Last season was a huge disappointment for the New York Rangers. In one season they started winning the trophy of the presidents and reaching the Eastern Conference final to missing the play -offs and shaking their selection in great ways.
It is easy to question how they will perform in 2025-26. However, it seems that many doubt their potential. Here is a look in some reasons why the Rangers can still be one of the top teams in the competition this season.
Rangers have a talented selection
Despite the trade -in of a number of good players in the past year, the Rangers still have a lot of talent in their selection. Their top six games with each top team in the competition. JT Miller has entered his first full season since he was traded to the Rangers last season and scored 13 goals and 35 points in 32 games played.
He will center 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) and ended 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 competition.
Speaking of top lines, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere were the best in the NHL two seasons ago. They struggled to find the same magic last season, but they are expected to be together again to start 2025-26.
We know what we can expect from Panarin, And while he is taking on a contract seasonHe will want to prove that he is worth an extension. Trocheck must be better, and although he had more goals than two years ago last season, his overall game took a dip and he has to return to his level.
This will also be a Make-Or-Break year for Lafreniere. Two seasons ago he had a breakout season and at the beginning of last season he drew a seven-year contract extension. After that deal was signed, his game dropped out. If the Rangers want to become a top team again, They need him to bounce back and become an impact player.
At the back, Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov will lead the defense. Fox received a lot of criticism because he had a seasonal 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 concentrate on his game and play at a higher level.
In the net, Igor Shesterkin is back and is now the best -paid keeper in the competition. He will want to prove that he is worth the money, and even when he is not at the top of his game, Shestinin is still a top-three keeper in the competition and can wear the Rangers on his back when the rest of the team is struggling.
Compete in a weak urban division
The Metropolitan Division used to be the strongest in the NHL. Now it’s one of the weakest. Apart from the Carolina Hurricanes, every division rival has question marks. For teams such as the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders this season is about continuing their rebuilding and looking at the future, while the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers will try to take bigger steps to become competitive enough to try a play -off place.
Related: Ranking the heaviest metropolitan opponents of the New York Rangers this season
The New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals both made the play -offs last season, but they also have question marks. Can Jack Hughes remain healthy for the Devils, because the team seemed to be drying up in the play -offs? For the capitals, many of their players come from career seasons, including Alex Oveechkin, who became the leading goal scorer of NHL all-time. 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 go back? If both teams stumble this season, the Rangers could earn a top three place in the division.
Eastern Conference is for the taking
Just like the Metro Division, the Eastern Conference can be for the taking this season. The Florida Panthers are again the team to beat, especially because they will enter the campaign with usually the same selection that has just won them their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
However, the rest of the east is not as predictable as before. Teams such as the Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs return to the play -offs this season, but the rest of the Atlantic Division has question marks. Can the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens repeat the success that they had last season and return to the late season?
Will the Detroit Red Wings finally take the next step and fight for a play -off place? Can the Boston Bruins, who had a similar season as the Rangers last year, become the Bruins of old again? Will the Buffalo Sabres end their play -off 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 can be the team that benefits. They have a more talented team on paper than others, and if everything goes well 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 leave the unrest of last season behind and concentrate on having a successful 2025-26 campaign. It is easy to doubt them after their performance last season, but it can work to be overlooked to be overlooked, and they can easily rise to the top of the rankings.
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