Just a few seasons ago, the New York Rangers were at the top of the league, Presidents\u2019 Trophy winners. Now, New York is 22-25-6 and fighting to keep their season alive. What happened during these last few seasons to create the mess that is the Rangers now? There are plenty of reasons, so let\u2019s break them all down.<\/p>\n
Drury mismanaged the roster<\/p>\n
The man who is drawing the ire of the fans the most this season is Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury. Drury was promoted to the GM role after Jeff Gorton was fired in 2021. Since then, Drury has made some questionable moves. He\u2019s traded a lot of New York\u2019s younger talent, including Kaapo Kakko and Flilp Chytil. Drury also signed Alexis Lafreni\u00e8re to his mega contract a few seasons ago, a contract that Lafreni\u00e8re hasn\u2019t lived up to.<\/p>\n
Probably the most infamous move that Drury made was the trading of Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider. The release of Barclay Goodrow is of note as well. Goodrow was a playoff darling for the Rangers just the year before, but his regular season play wasn\u2019t up to par in the eyes of Drury. Despite Goodrow wanting to stay and having a no-move clause to do it<\/a>, Drury put Goodrow on waivers to be claimed by the San Jose Sharks, a move that had been discussed by both teams. Trouba, who was captain at the time didn\u2019t have a choice but to be traded,<\/a> which raised eyebrows across the league.<\/p>\n The Culture Problem<\/p>\n The Rangers solution to trading their captain was to trade for J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks. However, this move hasn\u2019t panned out and left fans wondering what Drury\u2019s plan was. Trading two good young players for someone who is over the age of 30 and won\u2019t be playing much longer is odd. After missing the playoffs last season, many thought that Miller would fix the issues in the Rangers\u2019 locker room after being named captain, but it seems to be getting worse.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve seen frustration from the Rangers often this year, and a lack of hope and fight in the team is evident every night. That frustration, melded with the roster problems, have sent the Rangers\u2019 season spiraling down the drain. Now, the Rangers are retooling, announced in a letter to the fans from Drury<\/a>. As bad as Drury has been though, he is not completely at fault.<\/p>\n Player\u2019s Aren\u2019t Getting the Job Done<\/p>\n The Rangers had an opportunity to win the Stanley Cup multiple times. 2024-25 was their best chance, but New York\u2019s top players disappeared when the team needs them most. Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider vanished against the Florida Panthers, and the result was a blown opportunity. New York had a chance to win the Cup against the Edmonton Oilers, who the Rangers matched up well into.<\/p>\n This season, many players are unperforming as well. Panarin had a slow start to the season, and his contract demands have pushed the Rangers to make him available for trade. William Cuylle, who many expected to take a massive step this year has been disappointing. Miller has had rough stretches, but he\u2019s playing better as of late.<\/p>\n Where to Go from Here<\/p>\n For the Rangers, the main focus now needs to be on developing their young players. The main player the Rangers need to pan out is Gabe Perreault<\/a>. Perrault is New York\u2019s first round pick from 2023, and he\u2019s seen some action with the main club. Despite scoring only eight points in 20 games, Perrault has shown flashes of greatness here and there. He is the future of this Rangers\u2019 team, and developing him is a top priority.<\/p>\n WHATTA FEED by the rookie Gabe Perreault to Miller for the goal \ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udea8 pic.twitter.com\/pzNYVi5MvO<\/a><\/p>\n