After the New York Rangers‘ most recent 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday, their playoff chances have gone from slim to virtually none. Given that reality, the mindset has begun to flip from cobbling together an improbable playoff run to the more daunting task of reflecting on this season’s performance and, ultimately, analyzing where to go from here.
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On the whole, the 2024-25 season has undeniably been a massive disappointment. Coming off a 114-point campaign in which they won the Metropolitan Division, the Rangers currently sit at just 79 points in 77 games. The story of the season has been underperformance from several players that played pivotal roles on last season’s team, headlined by Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and Alexis Lafreniere.
But lost in the denigration of this team and its litany of underperforming players is the fact that several Rangers have had strong seasons. To properly chart a path forward for the 2025-26 season, it can be beneficial to first look at what went well and which players can be part of the solution moving forward. This article will detail the accomplishments of four Rangers who have had productive seasons .
Artemi Panarin
While Artemi Panarin is slightly off last season’s 120-point pace, he currently leads the Rangers in scoring with a very respectable 34 goals, 49 assists, and 83 points in 75 games thus far. Of note is the massive gap between Panarin’s production and the rest of the team’s; Adam Fox sits second on the Rangers with 56 points. Despite massive drop offs in performance and production from many of his linemates, Panarin has continued to produce at a high level and looks as crafty, skilled, and explosive as he has in each season of his Rangers tenure.
Panarin is under contract for the 2025-26 season and then becomes an unrestricted free agent, so while his status for the Rangers long-term remains murky, he will almost certainly be a critical part of the team for next season.
Will Cuylle
Still just 23 years old, Will Cuylle has blossomed into one of the Rangers’ most consistent and dependable players. His point totals have nearly doubled from last season, and perhaps most telling is the fact that his ice time has jumped from 11:08 last season to 15:04 this one. He has earned a spot on the power play and has essentially forced head coach Peter Laviolette to increase his ice time given how much better his five-on-five advanced stats are than players like Zibanejad and Kreider. Additionally, he sits fifth in the NHL with 285 hits and has been a dependable penalty killer. His high work ethic, motor, and consistent physicality have made him a culture setting player for the Rangers despite his relative inexperience.
Cuylle is a pending restricted free agent as he is currently on the last year of his entry-level contract. It is unclear whether the Rangers plan to offer him a bridge deal or a longer team contract. Regardless, Ranger fans certainly hope to see Cuylle be a part of the Rangers’ future.
Igor Shesterkin
Igor Shesterkin’s large contract combined with a drop in his save percentage (SV%) and goals against average (GAA) have made him a scapegoat for many of the Rangers’ struggles this season. On the surface, Shesterkin’s .903 SV% and 2.89 GAA are drastically below his career averages. But a deeper dive into the statistics reveals how much the Rangers have relied on Shesterkin this year and just how much they have left him out to dry. For one, Shesterkin has a 19.5 Goals Saved Above Expected, a number which ranks him sixth among all goalies this season. He has also played in 58 games, tied for third best in the league, and has faced a league high 1,652 shots.
Shesterkin’s contract expires after the 2027-28 season, and while the value provided by such a hefty contract is debatable (he is owed $11.5 million in each of the next three years), Shesterkin’s status as a top-10 goalie in the league remains cemented.
J.T. Miller
Acquired midseason, J.T. Miller has only dressed in 27 games for the Rangers. But in those 27 games, he has amassed an impressive 10 goals and 17 assists. He is a big, physical center who adds value on the defensive end with his intelligence, positioning, and his 59.0% faceoff percentage. While his arrival to the Rangers has not necessarily translated into wins, he has looked rejuvenated since landing in New York and has been a positive player overall.
Miller’s contract expires after the 2027-28 season. While there are questions about how Miller, currently 32 years old, will look in the back half of that contract, his performance this season can make Rangers fans at least reasonably confident he will be a productive, point-per-game player next season.
Rangers Should Appreciate Top Performers Amidst Disappointment
The Rangers are in a predicament moving forward given their many underperforming players, particularly Kreider and Zibanejad, are under contract for several more seasons and are on the wrong side of the age curve for peak performance. But the Rangers can take some solace in the fact that the players listed above have had solid, productive seasons despite what has been a difficult one for the team overall.
