always-in-contention Carolina Hurricanes and a New Jersey Devils team that’s always in the mix in the Metro Division. Also, don’t forget the ever-crowded wild-card race across the Eastern Conference.
But the Blueshirts have one of the best goalies in hockey and a new coach with two Stanley Cups under his belt. Stranger things have happened.
Our 32 teams in 32 games takes us to New York once again as we preview the Rangers.
The Crown Jewel of general manager Chris Drury’s off-season was Gavrikov, who signed a seven-year, $49 million contract in free agency. The 29-year-old spent the previous three seasons in Los Angeles, where he established himself as an elite shutdown defender. In the absence of Drew Doughty, Gavrikov was relied upon to eat big minutes and you can expect him to play in high-leverage situations in New York. Gavrikov’s defence-first mindset will, in theory, help to stabilize the top pairing and allow Adam Fox to play his game without shouldering as much defensive responsibility (a bit more on that later).
“Defending, certainly defending in the high-danger areas, which we simply put were not good at last year,” general manager Chris Drury said after signing Gavrikov, per NHL.com. “The size, the reach, the competitiveness, the way he defends, the way he’s able to complement his partner whether that’s (Adam) Fox or any other right-shot (defenceman) that we have. That’s what excited all of us in targeting this player.”
In Gavrikov, the Rangers get something they haven’t had in some time: a true shutdown d-man to partner with their Norris Trophy-winning No. 1.
In just his second full year in the NHL, Will Cuylle took a massive step forward. Playing in all 82 games for the Rangers, Cuylle more than doubled his point total from the 2023-24 season, scoring 20 goals and 45 points while averaging 15:05 on ice per night. It’s worth noting, too, that Cuylle managed to do so at a time when the team — and most of its stars — were underperforming. For this, he earned a two-year, $7.8 million contract extension and every opportunity to make his mark in the top-six following Kreider’s departure.
At just 23, Cuylle represents the development of a young contingent that is so crucial to a team that is ageing, and who seem to be on the precipice of a transition period. If he can carry this momentum into the upcoming season, he’ll be well on his way to cementing his place in the Rangers’ future plans.
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The 23rd-overall pick from 2023 played five games at the end of last season after finishing up his collegiate career, but he’ll have to have a good pre-season in order to ensure he’ll make the opening-night roster for his rookie season. Perreault played his two years in the NCAA with Boston College, heading to the Frozen Four in his freshman year, where he and the Eagles lost in the final to the Denver Pioneers. In his final NCAA season, he had 16 goals and 48 points in 37 games.
Of course, top prospect or not, Perreault’s pre-season will be crucial if he wants to earn a roster spot made available by off-season departures. There could also be benefits, however, in allowing the 20-year-old to start with the farm team, where he would get meaningful reps. Former University of Michigan forward Rutger McGroarty spent the majority of last season in the AHL, and Mackie Samoskevich spent two seasons in the minors before winning a Stanley Cup with the Panthers last year.
The Rangers already dealt two of their drafted-and-developed talent in Miller and Kaapo Kakko; it’s now in their best interest to set Perreault up for success in New York.
When J.T. Miller was traded to the Rangers from the Vancouver Canucks in January 2025, he came with baggage. Through his six seasons on the West Coast, he proved himself to be a bonafide top-line centre in the NHL, but off-ice tension marred his legacy in Vancouver, and he was offered a fresh start with the team that drafted him 15th overall in 2011. For all the Rangers’ struggles last season, Miller slotted into the lineup and was able to make himself helpful, scoring 13 goals and 35 points in his 32 regular-season games with the team — the same number of points he had with the Canucks, in eight fewer games.
For his efforts, the Rangers awarded him the ‘C’ for the first time in his career, tasked with leading a team trying to keep its contention window open. We know Miller is able to elevate his game — he had three 30-plus goal, one 99-point and one 103-point seasons with the Canucks. But he’s also admitted that he’s emotional, and that can sometimes bleed into his game. Will he be able to lead a team, off ice and on, if the going gets tough?
2. Can Mike Sullivan stop the free fall?
When the Rangers followed up their best season of the 2020s with last year’s flop, they cut Peter Laviolette loose and turned to Sullivan, who finished his 10-year tenure with the Penguins with two Stanley Cups and a .537 winning percentage, taking Pittsburgh to the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons. Granted, Sullivan had the golden trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang on his side, but the combination of Sullivan’s winning record and the elite, if underperforming of late, talent on the Rangers could give the squad a bump in the head coach’s first year. He’s already instilled a culture of accountability in the first week of training camp, declaring “No B.S.” as a mantra for the players and staff to fall back on. Can this be enough for the Rangers to rebound?
3. Will this be an Adam Fox bounce-back season?
If the Rangers are to have a successful 2025-26, they need Adam Fox to return to his elite form. He won the Norris Trophy after the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, where he scored five goals and registered 47 points in 55 games. He then followed that with three more successful seasons. Though his offensive numbers only took a slight dip last season, Fox — much like the Rangers as a whole — underperformed to his standards, which included a lacklustre showing at the 4 Nations Face-Off, for which Sullivan was his head coach.
“I think Foxy knows he’s capable of a better game,” Sullivan told The Athletic‘s Michael Russo in early September. “I told him when I became his coach that I was going to do everything in my power to help him become the best version of himself.”
Not helping Fox’s cause was a lack of a true, top-pairing partner, cycling through shifts with Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller and Carson Soucy. With Gavrikov added, specifically with Fox in mind, the 27-year-old should be in a position to sneak back into the Norris conversation.
Another motivating factor — not only is Fox playing to help the Rangers, he’s also playing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic squad. Given these factors, we should expect Fox to come out of the gate swinging.
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