Ten Game Temp Check: Rock Bottom Is a Journey, Not a Destination
The Letter 2.0 made it official, the standings made it undeniable, and this Ten Game Temp Check shows just how broken things have become.
For the second time in seven years, Chris Drury and the New York Rangers have released a letter to the fans signifying a change in direction for the future of the organization. Barring any miraculous runs, this comes as the unofficial white flag of the 2025-26 season, with the Rangers having significantly underperformed in the first 50 games. These last ten games have included some of the Rangers’ worst hockey since last season with a result of 2-6-2, which sounds a lot kinder than it really is—having lost 10 of their last 12.
In part five of this season’s Ten Game Temp Check series, the Rangers are currently last in the Metropolitan Division, last in the Eastern Conference and 27h in the overall league standings. Before diving deeper, let’s look at the side-by-side for my (very low) expectations set in part four compared to how the results actually played out.
@ Carolina—L 3-2 OT Loss @ Carolina
@ Washington—L 6-3 Loss @ Washington
@ Florida—W 5-1 Win @ Florida
V. Utah—W 3-2 OT Loss V. Utah
V. Buffalo—L 5-2 Loss V. Buffalo
@ Boston—W 10-2 Loss @ Boston
V. Seattle—L 4-2 Loss V. Seattle
V. Ottawa—L 8-4 Loss V. Ottawa
@ Philadelphia—W 6-3 Win @ Philadelphia
@ Anaheim—L 5-3 Loss @ Anaheim
As mentioned, heading into this stretch, my faith in this team couldn’t be lower and I know I wasn't alone in feeling that way. The Rangers certainly proved anyone feeling pessimistic correct as they have just been awful throughout these ten games. The best way to put the current standing of the New York Rangers into context would be this brief encounter I had with Colin Stephenson of Newsday Sports on X. When the Bruins scored to make it 7-2, I responded to Colin’s update asking if this was rock bottom and this was his response.
Things can always get worse, Chris.
— Colin Stephenson (@ColinSNewsday) January 10, 2026
As you can see in the replies, the Bruins immediately scored an eighth goal, went on to win 10-2 and, less than a week later, the Ottawa Senators put up eight against the Rangers on home ice. Drury followed that up with the second letter to fans in the last 8 years, indicating the team will focus on a retool. While the Rangers had a strong answer to that in their 6-3 win in Philadelphia, the plan of a retool is set with the Rangers need to prioritize the future ever so clear.
What Went Well
They won the Winter Classic and, prior to that Philadelphia game 24 hours after The Letter 2.0, I was prepared to say that was the only thing that went well. Look, it was nice that the Rangers finally showed up and put up six on the Flyers. But let's be honest here: The Flyers have been struggling as of late, their goaltending is not the strongest and got off to an awful start, and even with the dominant lead the Rangers' 60 minute effort was no where close to perfect.
