What Are the New York Rangers Doing?
Rangers Need a Direction... But Do They Even Have One?
The New York Rangers have an organizational problem from top to bottom. There is no clear direction as the organization continues to change over coaches every two years looking for the quick fix that brings a Stanley Cup back to the Big Apple.
However, those things take time. There needs to be a little patience and the problem in New York there is no patience especially when it comes to owner James Dolan. More on him at another time.
However, the Rangers need to decide what direction they want to go in because expectations are high and nobody wants a repeat of this previous season. Whether you want to blame one person or the entire team, the New York Rangers had no idea who they were and what they wanted to be this season after starting the year 12-5-1.
As laid out below and as Russ Cohen (@sportsology) told me on @FullPressNHL Podcast some of the players that came back in trades that Chris Drury made were not as talented as the players that went out to other teams. #nyr
More Here: https://t.co/9Y2KuBDeWV
Clip https://t.co/OY0U1bo0Rt pic.twitter.com/9CewkuruwH— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) April 23, 2025
It was clear in the summer that Chris Drury felt the team needed a change after coming up short to the Florida Panthers in the 2024 Eastern Conference Final. However, there was too much dysfunction and too many different messages coming from too many directions to make this season a success.
The beginning of December was not the time to change the entire roster. While the Colorado Avalanche were able to do that, it was clear the players were having none of it. The players did not like how things were handled with Barclay Goodrow and Jacob Trouba. Then the memo went out about Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, K’Andre Miller and others.
It is a business after all. Players come and go. Other teams around the NHL have grasped that. Just look at the Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning see popular players come in and out of their locker room and can continue to go about their business.
However, this group of players have not been able to grasp that concept. They want more communication from management about every little detail. That is a sense of entitlement and a country club atmosphere. The player mutiny cost another coach their job.
That’s three coaches in four years since Drury took over as General Manager with no clear message or leader in the room. While Jacob Trouba was the captain, you knew other players led the Rangers. Players never followed the lead all the way even when Trouba led with his emotions on his sleeve.
The Rangers never knew how to get dirty and win with heart and grit. Instead, the players tried to win on skill and talent alone. That can’t happen in the NHL. At points in the regular season, it can, but not in the playoffs. Drury recognized the problem, but couldn’t fix it because the players did not allow him to do it.
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However, he needed to wait until the end of the season to make any big changes. His poor decision-making and leadership caused the Rangers players to tank and cost them a shot at the playoffs.
And it seems the Rangers are continually making the same mistakes again. Letting Dolan along with outside forces like Glen Sather and Mark Messier get in his ear. This was the problem in the past with the Rangers. Dolan didn’t let his management guys put together teams for either one of his clubs.
The New York Rangers need to decide who they are. Do they want to be stuck in this endless cycle of firing and hiring coaches again as they look to try to hot-shot a title? Or do they want to do things the right way and build through drafting and developing along with getting the right mix of veterans to play with those young players?
Do the Rangers want to allow those young players to grow into roles that will make them successful or hold them back and rely on the same old veteran players that come up short?
The hiring of Mike Sullivan shows the Rangers want to win now. However, the roster needs work and so does that room. There is a cultural problem that needs to be fixed whether they want to believe it or not.
While keeping Drury as GM sends a message to the players, a message has to be delivered also to the fans as to what they are about. What is the direction of the team? Either you are in or out. And if you are out we will find guys that want to be in New York. This is what happened in Winnipeg with the Jets.
Had they followed the plan and not over-hyped expectations after the 2020 bubble maybe things would be different. But right now there is turmoil in New York with all the sports teams and the Rangers are just the latest.
It is time for them to find a direction. The NHL is better when the Original Six teams are successful.
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