NY Rangers Fans Rightfully Skeptical of Team’s Ownership

Ownership has drawn the ire of New York Rangers fans.

May 19, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks executive chairman James Dolan sits court side during the first quarter of game seven of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

There is a lot that needs fixing with the New York Rangers heading into the offseason after a tumultuous 2025-26 season.

The Rangers finished in last place in the Eastern Conference with only 77 points. Only the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks finished with fewer points in the regular season, and they landed at Nos. 3, 4 and 5 in the 2026 NHL Draft order, respectively.

It will be interesting to see what route New York takes this offseason. There are some nice pieces on the roster to build around, such as goalie Igor Shesterkin, defenseman Adam Fox and emerging top-six forward Gabe Perreault.

Veterans such as Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafreniere, J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck, as long as they are on the roster, are solid contributors as well. Alas, there is one major part of the franchise that the fan base doesn’t have much trust in, and that is ownership.

Rangers fans have little confidence in James Dolan as owner

Apr 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks executive chairman and ceo James Dolan watches a game against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Over at The Athletic, a fan poll was put together by Peter Baugh and Vincent Z. Mercogliano (subscription required). One of the questions asked was how confident voters are in James Dolan as the owner. Unsurprisingly, confidence is incredibly low.

Out of the 2,218 responses given, 51.3% of the voters expressed the lowest level of confidence in Dolan, selecting a one out of five. That is a major increase from last year, when 37.9% of voters selected one as their choice, voicing displeasure with how he has handled things.

"Dolan has infected this organization from the top down," one fan wrote. "Nothing will change until he sells the team or goes completely hands-off."

It is certainly understandable why fans would feel this way about their owner. Since Dolan took over control of the Rangers in 1999, the team has made the postseason 15 times. Five times they have reached the Eastern Conference Finals, advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals once in 2014, where they were defeated by the Los Angeles Kings.

The last time New York hoisted the Stanley Cup was in 1994. And the fan base isn’t sure that will happen again as long as Dolan is leading the franchise as the owner, with 26.8% of the fan base voting two out of five on the confidence scale.

Knicks success could ease concerns of Rangers fans

May 23, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks forward Josh Hart (3) high fives teammates after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in game three of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena. / David Richard-Imagn Images

15.5% picked three, 4.9% picked four and 1.6% selected five.

However, the perception of Dolan could change based on what the Rangers' co-tenants at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks, are accomplishing.

The Knicks are one victory away from advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. For the most part, Dolan has remained hands-off on the basketball side of things after years of meddling and underwhelming performance on the court.

However, he found a leader in Leon Rose for the franchise that the fan base has full faith in. That hasn’t happened on the hockey side, where the fan base may have less confidence in Chris Drury than Dolan himself.