The Centennial Season Preview

As the summer and preseason come to a close, the Rangers’ centennial season is officially underway. Founded in 1926, along with the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings, the New York Rangers are celebrating their 100th season as a franchise during the 2025/26 NHL season. 

The New York Rangers, also known as the Blueshirts, boast a storied history since their founding by former Madison Square Garden president George Lewis “Tex” Rickard. The Rangers have played in the heart of New York City at both MSG III and MSG IV. They’ve experienced significant success in the NHL, winning four Stanley Cups in 1927/28, 1932/33, 1939/40, and 1993/94. Some of the NHL’s best players have worn a Rangers jersey, including Rod “Mr. Ranger” Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, Brian Leetch, and even the “King” Henrik Lundqvist. The “Great One,” Wayne Gretzky, even retired as a Ranger, although his legacy is most associated with the Edmonton Oilers. 

The Blueshirts are entering their centennial season hoping to honor this rich legacy, especially considering their disappointing previous season. Last season, the Rangers missed the playoffs by six points with only 40 wins and a .518 win percentage. This was a surprisingly poor season for the team, given that they had won the President’s Trophy and reached the Conference Finals in the season prior. After a strong start to the 2024/25 season, poor results pushed General Manager Chris Drury to make significant changes in the middle of the season. These included trading captain and defenseman Jacob Trouba, former second overall pick and forward Kaapo Kakko, and forward Filip Chytil. Chytil was traded to Vancouver alongside defenseman Victor Mancini and a top-13 protected pick to bring back now-captain and forward J.T. Miller. However, even with this trade, the Rangers still failed to make the playoffs and were unable to send off longtime play-by-play announcer and fan favorite Sam Rosen with a Stanley Cup farewell. 

As a result, the team made major changes in the offseason. The Rangers started the summer by firing head coach Peter Laviolette and his assistant, Phil Housley, after two seasons. The Rangers hired former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach and two-time Stanley Cup winner Mike Sullivan to replace Laviolette on May 2. Sullivan brought along changes to the coaching staff, bringing in former Rangers head coach David Quinn, Joe Sacco, and Ty Hennes as assistant coaches. The Rangers front office has high hopes for Sullivan; in the press conference of Sullivan’s announcement, Drury said that he “truly believes [Sullivan] is a premier coach in the National Hockey League.” However, Drury also recognized that changes on the player’s side were necessary, which he made numerous moves to accomplish. 

The New York Rangers made significant moves through both trades and free agency. After the season, the Rangers chose not to re-sign forward Nicolas Aubé-Kubel, defenseman Calvin de Haan, defenseman Zac Jones, forward Arthur Kaliyev, and retired defenseman Chad Ruhwedel. However, the most significant departures came through trades. The Rangers began the offseason by trading their longest-tenured player, third in franchise history in goals, fan favorite forward Chris Kreider, along with a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Casey Terrance and a third-round pick in the same draft (defenseman Artyom Gonchar). However, the trades did not stop there; the Blueshirts also traded key defenseman K’Andre Miller in a sign-and-trade deal to the Carolina Hurricanes in return for defenseman Scott Morrow, a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and a second-round pick in the same draft.

The Blueshirts also had some key unsigned free agent (players not under contract with a team) signings, including forwards Justin Dowling, Trey Fix-Wolansky, Taylor Raddysh, and defenseman Derrick Pouliot. However, the biggest signing of free agency for the Rangers was former LA Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov on a seven-year, $7 million average annual value contract. The Blueshirts also re-signed several players, including forwards Will Cuylle, Brendan Brisson, Adam Edstrom, Juuso Pärssinen, Matt Rempe, goaltenders Talyn Boyko and Dylan Garand, and defenseman Matthew Robertson. After several offseason changes, the Rangers finalized their roster, naming Miller the 29th captain in franchise history. 

With all these changes, the Blueshirts entered preseason optimistic but cautious. The Rangers started strong, defeating the New Jersey Devils 5-3 in a dominant win. However, they went 1-3-1 for the remainder of the preseason, finishing with a record of 2-3-1. Overall, the Rangers’ play was inconsistent at times, with the defense occasionally collapsing at the end of games, as seen in their 5-4 loss to their cross-town rivals, the New York Islanders, who scored three unanswered goals in the third period. However, the Blueshirts are still adjusting to a new system, and close to half of the players are currently rostered on the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Rangers, the Hartford Wolf Pack, and participating in the preseason. Additionally, the Rangers missed the presence of All-Star forward Artemi Panarin, who was sidelined with an upper-body injury. 

However, even with the losing record, the Blueshirts still showcased a tremendous amount of talent, with two young prospects sticking out. Forward Gabe Perrault tallied two goals and two assists for a total of four points and a plus-minus of +2 in five games played. However, he was sent down to the AHL along with Morrow in the latest cuts to the roster. Forward Noah Laba also impressed, scoring two goals, including an overtime winner against the 2025 NHL Draft first overall pick defenseman Matthew Schaefer to beat the Islanders 3-2. Laba also added four assists, amassing a total of six points and a plus-minus of +1 in six games played. The Rangers’ prospect pool continues to impress and develop, as evident in the preseason.

The Blueshirts, working under a new system and with many new players, are projected to make the playoffs this season. Panarin is predicted to lead the team in points again, as he enters a contract year and currently leads the franchise in points per game with 1.28. Goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who is entering his first year of his new league-leading contract, looks to rebound after a challenging season, supported by an upgraded defensive core. Overall, the Rangers are looking to bounce back after last season and make the fans proud with a memorable centennial season full of celebrations and a Stanley Cup win.