Blueshirts in the Rearview: Former Rangers Performance in the First Round of the 2026 Playoffs

The New York Rangers’ season was pretty much over before it even began, which meant the postseason was never really in reach. The NHL playoffs are many things, both fun and nerve-racking. To build on Eric and Joe’s recent podcast, I have a hard time recalling the last time I was able to calmly enjoy watching a game.

With all that said, missing the playoffs is still a depressing outcome for Rangers fans, and for that, I offer a solution: Follow along with the former Rangers who have since moved on and have a shot at ultimate glory this year.

We’ll revisit this each time a round ends, as long as there are still former Rangers to report on.

Anaheim Ducks

Chris Kreider

Kreider showed up for the Ducks in the first round, helping their magical season continue on. He scored one goal and four assists while also being a physical menace all over the ice throughout the series. In Game 6, the veteran helped carry the Ducks past a desperate Oilers squad. He scored one goal and collected two assists, playing a key role in the Ducks’ offense when it mattered most.

Frank Vatrano

Vatrano had a tough season, coming back from a big shoulder injury, and he was never able to stick in the lineup for the Ducks. He was a healthy scratch in the first round.

Jacob Trouba

Trouba is as Trouba does. Since moving to Anaheim, his play has steadied, likely due to factors we won’t get into right now. But the Ducks’ first round series against the Oilers was no different. Trouba kept the Oilers honest with his signature big, open ice hits and ate up ice time for the Ducks, consistently playing over 25 minutes a night. His lone point in the series was a goal that gave the Ducks their first lead in Game 2.

Buffalo Sabres

Sam Carrick

Carrick was injured at the end of the season and didn’t play in their first-round matchup. His recovery is ahead of schedule, and he’s likely to return to help boost the Sabres in their series against the Montreal Canadiens in round two.

Carolina Hurricanes

K’Andre Miller

I’m sorry to tell you all that Miller has been an absolute beast for the Hurricanes—solid defensively and involved in the offense. The Rangers likely would have never seen Miller hit this level in New York, but he has absolutely been taking advantage of the Hurricanes’ system. He had three assists in four games, including the clever bank shot off the boards to help the Hurricanes sweep the Senators.

Dallas Stars

Nils Lundkvist

Lundkvist finally seemed to be figuring it out in Dallas this year and was earning minutes for the Stars in their intense first round matchup against the Minnesota Wild. However, a gruesome injury, a skate blade to the face, took him out of the series, and he watched from the press box as his team fell to the Wild in six games.

Colin Blackwell

While Blackwell dressed in all six games for the Stars, he had little to no impact on the series this year. Last season, Blackwell was the unexpected hero with a big goal, but this year he played as little as seven minutes in game six as the Stars fought for their lives and ultimately fell to the Wild.

Edmonton Oilers

Jack Roslovic

Like much of the Edmonton Oilers supporting cast, Roslovic had an uneventful series and didn’t move the needle. Notching one assist in six games, it’s safe to wonder if he’ll be part of the Oilers’ scramble to assemble a competitive team to satisfy McDavid.

Los Angeles Kings

Artemi Panarin

Panarin and the Kings drew the unfortunate hand of matching up against the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche. While the Kings made it a more competitive series than many of us anticipated, it all fell apart in the end as the Avalanche offense finally started clicking. The first two games of the series however were nail-biters with the Avalanche taking both 2-1, and the second needing extra time. Panarin scored both goals for the Kings and ended up assisting on another in game three. He was an effective player, but sometimes the odds against you are just stacked too high.

Minnesota Wild

Mats Zucarello

Zuccarello got injured in Game 1 against the Dallas Stars after taking an elbow to the head, but he still registered three assists in the Wild’s blowout opener against the Stars. He returned for games five and six scoring a goal and adding another assist, for a total of five points in three games. Minnesota won each game he played in. The hobbit continues to bring something special to each team he plays for.

Vladimir Tarasenko

Now in the twilight of his career, Tarasenko is the perfect supporting cast member for an elite team. While his production in the first round wasn’t what it was in years past, he scored a big goal for the Wild in their series clinching game six win when he tied the game late in the second period.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Kevin Hayes & Ryan Graves

Both players have served as healthy scratches for the Penguins during the playoffs. While Graves technically never played a game with the Rangers, he was a fan favorite in Hartford. He had a hard time sticking it out with Pittsburgh this year and saw some time in the AHL, but was an extra body during the Penguins' brief playoff run.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Ryan McDonagh

Now 36 years old, McDonagh has started to slow down, but he still performed valiantly for the Lightning. Without their top defenseman, Victor Hedman, during the playoffs, McDonagh and co. had to step it up. They stretched the series out to seven games arguably outplaying their opponent but still ultimately getting eliminated from the postseason. In seven games, McDonagh registered one assist.

Darren Raddysh

Raddysh was never a Ranger, but he did spend some time with the Hartford Wolf Pack. The surprise standout defenseman for the Lightning in the regular season did not see the same level of offensive success in the playoffs. He scored one goal and one assist throughout the seven game series, but got a big goal for the Lightning in Game 1.

Vegas Golden Knights

Brett Howden

Sometimes players are built for big moments, and believe it or not based on his Rangers tenure, Howden fits that mold. It’s not just that he scored four goals and one assist in six games, but it’s how and when he did it. He scored a shorthanded goal in double OT and followed that up with a two-goal performance the next game, with one goal also shorthanded and the other the game-tying goal late in the third period. It really doesn’t get any more clutch than that.

Reilly Smith

Smith slotted in as a bottom-six forward for Vegas, but it was his versatility that John Tortorella loved. While he didn’t light up the scoresheet, with two assists in six games, he was part of an important goal in Game 5 that helped swing the series in the Golden Knights’ favor.