NY Rangers Should Not Panic Heading Into Pivotal Offseason

Should the New York Rangers be concerned heading into the offseason

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

The New York Rangers have entered the offseason and will be focused on making improvements following a historically bad season. Now, they will be hoping this summer they will be able to turn it around.

While the Rangers' overall record and season were not good, a few factors contributed to their inability to perform. A couple of key injuries to Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin undoubtedly had a negative impact on the team, and they also traded away one of their best players in Artemi Panarin at the trade deadline. 

For an offense that wasn’t performing great at the time, moving Panarin didn’t help the situation, but New York did start to show some signs of life offensively down the stretch. 

With a little bit of success and momentum to end the campaign, the Rangers can at least be happy about how they played, even though the campaign might have been over. Now, the team will be heading into the pivotal offseason, and missing the playoffs for a second straight year could make Chris Drury’s seat a bit warm. 

Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report recently wrote about whether or not the Rangers should be panicked heading into the offseason. On a scale of 10, he gave them a six in terms of being worried. 

Rangers In a Better Spot Than That

New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Even though it is easy to be worried about the Rangers’ outlook, they do have some potential good things in place. In terms of salary space, the team can have north of $20 million to use. This will provide them with the opportunity to get some help in free agency or on the trade market. 

Unfortunately, while the cap space is good, there aren’t too many big-name free agents available. However, that cap space can be used in trades as well to improve that way. 

Furthermore, the Rangers also have the third-highest odds of getting the first overall pick. With the team guaranteed to be in the Top 5, they will have an excellent chance of landing an impact prospect. 

While it is easy to be negative about the team coming off a last-place finish, there is reason to believe that they can be a playoff contender next season. Even though going for a Stanley Cup in the 2026-27 campaign would be a real long shot, developing some of the young talent further and getting some help externally could turn things around quickly.