Rangers eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention

With a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night, the New York Rangers are now officially mathematically eliminated from contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Rangers nearly erased a three-goal deficit at Scotiabank Arena as they drastically outplayed the Leafs from a territorial perspective, but the Blueshirts’ comeback bid fell short to make them the second team in the NHL to be eliminated from postseason contention, joining the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference.

What began as a season full of hope with two-time Stanley Cup champion head coach Mike Sullivan taking over behind the bench quickly devolved into a repeat of the 2024-25 season, which saw the team go from winning the Presidents’ Trophy to well out of the playoffs in a fashion that cost prior coach Peter Laviolette his job.

The warning signs were flashing quickly, as New York was shut out in its first three home games of the season on Madison Square Garden ice. Long-term injuries to star defenseman Adam Fox and Vezina-caliber goalie Igor Shesterkin did not help either, as several losing streaks piled up and put the club in a disadvantageous position.

As the season spiraled out of control, general manager Chris Drury put out a letter to the fan base signaling something of a teardown process for the second time in a decade, and he wound up dealing Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings for futures in addition to further minor moves.

Drury is positioned well to add assets for the future this summer, as the Rangers have two first-round picks and four third-round picks in the upcoming NHL Draft.

The only key pending free agent to address on the roster is defenseman Braden Schneider, who is set to be a restricted free agent.

With time left in the season to evaluate who on the current roster will be part of the solution on Broadway moving forward, the Rangers have a record of 28-34-9, placing them last in the East by an eight-point margin.