NY Rangers, NY Islanders, NJ Devils Make Unfortunate History This Season

All three teams from the Tri-State area made unfortunate history this year.

Apr 13, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; New York Rangers right wing Gabe Perreault (94) looks on after scoring against the Florida Panthers during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers are set to wrap up their season on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. While they have played a bit better of late, it has been a disappointing year. 

Coming into the campaign, the Rangers figured to be a playoff contender. However, with a horrific start to the season at home, New York quickly emerged as one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. With their recent loss to the Florida Panthers, they secured the spot of being the worst team. 

Now, all of the focus for the franchise will be turning to the offseason. That will start with the NHL Draft Lottery. The Rangers are in a position to land a top pick, and that will undoubtedly help them going forward. Furthermore, they have also created a plethora of cap space, which will allow them to work both in free agency and the trade market aggressively. 

With the Rangers missing the playoffs, it was shocking to see that they were joined by a couple of local teams. Both the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils have also missed the postseason, and that is the first time in NHL history that all three won’t be playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

All Three Tri-State Teams Miss Playoff for First Time in NHL History

New York Islanders center Bo Horvat / Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

It is fairly shocking to see that, with the talent of each of these teams, none of them were able to make the playoffs. The Rangers were the first of the three to be eliminated as the worst team in the Eastern Conference, but since then, the Islanders and Devils have both followed. 

Despite having Olympic gold medalist Jack Hughes, New Jersey was the next team to be eliminated, followed by the Islanders just recently. The Islanders certainly had the best chance of the three to make it, but really struggled of late. 

These struggles resulted in them making a coaching change late and firing Patrick Roy. However, with a need to win out in their last four games to have a chance, the Islanders were unable to get the job done and have been eliminated. 

Even though all three teams made history for a bad reason, there is reason to believe that all three can be right in the mix for a playoff spot next year. For the Rangers specifically, they will have a crucial offseason ahead of them, and it will be interesting to see if they do indeed follow through on retooling plans.