When Mike Sullivan took over behind the New York Rangers bench ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season, he probably didn't expect that, by the Olympic break, his new team would not only be last place in the Eastern Conference, but also without one of the better players in franchise history in Artemi Panarin.
But that's the reality the Blueshirts are facing as a nightmare campaign continues.
“Did I anticipate it? Did I anticipate us being here this year? No,” Sullivan told NHL.com's Dan Rosen after Panarin was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.
“Given the circumstance that we're in I think we all have to own it, and I think it starts with me. I've got to do a better job at coaching these guys and putting these guys in position to be successful. We're not in the position that we had hoped.
“We all have to take responsibility for that. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't look at myself and say, ‘How can I do a better job in coaching this group to try to get more favorable results?'”
Sullivan has clearly been looking in the mirror, and there maybe should be a little more of that for a Rangers team that is 22-28-6 ahead of the Olympic break.
GM Chris Drury waved the white flag in the form of a rebuild letter to fans on Jan. 16, which can't have given him any leverage when trying to trade a player of Panarin's caliber.
The Russian superstar only wanted to go to Los Angeles, which made things difficult for Drury and the front office, but they put themselves in a difficult position nonetheless.
When the dust settled, Panarin — who amassed 607 points in 482 regular-season games as a Ranger, the highest points per game mark in franchise history — only recouped a conditional draft pick and prospect Liam Greentree.
Time to move on, says Mike Sullivan
No one who supports the Rangers can be any too pleased with how Panarin's tenure ended, considering he was the best player on the team for his entire tenure in the Big Apple.
Panarin was scratched for roster management purposes at the end of January, missing three losses before being traded to California and signing a two-year, $22 million extension with the Kings.
“Sometimes just the anxiety or just the uncertainty is more difficult to deal with than the finality of it,” Sullivan said, per Rosen. “Everybody can move on.”
“Chris and I have had a lot of conversations around this and what the gameplan is moving forward to try to reshape the organization to be as competitive as it can be in the most expeditious fashion, and this is part of the process,” Sullivan added. “It's not anything that has caught me by surprise. I understand it and we're going to work together to do our very best to try to accomplish what has been articulated to everyone.”
It's become increasingly clear that this franchise isn't going to be anything close to competitive anytime soon — and that's especially true without Panarin in the fold.
