Three Reasons Why the Rangers Make (and Three Why They Could Miss) the Playoffs in 2025-26

It’s that time of year, folks. Coverage is ramping up, and the preseason is over. Can you feel it? The NHL season is almost upon us.

The beginning of the season may be my favorite part of the year. And why is that, you may ask? Well, it’s because of my pessimistic ways! It’s hard for a team to let you down before they play a single game. I said hard—not impossible—so don’t go trying to prove me wrong in the comments.

That being said, I decided to think outside of the box and challenge my pessimistic ways in an attempt to bring balance to my expectations for our favorite hockey team, the New York Rangers. That’s where this piece comes into play.

Welcome to Three Reasons the Rangers Miss or Make the Playoffs.

First, a rule for us to follow in this exercise: It would be easy to list the same three reasons for each category, so we can only use each reason once. As for whether that’s on the positive or negative side of things, it’s up to me. I fully realize that if the Rangers' power play is the best in the league, it’s a great boon, and if it’s the worst in the league, the team will struggle. So let’s make this a little more interesting. Lastly, since we want to leave this on a positive note, we’ll start with the bad.

3 Reasons Why the Rangers Will Miss the Playoffs

1.      Special Teams Are Not So Special

In today’s NHL, the talent gap among most teams is incredibly narrow, and that is where the importance of special teams comes into play. Games are often decided by an effective power play or penalty kill. Looking at last season’s results alone, the only playoff teams that didn’t have at least one special teams unit ranked in the top half of the NHL were the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild. Every other team had either a strong power play or penalty kill that could influence or determine their success night after night. Several teams—like the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning—had both. Many teams with only one effective special teams unit either had an elite power play or penalty kill or were strong at 5-on-5 hockey. These are the main strategies for teams to consistently win games.

Let’s narrow our focus a bit more on the Rangers. In the 2024-25 season, the Rangers had the 28th-ranked power play unit in the NHL. This is a significant drop from where the team was in previous years. Since signing Artemi Panarin, their power play was never ranked worse than 14th in the league before last year, and has consistently been a top-ten unit, reaching as high as third in the 2023-24 season. The Rangers’ penalty kill in the 2024-25 season ranked 11th in the league. This isn't a bad result overall, but compared to the last five years, it’s a major step back—ranking as high as third the previous year and regularly performing well before that.

After considering all this, unfortunately none of it even matters. And why is that, you may ask? Well, it’s because the Rangers were at best mediocre during 5v5 play in 2024-25. I fear it may be true, friends: In recent years, the team relied heavily on their power play, and with middle-of-the-road even-strength hockey, the Rangers need to be power play merchants to carry their offense.

2.      Defensive Woes

It’s no secret this team struggled to defend last year. Chris Drury even cited this as the reason they pursued Vladislav Gavrikov, one of the more effective defenders available in free agency. In losing K’Andre Miller through this move, the Rangers’ management hopes Gavrikov provides the skill set they desperately need: defense. Go figure. Regardless of Gavrikov being the newest high-profile addition to the team, the big question still remains: will he be enough?

With a backend featuring players like Carson Soucy, Will Borgen, and Urho Vaakanainen, the outlook isn’t very promising. This doesn’t even consider that Braden Schneider hasn’t developed as well as the team had hoped. But considering he was playing with a torn labrum, who can blame the kid? Essentially, if your name wasn’t Adam Fox or another defenseman who was mostly playing with Adam Fox, it was probably a tough night.

Now that the team has cleaned house and removed Peter Laviolette and Phil Housley, it’s hoped that Sullivan and his team will implement a new system better suited for the team’s current defense. Along with Gavrikov’s addition, Drury hopes the team’s defensive core is strong enough to compete with the top teams, but some serious doubts remain.

3.      Shesterkin Falls from Grace

For what it’s worth, this is the one I believe in the least. But I kept it as a reason for missing the playoffs because let’s be realistic here: if Igor Shesterkin struggles—and I mean actually struggles, not just gets hung out to dry by his team and criticized by the crab people online—this team is doomed.

The Rangers have relied on their elite goaltending for nearly the last two decades. It’s both a blessing and a curse in ways, but it remains to be seen if the team would have any type of answer if Shesterkin sincerely stumbles. Take a moment to listen—because some of you need to hear this—Jonathan Quick is not Igor Shesterkin, nor will he be able to produce similar numbers with a comparable workload. He’s another year older and very much in the twilight of his career. Last season, Igor played the most games since joining the NHL (61) and posted his worst GAA and SV%. Some lesser-known facts are that he also faced the most shots, played the most games, and made the most saves. This team will succeed because of Igor or fail because of Igor. It’s how they’re built, and there is no in-between.

3 Reasons Why the Rangers Will Make the Playoffs

1.      Mike Sullivan is an Elite Coach

Mike Sullivan has a huge list of achievements: back-to-back Stanley Cups, the winningest coach in Penguins history, and an Olympian, to boot. I could keep listing his accomplishments, but we have an agenda to stick to here. The truth is, what both Peter Laviolette and Gerard Gallant were missing was a direct and accountable approach with their team. Sullivan has just started in New York but is saying all the right things about player management and has gone out of his way to build relationships with specific star players whom the team needs more from.

It’s difficult to point to his success in Pittsburgh and think, “yeah, this guy has that X-factor,” especially when multiple generational players lead your team. However, several coaches failed to achieve what he managed to accomplish. Time will reveal what his system will bring to New York. But the team is practicing harder than ever now. All the soundbites of Sullivan addressing the team seem more promising than ever. A good boss behind the bench can make a significant difference in their strategic approach, especially when facing contending teams in extended playoff matchups. Here’s to hoping Sullivan can be that guy in New York.

2.      Adam Fox Has a Norris Caliber Season

Okay, fine, you can accuse me of breaking my own rule here. This is somewhat similar to the “Defensive Woes” reason for why the team could miss the playoffs, but hear me out.

Despite any defensive issues the team might face, what I’m saying is that Adam Fox is so good, it almost doesn’t matter. In the 2024-25 season, Fox averaged the least amount of ice time per game since his rookie year. He wasn’t even among the top 25 defensemen in ice time. If Fox can get back to his best and spend more time on the ice, it’s a double win for the team. Their best defenseman is better than ever and more involved in play night in and night out. Depending on where Gavrikov fits in could also really impact Fox’s game—whether as his defensively sound partner, allowing him to activate and join the rush, or as the anchor for the second pairing, sharing defensive responsibilities and easing Fox’s burden of defending top players constantly.

Fox is a special player and the rafters are the limit for the American defenseman.

3.      The Young Guns Take a Giant Step Forward

Listen, I know I've been saying this for years, but it's because it’s true! If and when the next generation of New York Rangers rises, even reaching 75 percent of their expected potential will cause this team’s daily performance to soar.

Imagine Braden Schneider dominating as a top-four mobile defenseman and securing that role. Picture Alexis Lafrenière finally putting all the pieces together and breaking through with an 80-point season. Think of the impact Noah Laba, Brett Berard, or Gabe Perreault could have as a surprise 40-point rookie, adding depth. And finally, think of Will Cuylle taking another step and scoring even more.

The possibilities are endless, and like everything in life, the kids are the future! If even half of these scenarios come true, the Rangers' journey into the playoffs will be easier than ever.