Halfway There: Midseason Awards for the Rangers’ Best, Worst, and Most Surprising Performers

Through 42 games this season, the New York Rangers sit at a record of 19-18-5 and are currently on the outside of the playoffs looking in amidst a weak Eastern Conference. This is not the standard that general manager Chris Drury and first-year head coach Mike Sullivan wanted to set, but it's where the team stands. Hope of a playoff run remains, but the light grows dimmer by the day.

Regardless of the standings, there are awards to go around, both good and bad. Coaching and management play a critical role in the team's success, but in the end it comes down to the performance of the players. Whether you're a top-line center or a bottom-pair grinder, each player has a specific role to play.

With that in mind, it's time to present the 2025-26 New York Rangers midseason awards.

MVP: Vladislav Gavrikov

One of the newest additions to the Blueshirts has quickly become one of their most valuable players. Vladislav Gavrikov came over from the Los Angeles Kings via free agency advertised as a lockdown defenseman, and he has been more than that. In his eighth year in the league, he has reached new offensive highs at just the halfway point of the season while being the strong defensive presence he was in Los Angeles.

Whether it be breaking up odd-man rushes, great poke checks, or anything else you could expect from an elite defender, Gavrikov has done it. So far this season, he has recorded a -0.112 xGA/60 Regularized Adjusted Plus-Minus (RAPM) per Evolving Hockey, the second best of any Blueshirts defenseman and behind only Adam Fox. It may not always make the highlight reels, but his defensive game is consistently there.

What adds to how impressive this performance has been is knowing that, in Fox's absence, Braden Schneider has been his defensive partner. Where Gavrikov was supposed to compliment Fox, he was now being tasked with elevating those playing next to him. As his usual linemate was recovering from an upper-body injury, Gavrikov found a way to take his offensive game to a new level.

Gavrikov has already potted seven goals this season, a new high for the Russian defenseman. He has scored goals in overtime, quarterbacked the Rangers' first power play unit at times, and more. Expectations were already high for Gavrikov after being given a seven-year deal during the offseason, and he has surpassed them.

Vladislav Gavrikov looked a lot more like himself vs. Buffalo. Closing down on puck carriers, taking away lanes, and well-timed pinches up the wall.

I considered his defensive partner Adam Fox, who was a Norris Trophy candidate before his injury, for this award. However, I had a hard time coming to terms with naming a player MVP who missed a considerable amount of time. Artemi Panarin was also in the conversation, leading the Rangers with 42 points at the halfway point. But the team's overall offensive struggles made it challenging to pick a guy who specializes in scoring. In the end, Gavrikov's elite defensive game was too much not to ignore.

Most Improved: Mika Zibanejad

An award like this is expected to be handed to a young up-and-comer, similar to how many would have given it to Will Cuylle last season. Instead, the 32-year-old Mika Zibanejad, now in his 10th season with the Rangers, gets it. He is second on the team in points, behind only Panarin, and is having a massive bounce-back season.

While his five-point Winter Classic came just after the halfway point, even without it he still gets the award. During the team's first half of the season, he recorded 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points. These numbers are similar to his pace from last season, but his two-way game is much more present.

According to Evolving Hockey, Zibanejad has a -0.088 GA/60 RAPM so far this season, which would be the second best of his career. His only better performance was during the 2022-23 season. This is backed by watching his on-ice performance, where it is clear this isn't the same player who seemingly gave up only a season ago.

One of the smaller parts of his improvement that isn't getting enough recognition is the fact that he is playing center. At the beginning of the season, Zibanejad was playing on the wing in an attempt to allow him to focus on the offensive part of his game. However, after the second game, he slid back to center after Vincent Trocheck got injured. Even once Trocheck returned, Zibanejad remained at center.

It'll be hard for Zibanejad to continue to fight that natural regression that comes with age, but for him to not only stop the downward spiral in his play but also take a step back in the right direction will go a long way for a player under contract until 2030 with a full no-movement clause.

Biggest Disappointment: J.T. Miller

It hasn't been the kind of season you would have hoped for from the Rangers newly-minted captain. Miller has battled injuries all season long, starting with the lower-body injury suffered in the preseason that has appeared to limit his play for much of the year.

When acquired from the Vancouver Canucks last year, Miller put up 35 points in 32 games for the Rangers. Right away, he made an immediate difference with his scoring ability and physical game. Miller elevated the players around him, and despite being another aging forward, many seemed pleased to see him return.

This season has been a different story. In 35 games played this season, Miller only has 10 goals and 22. When he was named the team's captain over the summer, he talked about changing the culture and mentality, but Miller has failed to do that himself.

The underlying numbers don't back Miller either, with a .083 xGF/60 RAPM and a -.044 xGA/60 RAPM via Evolving Hockey. Miller ranks outside the top 100 among forwards with a minimum of 50 minutes in both categories, backing his evident struggles while on the ice this season.

Miller wasn't the only Ranger in consideration for this award. Alexis Lafrenière got plenty of consideration, as did Vincent Trocheck. Ultimately Miller had the highest expectation of these players and, being the captain, he should be held to a higher standard than everyone else. Once Miller returns from injured reserve, he will still have a chance to turn around his year.

Biggest Surprise: Matthew Robertson

I think it is safe to say there were no expectations for Matthew Robertson this season. Robertson was the 49th overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft and did not make his debut until the end of last season. Many wrote Robertson off as another player the Blueshirts had failed to develop. That wouldn't be the case.

Robertson entered this season slated to be the team's seventh defenseman but has seen action in 33 of the team's first 42 games, and hadn't come out of the lineup once since Nov. 15 before being scratched in the Rangers last game against the Utah Mammoth. He has found the back of the net twice and has recorded five assists. Robertson currently has the fourth most points among Blueshirts defensemen.

Robertson is among the many defensemen who have benefited under Sullivan's scheme. He contributes offensively every now and again. But his primary value has been as a defensive staple. Robertson makes smart decisions and doesn't make catastrophic mistakes that lead to big plays for the opposition.

Even if Robertson becomes nothing more than a bottom-pair defenseman, at his salary of $775,000 and being under contract for the 2026-27 NHL season makes him valuable. He is a cheap and effective player, which allows the Rangers to splurge on premium talent for top roles if the opportunity presents itself.

Best Rookie: Noah Laba

Noah Laba didn't have much competition for this award, especially with Gabe Perreault and Scott Morrow spending most of their time with the Hartford Wolf Pack throughout the first half of the season. But by no means does that mean he has been a disappointment.

Laba spent the past few seasons at Colorado College, where he was named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference's best defensive forward, which is evident in his game. Laba made the jump to the AHL after his NCAA season ended, where he played in 11 games for the Wolf Pack during the 2024-25 season.

In that time, he scored three goals and added two assists, but entered the 2025-26 season very under the radar. The Rangers' need for a third-line center presented Laba the perfect opportunity, and he seized it. His strong preseason play earned him a spot on the opening night roster, and he never gave anyone a reason to consider sending him back to Hartford.

Laba has five goals and seven assists, but his defensive numbers are strong. Laba has the second lowest GA/60 RAPM of any forward on the team via Evolving Hockey. Night in and night out you know what you are getting from him, which is unusual when talking about such a young player. He may not be the flashiest player, but he is willing to do many of the small things that make him valuable.

The young center has missed the last few games with an upper-body injury, but once he returns, all fans can hope for is more of the same. Unlike Victor Mancini last season, Laba's play hasn't dropped off, and he will likely play the duration of the season with the Rangers. While he may not have gotten the biggest surprise award, he was very close to also taking that home too.

With it only being the halfway point, these awards could change when we revisit this at the end of the season. J.T. Miller may return to the lineup and start tearing things up, Perreault may remain with the Rangers the rest of the season and emerge as the best rookie, or something that no one is expecting may occur.

We know how the beginning of the year shaped up, but now it's time to see how the 2025-26 New York Rangers finish the season.