After the New York Rangers’ successful 2023-24 season, in which they finished first in the Metropolitan Division, fans were filled with hope and excitement for the 2025 season. With stars like Igor Shesterkin, Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck up the Rangers’ sleeves there was no stopping the team from being a Stanley Cup contender yet again.
However, with all this hope and excitement that fans had coming into the 2025 season, the Rangers recently found themselves on deep losing streaks, unable to string together wins. What are some factors playing into their poor performances?
Organization
The Rangers need to work on their organization. It’s evident that a crisis is happening behind closed doors and is affecting the team’s on-ice performance. Management recently made several noticeable changes to the team including the trade of two major team members. One was Jacob Trouba, the former captain of the Rangers. He was traded on December 6 for Urho Vaakanainen on the Anaheim Ducks. Another major trade was Kappo Kakko, a right-wing, who was sent to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for Will Borgen.
Aside from trading players, management has also been toying with the fan favorite Matt Rempe. Rempe made his NHL debut as a Ranger last season but at the start of this season, he was sent down to the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack. Recently, he was recalled for a game in which he received an eight-game suspension for elbowing another player.
Perhaps the most shocking decision by management was the healthy scratch of the Rangers’ longest-tenured player Chris Kreider. This was done in the hopes of giving younger players more opportunities, rather than established veterans. This decision in particular makes players and fans question the motives of Rangers’ faculty and raises eyebrows about the intentions of these decisions.
Mental Toughness
Rangers players have recently been struggling with performing well on the ice. This could be a result of many different factors, one of which is mentality. A common factor that over 50% of athletes can relate to is struggling to be mentally tough and making smart decisions during games. Recently players have found themselves in high-pressure situations where they are letting their anxiety get in the way of making a sufficient and successful play.
Playing in New York in the NHL is most definitely nerve-wracking for players as thousands of people scream and boo at them when they are already having trouble focusing and being motivated. As the players all have the physical ability to play successfully and provide competition for the opponents, the balance between physical and mental capabilities is what makes a difference in games. This issue of lacking mental toughness leads to players needing to work with psychologists and coaches to manage their anxiety and mental needs, as a strong mentality balanced with physical skills is needed for players to perform their best.
Coaching
The immediate jump-to conclusion, when a group of any sport, business or team is doing poorly, is to blame the person in charge. As the Rangers descend into one of their worst seasons in recent years many are jumping to blame the coaches. However, it is hard to fully blame Rangers’ head coach Peter Laviolette for the reason they have been struggling because he led the Rangers to extreme success in the 2023-24 campaign, his first season as coach.
Recently, there has been much-needed improvement in the Rangers’ defense. To work towards a stronger defensive line, Laviolette has attempted to switch defensive pairs, as he claimed the pairs are never permanent. As new changes are happening to potentially strengthen the team we have yet to see a change that will restore the glory of the New York Rangers.
After reviewing all the reasons the Rangers are struggling to become a united and successful team as well as reviewing the attempts made by management to “ build a better team,” we still see the Rangers recently struggling to grasp any wins. As a fan, I hope the struggling is a kink in the system and that the team can overcome this bump in the road and move on to a season of success.
