Arguably, there was no lower point for the New York Rangers franchise than the 1992-93 season. The team, with high-end talent from Mark Messier and Brian Leetch, to a young Tony Amonte, unconscionably missed the playoffs – just a year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy. To say the least, it was a massive disappointment.
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Fans felt hopeless toward a franchise that had gone 54 years without witnessing a championship. A talented team in the pre-salary cap era was in disarray.
Fast-forwarding to the summer of 2025 – the feeling is similar (except the drought is now more than 30 years, rather than 54). The Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2023-24 and managed to not even qualify for the postseason a season later. It all feels the same – a talented team stuck in the wilderness. However, we know how 1994 ended and what it meant for New York. The 2025-26 Rangers will have a chance to do the same thing, although it’s tough to imagine right now.
Talented Roster
Why? There are multiple reasons. This isn’t to argue that the 1994 Stanley Cup team is a replica of today’s roster. Rather, the situation is similar.
For one, the talent remains. Sure, president and general manager and Chris Drury has shaken up the roster in the past year, which included trading former captain Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider. But all the superstars from the 2023-24 Presidents’ Trophy squad haven’t gone anywhere. This includes Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin. Plus, younger players who have more potential, including Alexis Lafrenière and Will Cuylle. They don’t compare to Leetch, Messier and Adam Graves – but there’s clearly enough talent to return to Stanley Cup contention.
A New Coaching Staff
Another thing in common: new voices. As the disaster was unfolding in 1992-93, the Rangers were forced to fire Roger Neilson mid-season. There was a fallout between captain Mark Messier and the coach at the time over defensive tactics, as pointed out in a recent article by List of Sweepstakes Casinos.
General manager at the time, Neil Smith, then brought in Mike Keenan to replace him after experimenting with Ron Smith mid-season, who was not retained. Fast forward to this spring, Drury replaced Peter Laviolette with Mike Sullivan after a number of trade rumors and off-ice distractions took a toll mentally on the group.
What do Sullivan and Keenan have in common besides trying to change the culture? Both won championships. Keenan didn’t do it at the NHL level before joining the Rangers – but did so in the American Hockey League (AHL), and made it to the Stanley Cup Final three times. Sullivan, meanwhile, won twice at the NHL level, which was done in back-to-back seasons, 2015-16 and 2016-17. Regardless, both hirings created a new energy, which is key to fixing a talented but fractured roster. This alone offers the players a mental reset and a clean slate.
Deadline Could Put on Finishing Touches
Who could, of course, forget the wild 1994 Trade Deadline, which sent big names including Amonte, Mike Gartner and Doug Weight to new zip codes. In came Glenn Anderson, Esa Tikkanen, Craig MacTavish, Brian Noonan and of course the legendary Stephane Matteau.
It’s impossible to predict what Drury will do at the 2026 Trade Deadline, but assuming the team is back in a playoff position by then, he’ll need to identify the correct personnel to upgrade areas of weakness. The most obvious flaw on the roster is the lack of top left-handed defensemen. As of now, Braden Schneider (a right-handed shot) appears to be the favorite to land a spot on the second pair on the left side of the blue line. That’s less than ideal and an area that will likely need to be addressed. Plus, the Rangers might need a forward or two, if the top young prospects Brett Berard, Brennan Othmann or Gabe Perreault can’t make an impact.
But it’s hard to imagine Drury making a wild move on a core player like Lafrenière and almost repeating what was done in 1994. No question, though, the Rangers have been in a similar position in the past.
