At the time of this writing, the New York Rangers will play the first game of their centennial season tonight when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden. They are ready to put the disaster that was last season behind them and start fresh with the same goal in mind: to win a Stanley Cup.
Despite expectations being lower for the Rangers this season, this is still a “Cup or Bust” season for a team that is only getting older and could see significant changes to its roster by the time next season rolls around.
The Core Players Are Only Getting Older
Before last season began, former Rangers captain Jacob Trouba called it “The Last Dance” for that core group of players because he knew that changes were going to be made after the season. Well, these changes started earlier than expected when the team started to struggle last season, and Trouba was the first name to be traded. Other players like Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko, and K’Andre Miller were also moved over the course of the season and this offseason, including another big piece of the core. Chris Kreider, the longest-tenured Ranger, was traded to the Anaheim Ducks, joining Trouba in California after a poor season filled with injuries.
Despite moving on from Trouba and Kreider, the Rangers’ core is still made up of a majority of players who are 30 years old and over. Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck, and new Rangers captain J.T. Miller are all 32 years old, while Artemi Panarin is 33 years old. The only two players below the age of 30 that can be considered part of the core are Adam Fox, who is 27 years old, and Igor Shesterkin, who is 29 years old. So, this team is not getting any younger, and these players are in their prime now. It is more important now than last season, because when this season is over, one of these players might have played his last game as a Ranger.
Artemi Panarin’s Future Is Unknown
One of the bigger questions heading into the season is what the future in New York looks like for Panarin. He is entering the last year of his contract, and so far, there has been little talk of an extension. Many thought that the Rangers were holding off on an extension because they wanted to have enough money available next offseason when big names like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kirill Kaprizov were/are scheduled to become free agents. Well, McDavid and Kaprizov have both signed extensions with their teams, and it seems Eichel will be the next domino to fall. This means that Panarin could be the top name available on the free agent market, so the Rangers may have no choice but to try and sign him to an extension.
Related: Rangers Need J.T. Miller at His Best This Season
There are pros and cons to signing him to an extension. The pros include that he is still one of the top players in the league despite being 33 (will turn 34 at the end of October). He put up 89 points last season on a bad team, and the season prior, he scored 49 goals and recorded 120 points, the best season of his career. If he can have another one of those seasons in 2025-26, he will make the choice easy and deserve an extension in New York.
However, this could be the best time to move on from him, as he is getting older and father time catches up with everyone. They could use the money they would have spent on him to bring a younger star to the team because this team should focus on getting younger. It will be interesting to see how this situation plays out over the season because this could very well be Panarin’s last in New York.
The Eastern Conference Is Weaker Than It Has Been in Seasons Past
If everything goes right for the Rangers this season, they could end up as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. They play in the weakest division in the league, the Metropolitan. Outside of the Carolina Hurricanes, the rest of the teams in the division have questions surrounding them.
Can the New Jersey Devils stay healthy? Can the Washington Capitals repeat the success they had last regular season, or will their luck run out? Will the Columbus Blue Jackets be able to take the next step after having a good 2024-25? Will the Penguins, New York Islanders, and Philadelphia Flyers be competitive as they continue their rebuilds? The Metro is a weak division, and the Rangers need to take advantage of the uncertainty.
The rest of the Eastern Conference is also full of question marks. The Florida Panthers don’t care about where they finish in the standings as long as they make the playoffs. They are without their captain, Aleksander Barkov, for the regular season and likely the playoffs, and without Matthew Tkachuk until late December. Teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs will likely return to the playoffs, but the rest of the Atlantic Division has question marks.
Can the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens repeat the success they had last season and get back to the postseason? Will the Detroit Red Wings finally take the next step and fight for a playoff spot? Can the Boston Bruins, who had a similar season to the Rangers in 2024-25, get back to being the Bruins of old? Will the Buffalo Sabres end their playoff drought and prove people wrong?
The 2025-26 NHL season begins tonight, and for the Rangers, this season is about getting back to being a contending team and back to the playoffs so they can have a chance of winning the Stanley Cup. It won’t be an easy season as the Rangers also have questions surrounding the team. But this season is more “Cup or Bust” than ones prior since this core is getting older, and the team may not look the same after this season is over.
