What began as a year of optimism for many tri-state area hockey fans quickly turned into the opposite. The New York Rangers, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils all missed the playoffs this season, the first time all three have been eliminated in the history of the NHL.
Each team this season had a different story, and each had different flaws that plagued them throughout the season. The Rangers, who finished 34-39-9 at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, came out of the gate slowly in October. It took them a month to record a win at Madison Square Garden, and they were shut out in their first three home games.
Things continued to spiral into the new year, and general manager Chris Drury published “A Message from Chris Drury to Our Fans” on Jan. 16, sharing plans for a “retool” around core players. Drury’s sentiments indicated that the team would begin to look different over the coming weeks and months, and this turned out to be the case. Star Artemi Panarin was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 4. Others, such as Carson Soucy, Sam Carrick and Brennan Othmann, were gone as well. The team turned to younger players in the waning weeks of a disappointing season, and they delivered.
In 49 games, Gabe Perreault netted 12 goals and added 15 assists. Will Cuylle, Noah Laba, Adam Sykora and others made their presences known. They ended the season 12-10-3, perhaps allowing fans to leave the 2025-26 campaign behind with a slightly less bitter taste in their mouths. Blueshirts fans will be dialed in to see what other moves Drury makes to reshape the roster over the summer.
Out east, things were more positive for the Islanders, despite the sour ending. They wrapped with a record of 43-34-5 and were gunning for the playoffs for much of the season, to the surprise of many around the hockey world. A big part of this success was the performance of rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer, the first overall pick in the 2025 draft. Schaefer now has a slice of the record for most goals by a rookie defenseman, tying Brian Leetch with 23.
The Islanders’ locker room has been incredibly complimentary of the 18-year-old since he stepped onto the ice. The team was cruising near the top of the Metropolitan Division until a skid in the last few weeks of the season took them out of contention in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race. The skid grew so ugly that head coach Patrick Roy was fired on Easter Sunday with four games left in the regular season. Pete DeBoer took his place, and he appears to be here to stay under a contract that covers the next three seasons.
It’s unclear, however, if captain Anders Lee will remain with the team. He’s an unrestricted free agent at age 35, but he has expressed a strong desire to stay with the team. General Manager Mathieu Darche, coming off his first season with the team, indicated a desire to negotiate an agreement with Lee if it makes sense for both sides. In Darche’s words: “I told Anders I’d love to see him play his 1,000th game with the Islanders…The question is, do we get to an agreement that makes sense for him and for us?”
While Isles fans are surely sad to miss the playoffs, bright spots, including Schaefer, a 10-0 record in overtime and another great year by goaltender Ilya Sorokin, should make them feel good about the future of the team.
The Devils ended their season 42-37-3, ten points ahead of the Rangers, for seventh in the Metro. Things started off well for New Jersey with an eight-game winning streak to open the season, but the tide changed. Injuries, which seem to be a frequent culprit of the Devils’ struggles, hampered their play in the middle of the season. Even with a 14-10-1 run after the Olympic break (which was highlighted by Devils player Jack Hughes scoring the goal that secured team U.S.A.’s gold medal), the Devils missed the mark for the playoffs.
The General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Tom Fitzgerald was fired on April 6, and Sunny Mehta was announced as his replacement the following week. Mehta returns to the organization after spending four seasons as their director of hockey analytics from 2014-18.
Bright spots, beyond Hughes making Olympic history, included Jesper Bratt recording his fifth consecutive season with at least 70 points. Mehta will have decisions to make over the summer, including how to manage lackluster goaltending and whether to extend captain Nico Hischier, whose seven-year deal expires in 2027 and becomes eligible for an extension July 1.
For hockey fans in the tri-state area, there’s a lot to look forward to as each of the three teams moves on from their 2025-26 campaigns and seeks to improve going forward.
