, president of
Madison Square Garden, was awarded the Rangers in 1926.
Early years (1926–1942) George Lewis "Tex" Rickard, president of
Madison Square Garden, was awarded an NHL franchise for the
1926–27 season to compete with the
New York Americans, who had begun play at the Garden the previous season. The Americans' early success in their inaugural season exceeded expectations, leading Rickard to pursue a second team for the Garden despite promising the Americans that they were going to be the only ice hockey team to play there. The team was originally incorporated under the name "New York Giants Professional Hockey Club" during a league meeting with NHL president
Frank Calder on April 17, 1926, but during the meeting the name was then changed to "New York Rangers Hockey Club." The franchise's nickname is attributed to sports editor of the
New York Herald Tribune, George Haley, who referred to the new team as "Tex's Rangers" because of Rickard's decision to bring a new NHL team to New York. Rickard's franchise began play in the 1926–27 season. The first team crest played on the club's name with a rearing horse sketched in blue carrying a cowboy waving a hockey stick aloft, with the word "TEX'S" in a crescent at the top of the emblem with "RANGERS" below it. Rickard rejected that design and management settled on a crest similar to the Americans, a "shield" shape with "NEW YORK" horizontally across the top of the shield and "RANGERS" written diagonally from the top left to bottom right. The diagonal positioning of "RANGERS" carried over to the front of the solid blue jerseys. The new team Smythe assembled turned out to be a winner. The Rangers won the
American Division title their first year but lost to the
Boston Bruins in the playoffs.
Stanley Cup success (1927–1942) In only their
second season, they won the
1928 Stanley Cup, defeating the
Montreal Maroons in five games. One of the most memorable stories that emerged from the Cup Final series involved Patrick playing in goal at the age of 44. At the time, teams were not required to dress a backup
goaltender. When the Rangers' starting goaltender,
Lorne Chabot, left a game with an eye injury, Maroons head coach
Eddie Gerard vetoed Patrick's original choice for an emergency replacement,
Alex Connell of the
Ottawa Senators, who was in attendance. An angry Patrick lined up between the pipes for two periods in game two of the Stanley Cup Final, allowing one goal to Maroons center
Nels Stewart.
Frank Boucher scored the game-winning goal in overtime for New York. After a loss to the Bruins in the
1929 Stanley Cup Final, the Rangers, led by brothers
Bill and
Bun Cook on the right and left wings, respectively, and Frank Boucher at center, defeated the Maple Leafs in the
1933 Stanley Cup Final to win their second Stanley Cup. Lester Patrick stepped down as head coach and was replaced by Frank Boucher. . Consisting of
Bill Cook,
Bun Cook and
Frank Boucher, they played together from 1926 to 1937. In the
1939–40 season, the Rangers finished the regular season in second place behind Boston. The two teams then met in the first round of the playoffs. The Bruins gained a 2–1 series lead on New York, but the Rangers recovered to win three straight games, defeating the first-place Bruins four games to two. The Rangers' first-round victory advanced them to the Stanley Cup Final, where the Rangers defeated the
Toronto Maple Leafs in six games. Following the
Brooklyn Americans fold in 1942, and the league reneging on
Red Dutton's promise to have the Americans return, Dutton swore a
curse on the Rangers.
Original Six era (1942–1967) The Rangers collapsed by the mid-1940s, losing games by scores as lopsided as 15–0. In
1943–44, goaltender
Ken McAuley led the league with 39 losses and 310 goals allowed in 50 games played; his 6.24 goals-against average that year remains the worst in NHL history by a goaltender playing at least 25 games in a season. They missed the playoffs for five consecutive seasons before earning the fourth and final playoff spot in
1947–48, losing in the first round. In December, 1948, Boucher resigned as head coach remaining as general manager, giving control to
Lynn Patrick, the son of Lester Patrick. In the
1950 Stanley Cup Final, the Rangers were forced to play all of their games, including "home" games, in Toronto, while the
circus was held at the Garden. They lost to the Detroit Red Wings in overtime in the seventh game of the series. The Rangers missed the playoffs 12 of the next 16 years within the remainder of the
Original Six era. Boucher, who had been general manager of the squad, resigned citing depression over the team's inability to be a contender. After a five-year absence, the team made the playoffs, aided by goaltender
Eddie Giacomin and 37-year-old former
Montreal Canadiens right wing
Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, who signed out of retirement in 1966.
Post-Original Six era (1967–1993) GAG line and championship appearances (1967–1980) played with the Rangers from 1960 to 1975. In 1968, the Rangers moved into the
fourth version of Madison Square Garden. During the 1969–70 season, the Rangers acquired veteran goaltender
Terry Sawchuk, playing his final season with New York. In
1971–72, the Rangers reached the
1972 Stanley Cup Final despite losing high-scoring center
Jean Ratelle to injury during the last half of the regular season. The strength of players such as
Brad Park, Jean Ratelle,
Vic Hadfield and
Rod Gilbert (the last three constructing the famed "
GAG line", standing for "goal-a-game") carried them through the playoffs. They defeated the defending-champion Canadiens in the first round and the Chicago Black Hawks in the second, but lost to the Bruins in the Cup Final. The following season in
1972–73, the team made the semifinals against the Black Hawks again, but lost in five games. The Rangers' conference semifinals series against the
Philadelphia Flyers in the
1974 playoffs, which they lost in seven games became the first Original Six club to lose a playoff series to a 1967 expansion team. This series was noted for a game seven fight between
Dale Rolfe of the Rangers and
Dave Schultz of the Flyers. The Rangers' new
rivals, the
New York Islanders, who entered the League in
1972–73 after paying a territorial fee – $4 million – to the Rangers, were their first-round opponents in the
1975 playoffs. After splitting the first two games, the Islanders defeated the Rangers 11 seconds into overtime of the deciding game three. In a blockbuster trade with the
Boston Bruins, the Rangers acquired Esposito and
Carol Vadnais from the Bruins for Park, Ratelle and
Joe Zanussi in
1975–76. On January 8, 1976,
Emile Francis was fired after the team got to a bad start.
Ron Stewart who was coaching the team was also fired.
John Ferguson Sr. took over as both coach and general manager for the remainder of the season. To assist in Ferguson's contention building, the team acquired
Ken Hodge from Bruins in exchange for
Rick Middleton. However, the team failed to make a playoff push and Ferguson was fired in 1978. losing to the Canadiens.
Playoff struggles (1980–1993) In four consecutive playoffs (
1981–
1984), the Rangers were eliminated by the rival Islanders, who went on to win the Stanley Cup in , , and . , acquired by the Rangers in 1987 The Rangers stayed competitive through the 1980s and early 1990s, making the playoffs each year. In the
1986 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Rangers, behind the play of rookie goaltender
John Vanbiesbrouck, upended the
Patrick Division-winning Flyers in five games followed by a six-game win over the
Washington Capitals in the Patrick Division finals. Montreal disposed of the Rangers in the Wales Conference finals behind a rookie goaltender of their own,
Patrick Roy. During the
1986–87 season, the team acquired superstar center
Marcel Dionne after almost 12 years with the
Los Angeles Kings. Frustration was at its peak when the
1991–92 Rangers captured the
Presidents' Trophy. They took a 2–1 series lead on the defending champion
Pittsburgh Penguins and then faltered in three-straight (some observers note a
Ron Francis slapshot from outside the blue line that eluded goaltender
Mike Richter as the series' turning point). The following year, they missed the playoffs and head coach
Roger Neilson was fired and replaced by
Ron Smith mid-season. Smith was dismissed at the conclusion of the season. During this period, the Rangers were owned by
Gulf+Western, which was renamed to Paramount Communications in 1989.
Ending the curse (1993–94) The
1993–94 season was the Rangers' most successful in 54 years. With several transactions up to this point, the Rangers had acquired seven players who had been part of the
Edmonton Oilers' Cup-winning teams: Oilers captain (and new Rangers captain)
Mark Messier,
Adam Graves,
Kevin Lowe,
Jeff Beukeboom,
Esa Tikkanen,
Craig MacTavish, and
Glenn Anderson. Graves set a team record with 52 goals, breaking the prior record of 50 held by
Vic Hadfield. The Rangers clinched the Presidents' Trophy by finishing with the best record in the NHL at 52–24–8, setting a franchise record with 112 points earned. In the playoffs the Rangers made it past the first two rounds of the playoffs, sweeping the New York Islanders, and then defeating the Washington Capitals in five games. In the seventh game, the Rangers took a 2–0 first period lead, with Messier scoring later to put the Rangers up 3–1, the eventual Cup-winning goal they won 3–2. Defenceman
Brian Leetch became the first American-born player to win the
Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, while
Alexander Karpovtsev,
Alexei Kovalev,
Sergei Nemchinov and
Sergei Zubov became the first Russians to have their names engraved on the Cup.
Expensive acquisitions and postseason drought (1994–2005) Despite coaching the Rangers to a regular season first-place finish and the Stanley Cup victory, head coach Mike Keenan left after a dispute with general manager
Neil Smith. Paramount Communications, the owners of the Rangers, were acquired by Viacom who then sold the team to
ITT Corporation and
Cablevision in August 1994. During the
lockout-shortened
1994–95 season, the Rangers won their first-round series with the
Quebec Nordiques, but lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Philadelphia Flyers in four games with succeeding head coach
Colin Campbell. Neil Smith orchestrated a deal that sent Sergei Zubov and center
Petr Nedved to Pittsburgh in exchange for defenseman
Ulf Samuelsson and left-winger
Luc Robitaille in the summer of 1995. The Rangers defeated the Canadiens in six games in the
1996 playoffs, but lost their second-round series to the Penguins in five games. as a free agent in the 1996 offseason. The Rangers then acquired
Wayne Gretzky in 1996. With Gretzky, the team went to the
conference finals in 1997, where they lost 4–1 to the Flyers. During the season, ITT sold their stake of the Rangers to Cablevision. Mark Messier, a former Oiler teammate of Gretzky's, left in the summer of 1997 and the team failed in a bid to replace him with
Colorado Avalanche superstar
Joe Sakic. Robitaille was also traded during the summer for
Kevin Stevens. The Rangers missed the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons, finishing no higher than fourth in their division. Gretzky retired at the end of the
1998–99 season. In March 2000, Smith was fired along with head coach
John Muckler, and that summer, Cablevision CEO and owner
James Dolan hired
Glen Sather as general manager. By the end of the
2000–01 season, the Rangers had acquired some veterans. Messier returned to New York,
Theoren Fleury joined the Rangers after spending most of his career with the
Calgary Flames and Eric Lindros was traded to the Rangers by the Flyers. The Rangers also acquired
Pavel Bure late in
2001–02 from the
Florida Panthers. Approaching the
2004–05 NHL lockout, they also acquired
Alexei Kovalev,
Jaromir Jagr,
Martin Rucinsky, and
Bobby Holik. However, none of the acquisitions helped them obtain a playoff spot. Towards the end of the
2003–04 season, general manager Glen Sather traded away Brian Leetch, Kovalev, Rucinsky, and Nedved.
Henrik Lundqvist era (2005–2020) Return to the playoffs (2005–2011) during the
2005–06 season led to the Rangers' best record since
1993–94. With the emergence of Swedish rookie goaltender
Henrik Lundqvist during the
2005–06 season, the Rangers finished the season with a record of 44–26–12, their best record since 1993–94. Jagr broke the Rangers' single-season points record with a first-period assist in a 5–1 win against the New York Islanders on March 29, 2006. The assist gave him 110 points on the season, breaking
Jean Ratelle's record. Less than two weeks later, on April 8, Jagr scored his 53rd goal of the season against the Boston Bruins, breaking the club record previously held by Adam Graves. Two games prior, on April 4, the Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3–2, in a shootout, to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since
1996–97. In the
2006 conference quarterfinals, the Rangers faced off against the Devils and were defeated in a four-game sweep. Jagr fell two points short of winning his sixth
Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion in 2005–06, but did win his third
Pearson Award as the players' choice for the most outstanding player. was named team captain at the start of the
2006–07 NHL season. In the
2006–07 offseason, the Rangers signed
Triple Gold Club winner and 12-time 30-goal scorer
Brendan Shanahan to a one-year contract. On October 5, 2006, Jagr was named the first team captain since Mark Messier's retirement. On February 5, 2007, the Rangers acquired forward
Sean Avery in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings. The Rangers swept the
Atlanta Thrashers in the first round of the
2007 playoffs. However, they were eliminated in the next round by the
Buffalo Sabres. At the
2007 NHL entry draft, the Rangers chose
Alexei Cherepanov 17th overall, who had been ranked by the
NHL Central Scouting Bureau as the number one European skater. In the 2007 offseason, they signed
Scott Gomez to a seven-year contract, as well as
Chris Drury to a five-year deal. The Rangers made the playoffs for the third consecutive season and the second round for the second consecutive season. In the first round against the New Jersey Devils, in game three, Sean Avery faced himself towards Devils goaltender
Martin Brodeur and moved his arms and stick in an attempt to screen any shots from the Rangers. After the game, the league made it an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to purposefully screen the goalie with your arms and stick. Following their first-round victory, they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round. The following offseason saw the departures of captain Jaromir Jagr to the KHL and
Martin Straka, who left to play in the Czech Republic. was named the team's head coach in 2009, maintaining the position until 2013. Following Jagr's departure, Chris Drury was named captain on October 3, 2008. The Rangers were one of four NHL teams to open the
2008–09 season in Europe, being featured in the
Victoria Cup final, defeating the European Champions Cup winner
Metallurg Magnitogorsk in
Bern, Switzerland. This was followed by two NHL regular season games against Tampa Bay in
Prague on October 4 and 5; the Rangers won both games. However, on October 13, 2007, 2007 first-round pick, Alexei Cherepanov collapsed and died during a KHL game in Russia. After the Rangers went 2–7–3 in 12 games, coach Tom Renney was fired, with
2004 Stanley Cup and
Jack Adams Award winner
John Tortorella named as his replacement. The Rangers made the
2009 playoffs, but gave up a 3–1 series lead to the Washington Capitals to lose in seven games. On June 30, 2009, the Rangers traded Scott Gomez,
Tom Pyatt, and
Michael Busto to the Montreal Canadiens for
Ryan McDonagh,
Chris Higgins,
Pavel Valentenko, and
Doug Janik. The Rangers also signed
Marian Gaborik on the first day of free agency. In the
2009–10 season, the Rangers failed to make the playoffs for the first time in five years, losing the final game in a shootout against the Philadelphia Flyers. was named the 26th captain in Rangers history. For the
2010–11 season, the team signed Norwegian forward
Mats Zuccarello. The Rangers' playoff chances came down to the final day of the regular season for the second consecutive year. The team defeated the New Jersey Devils and passed the
Carolina Hurricanes in the standings, putting the Rangers in the playoffs. The Rangers faced Washington in the first round and lost the series in five games. On May 13, 2011, Rangers forward
Derek Boogaard was found dead in his
Minnesota apartment. On June 29, the Rangers bought out captain Chris Drury's contract. On July 3, the Rangers signed free agent
Brad Richards to a nine-year contract. On September 12,
Ryan Callahan was named the 26th captain in the Rangers' history.
Return to the Stanley Cup Final and third Presidents' Trophy (2011–2016) In the
2011–12 season, the team finished as the top seed in the Eastern Conference, recording 51 wins and 109 points. Lunqvist was awarded the
Vezina Trophy for the League's best goaltender. In the playoffs, they defeated both the Senators and Capitals in seven games respectively. In the conference finals, they faced the New Jersey Devils. After leading the series 2–1, the Rangers lost the next three games, losing game six to New Jersey in overtime. On July 23, 2012, the Rangers traded
Brandon Dubinsky,
Artem Anisimov,
Tim Erixon and a
2013 first-round draft pick to the
Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for
Rick Nash,
Steven Delisle, and a 2013 conditional third-round pick. At the 2013 trade deadline on April 3, the Rangers traded Marian Gaborik and Steven Delisle to Columbus for
Derick Brassard,
Derek Dorsett,
John Moore, and a 2014 sixth-round draft pick. After the Rangers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by Boston, management fired head coach John Tortorella. On June 21, 2013, general manager Glen Sather formally introduced former Canucks head coach
Alain Vigneault as Tortorella's replacement. in a multi-player trade with the
Columbus Blue Jackets in 2012. On March 5, 2014, the Rangers traded their captain
Ryan Callahan, along with a first-round draft pick in
2015, a conditional second-round pick in
2014, and a conditional seventh-round pick in 2015, for Tampa Bay captain
Martin St. Louis. The trade occurred both due to the Rangers' and Callahan's inability to reach a contract extension, as well as St. Louis' growing tension with the Lightning organization and subsequent request to be traded to New York. The
2013–14 Rangers set a new franchise record of 25 road game wins. New York defeated Philadelphia in seven games in the first round of the
2014 playoffs, and in the next round rallied from a 3–1 series deficit to defeat Pittsburgh in seven games. They then defeated the Montreal Canadiens in six games to move onto the
Cup Final to face the
Los Angeles Kings. The Rangers lost the series in five games. On June 20, 2014, a week after their season ended, the Rangers
bought out the remaining six years of Brad Richards' contract. On October 6, defenseman
Ryan McDonagh was named the Rangers' 27th captain in team history. In
2014–15, the Rangers won the Presidents' Trophy for the third time in franchise history by finishing with the best record in the NHL at 53–22–7. The 53 wins and 113 points both set franchise records. In the
2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Rangers dispatched the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games in the first round. The Rangers then came back from a 3–1 series deficit to win their second-round series against the Capitals in seven games, becoming the first team in NHL history to battle back from a 3–1 deficit in back-to-back seasons and sending the Rangers to the conference finals for the third time in four years. However, the Lightning shutout the Rangers 2–0 in game seven, ending the Rangers' season and marking the first occasion the Rangers had ever lost a game seven at home in franchise history. On June 27, 2015, the Rangers traded
Carl Hagelin to the Anaheim Ducks,
Cam Talbot and a draft pick to the Edmonton Oilers, and prospect
Ryan Haggerty to the Chicago Blackhawks for goaltender
Antti Raanta. On July 1,
Glen Sather resigned as the general manager, with
Jeff Gorton taking his place. On July 2, Martin St. Louis announced his retirement. The team then re-signed
Jesper Fast,
J. T. Miller, and Derek Stepan. The Rangers started the
2015–16 season with a 14–2–2 record after 18 games, including a nine-game winning streak. The Rangers finished the season with 101 points. In the
2016 playoffs, the Rangers were eliminated in the first round by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Rebuilding (2016–2020) On July 18, 2016, the Rangers traded Derick Brassard and a 2018 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for
Mika Zibanejad and a 2018 second-round draft pick. The team also signed
Michael Grabner to a two-year deal and
Jimmy Vesey to a two-year entry-level contract. The Rangers finished
2016–17 in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with 102 points. In the first round of the
2017 Stanley Cup playoffs, they won their series with the Montreal Canadiens in six games. They lost in the second round to the Ottawa Senators in six games. On June 14, 2017, the Rangers announced a buyout of Dan Girardi's contract. Just over a week later, the Rangers traded Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to the
Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a first-round draft pick (seventh overall) and former first-round pick
Tony DeAngelo. Rangers' management also signed top free agent defenseman
Kevin Shattenkirk to a four-year deal. By February 8, 2018, the team had a 25–24–5 record, leading the front office to issue a social media post to fans announcing the Rangers would be committing to a rebuild and may "lose some familiar faces" in the process.
Rick Nash was traded the day before the 2018
NHL trade deadline to the Bruins for a 2018 first-round pick, a 2019 seventh-round pick,
Matt Beleskey,
Ryan Spooner and
Ryan Lindgren. The following day, the Rangers traded captain
Ryan McDonagh and
J. T. Miller to the
Tampa Bay Lightning for picks and prospects. With the team missing the playoffs for the first time since 2010 and placing last in the Metropolitan Division, head coach Vigneault was fired at the conclusion of the season. On May 23,
David Quinn was hired as the team's new head coach. During the offseason, Hayes, Vesey,
Brady Skjei and Spooner all filed for salary arbitration and all were re-signed. Gorton and his team remained committed to a rebuild in the
2018–19 season; the Rangers traded away veteran players at the deadline, including
Kevin Hayes and
Mats Zuccarello, who was sent to the Dallas Stars in exchange for two draft picks. The Rangers received the second overall pick in the
2019 NHL entry draft, and used it to select forward
Kaapo Kakko. On May 17, 2019, former Ranger goaltender and broadcaster
John Davidson resigned from his position as president of the Columbus Blue Jackets and returned to New York to become the organization's new president. The Rangers then acquired prospect
Adam Fox from the Carolina Hurricanes for a pair of picks, and also traded with the
Winnipeg Jets for defenseman
Jacob Trouba. The team also signed free agent
Artemi Panarin to a seven-year deal on July 1. signed with the Rangers in July 2019 The
2019–20 season saw improvement as Panarin earned a
Hart Trophy nomination, Chris Kreider signed a seven-year contract extension, and Mika Zibanejad recorded a five-goal game against Washington on March 5 and ended up with 41 goals in 57 games played. By early March 2020, the Rangers were within striking distance of the second wild card position when the
coronavirus pandemic halted the regular season. In May 2020, the league announced a
24-team playoff tournament to complete the season, where the Rangers were seeded 11th and faced the Carolina Hurricanes; the Hurricanes swept the Rangers. After being eliminated from the playoffs the Rangers were entered into the second phase of the NHL draft lottery where the team won the lottery and were awarded the first pick in the
2020 NHL entry draft, which Gorton used to select
Alexis Lafreniere. Later in the offseason, the team traded veteran defenseman
Marc Staal to the Red Wings. In September 2020, the Rangers bought out the final year of
Henrik Lundqvist's contract, ending his tenure in New York after 15 years.
The Drury years (2020–present) Struggles, playoff return, and fourth Presidents' Trophy (2020–2024) On January 31, 2021, defenseman Tony DeAngelo was placed on waivers following reports that he had an altercation with teammate
Alexandar Georgiev following an overtime loss. According to
The Athletic, his continued "maturity" issues, combined with a marked decline in his play, led the Rangers to put him on the market; there were no takers. In a game against the
Washington Capitals on May 3, 2021, Capitals forward
Tom Wilson cross-checked
Pavel Buchnevich in the head and slammed
Artemi Panarin into the ice, ending his season. Wilson, a repeat offender, was fined the league maximum of $5,000 for the incident. The Rangers organization released a statement expressing disappointment in this decision, calling head of player safety
George Parros "unfit to continue in his current role". The NHL subsequently fined the Rangers $250,000 for their comments. Two days later, Rangers owner
James Dolan fired president
John Davidson and general manager
Jeff Gorton. Despite the timing, Dolan stated the firings were not related to the Wilson incident and statement, citing "culture" issues within the organization.
Chris Drury was then announced as the Rangers' new president and general manager. On May 12, Drury fired head coach David Quinn and replaced him with
Gerard Gallant. Despite a tumultuous season, a major bright spot was the play of
Adam Fox; he led NHL defensemen with 42 assists, finished second in points with 47, and won the
James Norris Memorial Trophy. The Rangers finished the
2021–22 season with a record of 52–24–6. For the third time in franchise history, the Rangers overcame a 3–1 series deficit, this time against the
Pittsburgh Penguins in a first round matchup that concluded with a game-winning overtime goal from
Artemi Panarin. After defeating the
Carolina Hurricanes in seven games, they faced the back-to-back defending champions, the
Tampa Bay Lightning, and lost the series in six games.
Igor Shesterkin was named the
Vezina Trophy winner following the season's conclusion. By the end of the
following season, the Rangers had acquired
Vladimir Tarasenko and
Niko Mikkola from the
St. Louis Blues and
Patrick Kane from the Blackhawks, but lost to their
river rivals, the
New Jersey Devils, in the first round of the playoffs. Gallant was then fired as head coach and replaced with
Peter Laviolette. In the
2023–24 season, the Rangers clinched their fourth
Presidents' Trophy, and in the first round of the
2024 playoffs swept the Washington Capitals. After defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion
Florida Panthers in the conference finals.
Retooling (2024–present) The
2024–25 season was disastrous, as the Rangers became just the fourth team to miss the playoffs the year following a Presidents' Trophy win. Veteran players, such as Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, received criticism throughout the season, captain
Jacob Trouba,
Kaapo Kakko, and
Filip Chytil were traded, and Laviolette was fired at the end of the season.
J. T. Miller was also reacquired during the Chytil trade. On May 2, 2025,
Mike Sullivan was named head coach. Later that offseason, Chris Kreider was traded to the
Anaheim Ducks after a 13-year career with the Rangers. The
following season would also prove to be disastrous, as by January 16, 2026, the team had a 20–22–6 record with a 5–14–3 home record. That day, Drury declared that the team would retool, stating, "it will be built around our core players and prospects." Near the trade deadline, the Rangers traded Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings for prospect
Liam Greentree, a conditional third-round pick in
2026 and a fourth-round pick in
2028. ==Uniforms==