Let’s be honest: the New York Rangers’ playoff hopes probably became unrealistic after losing to the bottom-of-the-barrel Vancouver Canucks last month. After which, I predicted that the loss would put president and general manager Chris Drury on notice. Now, I’ll not only double down on that, but take it a step further – he will be fired by this year’s March 6 trade deadline.
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Although it was nice to see the Rangers win another outdoor game and Mika Zibanejad skating around with the Cocoa Cup, it’s hard to imagine things turning around. The season likely ends in catastrophe, marking another without the playoffs.
Why Fire Him and Move On
If the Rangers go on another big losing streak, don’t be surprised to see owner James Dolan jump and make a change. While the executive chairman and chief executive officer of Madison Square Garden Sports, who inked an extension with Drury just months ago, may not want to do it, he may have no other choice.
A team that was supposed to be contending for the Stanley Cup last season and return to at least playoff contention in 2025-26 is in jeopardy of not qualifying for the postseason for the second straight campaign.
It’s fair to assume that just about every move Drury makes in the near future will be focused on saving 2025-26 instead of preparing for next season. In other words, the 49-year-old might feel pressure to make a big, reckless trade in an effort to save his job. And frankly, you can’t blame him.
It’s up to Dolan to sense potential desperation and not sabotage the long-term interest of the organization.
A Failed Retool and Revolving Door of Head Coaches
For Drury, his tenure as an executive with the Rangers has been a mixed bag. He was wise to extend Adam Fox long-term to a $9.5 million average annual value contract, but he will continue to rue the day he traded Pavel Buchnevich for a second-round pick and Sammy Blais. Add that to the fact that Drury has fired three different coaches since getting promoted to president and GM.
Drury’s track record features two trips to the Eastern Conference Final. But what matters is the results recently. As of now, the Rangers remain on track to miss the playoffs for the second straight season. It’s not like Drury led his team to a Stanley Cup win as an executive, or even getting to the Final to begin with. In fact, the only evidence we have is that the organization is trending the wrong way.
The Rangers have already tried changing the coach multiple times and now have a future Hall of Famer in Mike Sullivan, who won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins about a decade ago. Drury has already tried reconstructing the roster; suffice to say, it all hasn’t panned out.
The only thing the organization hasn’t tried is moving on from their GM. This would require Dolan to take action, and if the Rangers remain near the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference, he will have no other choice.
Two months remain until the trade deadline. While that’s enough time to turn things around, the team has shown few signs that they are capable of sustaining a long winning streak.
The good news is that Fox has returned from injury, and captain J.T. Miller, who has resumed skating, might not be too far away from in-game action either. This will help – but injuries are a part of the game. Every team deals with them, and you need to manage them in the short term. The Rangers haven’t been able to do that.
Haven’t seen this place since last year!#NYR are practicing in Tarrytown, with JT Miller in red for non-contact. Noah Laba skated on his own this morning. pic.twitter.com/pvFIHo2Rkh
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) January 4, 2026
Again, it’s all the reason to rationally think that Drury’s days are numbered. It’s not inside information, rather an educated guess based on where the club is trending. If and when he is fired will depend on how far Dolan’s patience goes.
