MTPS: It Looks Hopeless Now. But the Rangers’ Path Back Starts Here.

The 2025-26 New York Rangers are a train wreck. Not just a train wreck, but one of the trains is carrying raw sewage and the other one is carrying toxic waste. And they crashed over a burning pile of tires. They're not only losing, but they're boring to the point of being barely watchable. So yes, I completely understand and accept the skepticism that will naturally come from what I'm about to say...

...but, the 2026-27 New York Rangers might be a good team.

With all apologies to Banter colleague Phil Kocher, I'm not a Red Hot Chili Peppers fan. But, Don Henley, though?

Don is right. In a New York minute, everything can change.

Sure, you can be pessimistic, even fatalistic if you want. And I get that. As a proud member of Gen-X I would rank the traumatic impact of this season up there with this:

Or maybe this:

But, I'm here to tell you that if you squint, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. And, I don't think it's an oncoming truck!

Now, before you ask the obvious question, let me stop you:

• I am not drunk.
• This is not some clickbait nonsense. I stand behind everything you're about to read.
• Seriously, I'm not drunk.
• Also...

So, now that we've gotten that out of the way, how do we do it? Like Julie Andrews said, "Let's start at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start."

It’s an interesting time for the team, balancing that mix of established players and players still figuring out how to get the most out of their potential. While several players are likely to be shipped off in the coming days and weeks, let's dive into the guys who are likely to remain behind: