Last season was a massive disappointment for the New York Rangers. In one season, they went from winning the Presidents’ Trophy and reaching the Eastern Conference Final to missing the playoffs and shaking up their roster in big ways.
It’s easy to question how they will perform in 2025-26. However, it seems that many are doubting their potential. Here’s a look at some reasons why the Rangers can still be one of the top teams in the league this season.
Rangers Have a Talented Roster
Despite trading away some good players over the last year, the Rangers still have plenty of talent on their roster. Their top six matches up with any top team in the league. J.T. Miller is entering his first full season since he was traded back to the Rangers last season, scoring 13 goals and 35 points in 32 games played.
He will be centering a top line of Will Cuylle, who had a breakout season with 20 goals and 45 points, and Mika Zibanejad. Zibanejad struggled in 2024-25 until he was moved to the right wing (after the Miller trade), finishing with 11 goals and 33 points in 32 games. If he and Miller can rediscover their chemistry, this line could be one of the best in the league.
Speaking of top lines, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere were the best in the NHL two seasons ago. They struggled to find that same magic last season, but they are projected to be back together to start 2025-26.
We know what to expect from Panarin, and as he enters a contract season, he will want to prove that he is worth an extension. Trocheck needs to be better, and while he had more goals last season than he did two years ago, his overall play took a dip, and he needs to return to his level.
This is also going to be a make-or-break year for Lafreniere. Two seasons ago, he had a breakout season, and early last season, he signed a seven-year contract extension. After that deal was signed, his play dropped off. If the Rangers want to be a top team again, they need him to bounce back and become an impact player.
On the back end, Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov will be leading the defense. Fox has received a ton of criticism because he had a down season last year. His “down season” was still 10 goals and 61 points in 74 games. Now that he will have a stable partner in Gavrikov, Fox should be able to focus on his game and get back to playing at a higher level.
In net, Igor Shesterkin is back and is now the highest-paid goalie in the league. He will want to prove that he is worth the money, and even when he’s not at the top of his game, Shesterkin is still a top-three goalie in the league and can carry the Rangers on his back when the rest of the team is struggling.
Competing in a Weak Metropolitan Division
The Metropolitan Division used to be the strongest in the NHL. Now, it’s one of the weakest. Outside of the Carolina Hurricanes, every division rival has question marks. For teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders, this season is about continuing their rebuild and looking towards the future, while the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers will look to take bigger steps forward to become competitive enough to try for a playoff spot.
Related: Ranking the New York Rangers’ Toughest Metropolitan Opponents This Season
The New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals both made the playoffs last season, but they also have question marks. For the Devils, can Jack Hughes stay healthy, since the team’s offense seemed to dry up in the playoffs? For the Capitals, many of their players are coming off career seasons, including Alex Ovechkin, who became the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. Will this be his last season in the NHL, and will the team be able to replicate what they did last season, or will they regress? If both teams stumble this season, the Rangers could earn a top-three spot in the division.
Eastern Conference Is up for Grabs
Like the Metro Division, the Eastern Conference could be up for grabs this season. The Florida Panthers are the team to beat, again, especially since they will enter the campaign with mostly the same roster that just won them their second straight Stanley Cup.
However, the rest of the East isn’t as predictable as it used to be. Teams like the Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Toronto Maple Leafs will return to the playoffs this season, 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 last year, get back to being the Bruins of old? Will the Buffalo Sabres end their playoff drought and prove people wrong?
This, combined with the uncertainty in the Metro Division, makes the Eastern Conference wide open for competition, and the Rangers could be the team that takes advantage. They have a more talented team on paper than others, and if everything goes right for them this season, they should be one of the top teams in the East by the time April rolls around.
The Rangers will try to put last season’s turmoil behind them and focus on having a successful 2025-26 campaign. It’s easy to doubt them after their performance last season, but it might work in their favor to be overlooked, and they could easily rise to the top of the standings.
