Sep 23, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan looks on during the first period of a preseason game against the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The 100th season of New York Rangers hockey begins on Tuesday.
This is a pivotal season for the Blueshirts. The club appeared on the upswing following two Eastern Conference Final appearances from 2021-22 to 2023-24. After their 2024 elimination at the hands of the Florida Panthers, general manager Chris Drury vowed change.
But one bad season, mired by defensive breakdowns and bookended by the departures of several veteran players, derailed the Rangers’ trajectory. They enter 2025-26 with four of their five top-paid forwards on the wrong side of 30 and their top scorer from last season, Artemi Panarin (89 points in 80 games), set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
The Rangers are out to prove that last season’s failure was just a blip, seeking a return to the playoffs buoyed by a yearlong roster retool and coaching turnover.
Final cuts
The Rangers wrapped up their preseason on Saturday afternoon with a 4-1 road loss to the Boston Bruins, and practiced Monday in Rhode Island. As of Monday morning, the club had yet to reveal its final roster decisions per Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic.
The club did not place any players on waivers on Sunday, indicating that Jonny Brodzinski, Sam Carrick, and Juuso Pärssinen had all made the team. If Conor Sheary signs a contract, the Rangers would need to cut at least one of Noah Laba or Brett Berard — the only remaining players who don’t require waivers to be assigned to the AHL.
Head coach Sullivan has reiterated throughout camp that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to developing young players.
“With young players, the question is always, ‘What’s the path that helps those players become impact players in the most expeditious fashion?’” Sullivan said.
Sullivan also emphasized that rosters in the NHL are fluid: “If a decision is made today, it’s not etched in stone,” he added.
The offseason
Two days after the Rangers’ final game of the 2024-25 season, where they finished six points out of a playoff spot, Drury fired head coach Peter Laviolette and assistant coach Phil Housley.
Following Sullivan’s departure from the Pittsburgh Penguins — with whom he spent a decade behind the bench and won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 — Drury got his guy. The club later named David Quinn — who previously served as New York’s head coach from 2018-19 to 2020-21 — Joe Sacco, and Ty Hennes as assistant coaches.
Drury continued his roster overhaul, sending veteran forward Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Carey Tarrence and a 2025 third-round pick. He then traded K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes for defenseman Scott Morrow, a 2026 first-round pick, and a 2026 second-round pick.
When free agency opened on July 1, Drury swung big on Vladislav Gavrikov, inking him to a seven-year, $49 million contract.
Gavrikov projects to line up with Adam Fox on a shutdown top defense pairing. His size and strength complement Fox’s offensive capabilities. The 29-year-old helped the Los Angeles Kings to the second-fewest goals against in the NHL last season, allowing just 2.48 goals against per game. The Rangers, conversely, were 19th, allowing 3.11 goals against per game.
A cultural shift
Days before training camp opened, the Rangers named Miller the 29th captain in franchise history.
Miller, 32, was acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks in the middle of last season. In announcing the decision to give Miller the captaincy, Drury praised the center’s competitiveness and preparation.
Miller’s Canucks tenure ended amid a reported rift between him and teammate Elias Pettersson. He’s known to amplify what’s there, be it good or bad.
Early in camp, images of Rangers players’ t-shirts with the club’s internal motto for the season began circulating on social media: “No B.S.” Miller said this was how he wanted the Rangers to play.
“It’s quite literal,” Miller said. “It literally means, ‘Let’s stick to the team game.’ We want to be a fast, in-your-face, F–U type of team.”
That mindset has carried over to Sullivan’s camp. The coach pushed the pace in camp and has stressed the importance of “conscientious play” — a player’s attention to detail, defensive awareness, sticking to the club’s structure, and overall being dependable — in evaluating players.
New systems
Among the responsibilities of Sullivan and his staff, a glaring area of concern from last season was the Rangers’ chaos in their defensive zone.
Under Laviolette, the Rangers played man-on-man coverage in their own end. Sullivan is switching to zone coverage, where the wingers and defensemen are each responsible for a quadrant in the defensive zone. The center floats and supports where needed.
On the forecheck, the Rangers are switching to a 1-2-2 system, where the lead forward pressures the puck carrier and the other two forwards read the play and either support pressure or eliminate passing options.
A look at the Rangers’ 1-2-2 forecheck.
Watch the F1 go after the puck. Supporting forwards read the passing options.#NYR pic.twitter.com/Lq0f6HITHT
— Miles Bolton (@milesbolt) October 3, 2025
Adjusting to a new system is always a process. Sullivan said last week that he felt the switch from man-to-man defense to zone coverage was a work in progress.
“Anytime you get a new coach, new system, it’s always an adjustment period,” Vincent Trocheck said. “But we’re working at it every day at practice and in game, so get better each day.”
The big question for the Rangers is whether they’ll have the speed or personnel to execute these changes on a nightly basis.
