There was plenty of optimism surrounding the New York teams when the 2024-25 season began. The New York Rangers are in a Stanley Cup or bust type of season, the New Jersey Devils looked poised to bounce back, and the New York Islanders, while on the decline, still looked like they would be a good team.
The Devils are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference but otherwise, all optimism is gone. The Islanders are the worst team in the Metropolitan Division and are coming off their worst loss of the season, a 5-2 stomping on Dec. 5 to the Seattle Kraken. The Rangers meanwhile are spiraling downward in the standings with six losses in the last seven games.
Related: Rangers’ Drury Should Act Decisively to Fix His Roster
The Rangers are the bigger shock considering their expectations, and their struggles raise greater concerns. This team could be in trouble if they don’t change the outlook of their roster and in a few seasons, they could be where the Islanders are currently. That’s not a place any franchise wants to be so general manager (GM) Chris Drury must make wise decisions in the coming months.
Rangers’ Roster Build Is Getting Stale
The Rangers’ roster for the most part has remained the same since they became a Cup contender. Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, and Mika Zibanejad lead the forward unit, Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller are the anchors of the defense, and Igor Shesterkin is the elite goaltender in the net.
This group led them to the Eastern Conference Final in 2022 and 2024. There were a few additions and subtractions since then with Vincent Trocheck being a notable addition to the top six, but the core has remained the same. It’s a great core to build around and that’s what Drury has done.
Generally, it’s a good thing to have the same roster from one season to the next, especially when it’s one of the best in the NHL. The problem is that the Rangers are starting to get old, not from an age standpoint per se (although Kreider and Panarin are both 33), but they look stale. This team needs fresh faces, notably in their core to keep them competitive but avoid having this team slowly decline. They can’t continue to push the envelope and expect to remain a Cup contender as other teams in the region have learned.
Islanders Ran It Back Too Many Times
It wasn’t long ago that the Islanders were in the same position as the Rangers. They reached the Stanley Cup Semifinal two seasons in a row and had a lot of great pieces in place to remain competitive for years to come. Barry Trotz was the coach and had the team playing defensive-minded, forechecking hockey while both the defense and goaltending were built to shut down anyone.
The problem is that with Lou Lamoriello as the GM, the Islanders kept running it back and trying to stay competitive with the same group. He re-signed most of the key skaters and even some depth players like Scott Mayfield, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Casey Cizikas, and Pierre Engvall to long-term deals. The big change has been behind the bench with Lamoriello on his third coach in his tenure as GM.
The roster slowly declined and the Islanders went from a Cup-caliber team to a borderline playoff team to one of the worst in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers have everything going for them right now but things could fall apart quickly. They have already seen some of the issues as a team in the middle of the Metropolitan Division and not at the top, and it’s not crazy to think that they will be out of the playoff picture if things don’t change.
How the Rangers Can Avoid the Trap
This offseason will help out by default. The Rangers must pay Shesterkin and considering the contract he will likely sign, it will force them to move on from some players, and it’s starting to happen. Their captain, Jacob Trouba, has been on the trade block all offseason, and on Dec. 6, he was left out of the lineup with the expectation that he would be traded.
Moving on from Trouba will help them reset, but they need to do more to change things up. Panarin and Zibanejad have no-trade clauses attached to their contracts but Kreider has a modified no-movement clause (a 15-team no-trade list) and Trocheck will after this season. Kreider is one of the faces of the franchise and a key part of the offense but at 33, moving him could open up some salary cap space and help them pivot.
A few trades will help the Rangers pivot and it’s possible that they stay competitive with a new core. It would be Panarin, Zibanejad, and rising star Alexis Lafreniere in the top six with Fox and Miller on defense, and Shesterkin in the net. However, change must also happen to the depth, which has plenty of veterans playing key roles instead of younger skaters at the moment.
The Other Avenue For the Rangers
The Rangers have a handful of prospects on the American Hockey League (AHL) roster who can make an impact at the NHL level. Matt Rempe is the one that most casual fans think of because of his hard-hitting and fighting ability, but the ones who can make the bigger difference are forward Brett Berard and goaltender Dylan Garand.
Berard is a smaller skater but he creates scoring chances and is a scorer from the wing who notably gashes opponents with open ice to work with. Garand meanwhile is still developing as a goaltender but could become an affordable backup goaltender for the Rangers by the start of next season. If those players make their marks, the Rangers have an avenue to not only pivot but become a younger team in the process.
The Rangers by all means are built to make a push for the Stanley Cup, not just this season but for future seasons as well. That’s why the right pivot is essential to success. Drury has made the right moves as the GM to make this team one of the best in the NHL but the next moves will define his tenure in the front office.
