The New York Rangers have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Mike Sullivan's first season behind the bench. They got off to a brutal start, never turned it around, and will likely finish the season in the basement of the Eastern Conference. There are plenty of reasons the Rangers have been eliminated, but these three are the most important.
The Rangers won the Presidents' Trophy in 2024 after posting the league's best regular-season record. They lost to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final that year, but they felt like there were more chances ahead. Things quickly deteriorated from there, ending with the trades of Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider before the 2025-26 season. The season went down the tubes quickly, and there are plenty of reasons for that.
Why did the Rangers miss the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
The Rangers are an old team
Trading Kreider and Trouba created some strife in the locker room, and former Rangers captain and current GM Chris Drury went out and landed JT Miller in a trade during the 2024-25 season. He was named captain before this season, and has not had any answers for this season's collapse.
But the age concerns go beyond Miller. They traded Kreider and Trouba, but did not get any impact players back for them. Brennan Othmann could not crack the lineup, so they traded him to the Calgary Flames at the trade deadline. Gabriel Perreault has not broken through yet, and Alexis Lafrienere has not become the star they need him to be yet.
The Rangers have already started getting younger, namely by trading Artemi Panarin. But when dissecting this year's team, it's easy to say that they were just too old.
Injuries impacted the Blueshirts
Just like every team that misses the playoffs, it is easy to say that injuries played a role. Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin both missed significant time in January, ruining any chance they had at a comeback. With Panarin gone, those are the two best players on the team and the two most valuable assets.
Fox's future with the Rangers should be in question after a rough 18-month stretch. He struggled in the 4 Nations Face-Off for Team USA and went back to a struggling Rangers team. Then Sullivan, who was the USA's coach at the 4 Nations and the Olympics, came to New York. But Sullivan and Drury, who was the USA's assistant GM, left Fox off the squad. Even with a Seth Jones injury, Fox did not make the squad.
When Drury sent out a letter to the fans, he specifically said ‘re-tool,' not ‘rebuild.' That implies that Fox and Shesterkin are safe and could be the core of the next competitive window. But plans change, and anything could happen this summer.
Did the Rangers hire the wrong coach?
Everything made sense when the Rangers hired Mike Sullivan last offseason. They had an older core that they needed to get pushed over the hump, so they got a two-time Stanley Cup Champion. And it is not to say that Sullivan is a bad coach, as he led Team USA to the Gold Medal in Milan this season. But for where the Rangers are going, Sullivan may have been the wrong decision.
The Penguins let Sullivan go after a decade at the helm and hired Dan Muse. Muse was brought in to develop young players and usher in the end of the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin era. Instead of spiraling into the basement, the Penguins are likely going back to the postseason this year. Muse may not have been the right man for the Rangers, but it has been made clear that Sullivan was not the right man for the Blueshirts.
Drury was given a contract extension last spring, and Sullivan was an expensive addition to the team. So, they will be the team leading the Rangers into a new era, whether or not the fans like it. The future is not clear right now, but a lucky draft lottery combination later this spring could change things. Sullivan proved he can still lead a competitive team in big games; the Rangers just have to get there.
Can the Rangers win the draft lottery and change their fortunes?
