New York Rangers fans deserve a pat on the back for what the team put us through in 2024. To start off the year, the Blueshirts were horrible. However, things took a turn when the Rangers went on a 10-game winning streak sparked by the Connor Mackey fight — also known as “the fight that saved the season” — and did not look back. This stretch brought countless memorable moments: the Stadium Series comeback, the victory of the President’s Trophy, a first-round sweep of the Washington Capitals in the playoffs, a double-overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes and the thrilling Game 3 overtime victory that put the Rangers up 3-0 in the series. Despite nearly blowing that lead, the team pulled through with many more playoff moments such as the Chris Kreider game, the Barclay Goodrow overtime winner and the Alex Wennberg overtime goal. With all this magic, surely they won the Stanley Cup, right? Wrong.
As Rangers fans, we often find ourselves saying, “There’s always next season.” Well, here we are. The Blueshirts started the new season strong, finishing October with a record of 6-2-1. November, however, was a mixed bag, with the team going 7-7. December proved to be forgettable for some and downright frustrating for others. The Rangers posted a dismal 3-10 record, delivering a stretch of hockey that was unwatchable. Game after game, the team appeared lifeless, with a lack of effort and fight that left Head Coach Peter Laviolette questioning leadership in the locker room.
The Rangers ended 2024 with a flurry of losses, but one game stood out more than the rest. Just before the new year, they faced the Florida Panthers and fell 5-3. While it was another defeat, the game felt different. The Rangers went down 2-0 early but showed resilience by fighting back to tie the game twice. Although they couldn’t secure the win, their effort gave fans a sense of belief — something that had been missing for a long time. The sentiment shifted from the hopeless “we lose every game” to “you win some, you lose some.”
So what changed coming into 2025? Just about everything. In early December, the Rangers elected to trade their captain, Jacob Trouba, to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen. Later that month, former second overall pick Kaapo Kakko was shipped off to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for Will Borgen, a defenseman who General Manager Chris Drury pursued for some time (and this past weekend signed a five year extension). It took time, but those two additions have done wonders for a team that was near the bottom of the league in every defensive metric.
Recently, I had a conversation with former Rangers goaltender Mike Richter, an important member of the 1994 Stanley Cup champion team, about what it takes to start winning consistently. He emphasized how difficult it is to succeed in the National Hockey League, highlighting the long seasons and inevitable struggles of star players. This sentiment rang true for the Rangers athletes, as key players like Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin faced difficulties during their rough stretch. However, Richter stressed that the only way to overcome such challenges is to learn from them and emerge stronger.
Since the calendar turned to 2025, those core players have been performing at a much higher level — none more so than Shesterkin. The Rangers’ netminder had a shutout streak of 165:28 before conceding a goal against the Flyers. Prior to facing the Avalanche, Shesterkin boasted a 6-0-1 record with an impressive .947 save percentage and a 1.39 goals-against average since Jan 9.
Despite their recent success, the Rangers still have areas to improve in. While they are collecting points and winning games, they continue to give their opponents valuable points in a tightly contested playoff race. In each of their three overtime losses, they held leads in the third period but failed to close out the games in regulation. Additionally, in a consequential matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a competitor in the Wild Card race, the Rangers needed a shootout to secure the win, allowing Columbus to earn a point and most recently, the Rangers suffered a heartbreaking loss against Colorado in the final seconds of regulation, failing to secure even a single point. These late-game lapses are not a recipe for success, and the team must find a way to close out games more effectively.
The road ahead won’t be easy, but the recent turnaround has reignited hope among the Rangers faithful. If the team can build on their current momentum, address their late-game struggles and continue to get elite goaltending from Shesterkin, they could very well make a late push for the playoffs. So buckle up, Rangers fans — we should be in for an exciting ride.
