2024 was a rollercoaster year for the New York Rangers and their fans. On Jan. 1, 2024, the Rangers had the best record in the NHL. On Jan. 1, 2025, they have the worst record in the Metropolitan Divison. The Rangers have had incredible moments, like Artemi Panarin’s overtime goal in the Stadium Series and Vincent Trocheck’s double-overtime goal in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
Now they have a dismal power play and a record of 4-15-0 in their last 22 games, it has not been just a decline, but a freefall for the ages. But as 2025 begins, the Rangers will have to make tough decisions as the 2024-25 season continues.
Resolution Number One: The Clock Strikes Midnight on Zibanejad
The Rangers’ first New Year’s resolution must be addressing the Mika Zibanejad situation. Zibanejad has brought a lot of joy and wins to the Rangers, but he has struggled over the last few seasons, and this season, his game has completely fallen off. He has been the least valuable player on the Rangers, outside of maybe Jacob Trouba before he was traded. The Rangers must find a way out of his contract or severely limit his ice time unless he can somehow rediscover the player he once was. The Rangers are not going to be able to compete with the current version of Zibanejad as their top-line center.
While he has finally been removed from the power-play unit—breaking a long scoreless streak against the Florida Panthers—he is still being used in 6-on-5 situations, such as last night when the Rangers pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. Whether it involves convincing Zibanejad to waive his no-movement clause, healthy scratching him for the duration of his contract, or buying him out in the summer—even though the cap savings would be essentially zero and the Rangers would be stuck with a $333,333 dead cap hit for the five following seasons—Zibanejad’s Rangers tenure must come to an end.
Resolution Number Two: Play the Future Now
The Rangers’ second New Year’s resolution is to play their younger players more. The list includes Will Cuylle, Brett Berard, Filip Chytil, Adam Edström, Brennan Othmann, when he is healthy, and Zac Jones.
Cuylle has been one of, if not the best, Rangers skater this season. He never gives up on plays and has managed 24 points in 36 games despite receiving almost no power-play time. Berard has been a solid addition when not stuck on a line with veteran players who are struggling. Chytil’s speed and shoot-first mentality have helped the team create chances. While his point total is not high this season, he posted a 45-point season with minimal power-play time two years ago, so the scoring should eventually come. Edström adds speed, size, and physicality to the fourth line, with the potential to develop into a great bottom-six forward. The key with these four players is their relentlessness: they never give up, never back down, and always defend their linemates.
Jones has been a healthy scratch for some time. The Rangers need to either trade him or play him. He has done everything the organization has asked of him and has never been a problem off the ice. In the Rangers’ current state, they should let him play or give him a change of scenery to continue his development elsewhere. Finally, Othmann, the 16th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, has not yet become the player the Rangers hoped for. He has dealt with injuries this season, but when healthy, he should be given a spot in the lineup. It’s time to see what he can do. Othmann still has the potential to be a top-six forward and was producing at a point-per-game pace for the Hartford Wolf Pack before his injury. The only way to find out if he can reach his potential is to give him minutes when he is healthy.
It’s time for the Rangers to focus on their youth. These players are either the only ones showing heart or the ones with the potential to prove their worth, and limiting their minutes does nothing to help the team in the long run.
Resolution Number 3: New Leadership
The Rangers’ third resolution is to address their leadership and accountability problem. They are the only team in the NHL without a captain. Trading their former captain, Trouba, to the Anaheim Ducks was a smart move. It freed them from a terrible contract and a player who, as Larry Brooks described, was “the worst captain in the history of the franchise” (from ‘Rangers have quit on Peter Laviolette — and it will eventually cost him his job,’ New York Post, Dec. 29, 2024). However, this has left a leadership void. While the Rangers do not need to and should not name a captain right now, they must reexamine their alternate captains. The team should strip the letters from players who are not deserving and either give them to players who are, like Cuylle, or go without them altogether. It is clear that Zibanejad should no longer wear a letter on his jersey.
On the accountability side, head coach Peter Laviolette must start benching veterans who are not performing well. So far, Chris Kreider is the only veteran to face any sort of benching. Meanwhile, players like Jones and Kaapo Kakko, who has since been traded to the Seattle Kraken, have been benched despite performing better than other veterans who did not see a reduction in ice time. This double standard is unfair and cannot continue. If it does, the Rangers will risk driving more players out of town, just as they did with Kakko. While Kakko may not have become the star they expected from a second-overall pick, he is still a solid middle-six forward. Just because he did not live up to draft expectations does not mean he was worthless to the Rangers.
Resolution Number 4: No More Wasted Potential
The Rangers’ fourth resolution goes past this year. For a long time, the Rangers have struggled with asset management. Since 2017, the Rangers have had 11 first-round draft picks. From 2017 to 2020, they had eight. Of the eight players they selected, only four remain with the team. Two, Lias Andersson and Vitali Kravtsov, are no longer in the NHL. The issue does not necessarily lie with the picks but rather with how the Rangers have handled their assets.
Related: The Fall of Mika Zibanejad: A Star’s Decline on Broadway
Andersson was an example of good asset management. He was clearly not going to be an NHL player, and former Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton traded him to the Los Angeles Kings for a second-round pick that became Cuylle. However, there are more examples of bad asset management than good asset management. Kakko was traded for Will Borgen, who has struggled as a Ranger and likely will not be one for much longer, whether he is traded at the deadline or walks as a free agent in the offseason, and two late-round picks. Kakko is on pace for just under 40 points this season and has three points in five games for the Kraken. If the Rangers knew they were going to trade Kakko, then benching him was a dereliction of duty, as it took away any leverage they had, resulting in trading him for less than he was worth. Darren Dreger said, “Chris Drury left something on the table.”
Jones is another example. By scratching him night after night, the Rangers are plummeting his trade value if that is the end goal. He is a solid offensive defenseman who can help the team if they play him, but instead, he sits in the press box while his value depreciates.
The Rangers need to find a way to manage their assets, and that starts with the general manager.
Resolution Number Five: Pick a Direction
The Rangers’ final resolution is picking a path forward. As it currently stands, they are both seven points out of the postseason and last place in the NHL. Those should be the two focuses, either make the playoffs or be bad enough to have a real shot at having the first overall pick. The worst possible outcome for the Rangers at this point in the season would be barely missing the playoffs and picking somewhere in the 10-16 range.
If management does not believe the Rangers can turn their season around, then they need to do everything in their power to make sure they finish as close to last as possible. Whether that means shutting down Adam Fox, who suffered a knee injury last postseason and still seems to be nursing it, or going even further and trading away some of their franchise centerpieces for future assets. They need to pick a direction soon.
Perhaps they can follow in the footsteps of the New Jersey Devils, who had a strong 2022-23 season but a bad 2023-24 season, missed the playoffs, drafted Anton Silayev, reloaded, and are now a top team in the league. Maybe, they need to go into a full rebuild and build around Gabe Perreault and Alexis Lafreniere.
One thing is for certain. They cannot be directionless and they need a number one center. James Hagens could be the answer to many of the Rangers’ current problems and if they are not going to make the playoffs, being in a position to get Hagens should be priority number one.
Midnight Strikes, Decision Await
As 2024 comes to an end and 2025 begins, the Rangers find themselves in a place that no one expected. The past year has been a roller coaster, but the Rangers must make a plan to move forward. With a new year comes new expectations, far lower than they were just three months ago. The Rangers need a clear path forward. Perhaps 2025 will bring wins back to Broadway, or maybe by October, Hagens jerseys will be flying off the shelves in New York City. One thing is certain. If the Rangers fail to pick a direction, they will only continue to disappoint.
