End of Season Awards: Who Delivered and Who Didn’t for the 2025-26 New York Rangers

The New York Rangers' centennial season has come and gone, and it was filled with plenty of disappointment. From struggles when playing at Madison Square Garden, to only recording 10 shots on goal in Mika Zibanejad's 1,000th game, to allowing Jonathan Quick to end his legendary career on a loss, there has not been much to write home about.

Despite the poor results, there are End of Season Awards that must be handed out. From the halfway point of the season until now, some players took strides in the right direction, and others' play deteriorated over time.

With that being said, here are the 2025-26 New York Rangers End of Season Awards.

MVP: Mika Zibanejad

If you told me this time last year that Mika Zibanejad would have been the team MVP, I would have called you crazy. Zibanejad's bounce-back season has been one of the few bright spots over the course of the year. In 81 games played this season, Zibanejad has 34 goals and 44 assists for a total of 78 points, his highest point total since the 2022-23 season.

One of the more underrated parts of Zibanejad's performance this season was how consistent he was. Zibanejad never went more than three games without recording a point. In a season where the Rangers finished with the 11th fewest points, that level of consistency is impressive.

Another aspect of Zibanejad's game that returned this season was his dominance while on the power play. According to Evolving Hockey, Zibanejad finished the season with a 1.938 expected power play offense per 60 (xPPO/60), the 20th highest in the league among skaters who played at least 300 minutes. At times last season, fans begged just to see him become a force on the power play, but he has become much more than that.

Zibanejad's even strength numbers also improved, having led the Rangers in goals and points while at even strength. It also is not a coincidence that Alexis Lafrenière and Gabe Perreault's best hockey came when playing with Zibanejad. According to Evolving Hockey, both Perreault's and Lafrenière's GF%/60 was higher when playing with Zibanejad than when they were not on a line with him.

The reason these two young forwards have both been able to play with Zibanejad is because he was able to handle the responsibility of playing center. At the start of the season, the plan was to play him on the wing to take pressure off Zibanejad, but he rose to the occasion this season. He may have started the season in a spot where he needed others to elevate him; he became a player that elevated those around him.

Mika Zibanejad has a full no-movement clause through the 2029-30 season, which means he is likely sticking around through this retool. His contract will likely age poorly, but the fact Zibanejad was able to stop the rapid regression he showed over the past few seasons and return to a strong level of play will go a long way in helping the Rangers return to the playoffs.