NY Rangers Fans Rightfully Placing Blame on One Area of Franchise

Which are of the New York Rangers do fans believe are most responsible for the underwhelming season?

Apr 15, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Rangers left wing Tye Kartye (24) reacts after an assist on a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second period at Benchmark International Arena. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers have a passionate fan base that cares deeply about their favorite team on the ice.

Unfortunately, the team was not able to provide them with many moments to get excited about during the 2025-26 season. The Rangers finished in last place in the Eastern Conference, finishing with only 77 points during the season.

When a team underperforms to the extent that New York did, there is plenty of blame to pass around. However, the fans have spoken, and they believe there is one area of the franchise most responsible for the team’s struggles: management.

In a Rangers offseason fan survey put together by Peter Baugh and Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required), management received the overwhelming percentage of the vote when asked who was to blame most for how this season went.

Rangers fans blame management for team's underwhelming season

May 8, 2025; Tarrytown, NY, USA; New York Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury speaks during a press conference to introduce new head coach Mike Sullivan at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown, New York May 8, 2025. / The Journal News-Imagn Images

92.2% of the 2,218 responses placed the blame on management, with the person most in the crosshairs of the fan base assuredly being president and general manager, Chris Drury. He has drawn the ire of the fans for a while with how he has handled the team’s roster and assets, and things have reached a fever pitch after New York has missed the playoffs for a second consecutive year.

This is a massive change in how the results shook out last year. After the 2024-25 season, management received 53.1% of the vote, with the players receiving a large chunk of the blame at 38.2%.

That is not the case this year. Players received a little bit of the blame, receiving 7.0% of the votes, but most of the ire was shown toward management, and with good reason. 

There weren’t many, if any, players who truly fell short of expectations during the 2025-26 campaign. Injuries certainly played a part, with defenseman Adam Fox, center Vincent Trocheck and goalie Igor Shesterkin all missing time throughout the year.

Chris Drury deserves blame for current state of Rangers

NY Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury during a press conference to introduce new head coach Mike Sullivan at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown, New York May 8, 2025. / Peter Carr/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Players getting hurt is an unfortunate part of the game. It is up to management to put together a roster that is strong enough to overcome some absences, but that didn’t happen this past season, with the injuries derailing the team completely.

Replacing players of that caliber is certainly easier said than done, but finishing with the third-worst record in the NHL isn’t something even the most pessimistic of people would have predicted coming into the year.

Rounding out the fan vote as the most to blame is the coaches, who received only 0.8% of the vote. Head coach Mike Sullivan has been spared, for now, after his first season at the helm.

But, if things don’t turn around next winter, that percentage will assuredly grow.