The New York Knicks ended a 53 year championship drought over the weekend, outscoring their opponents by 283 points over a 16-3 run to the NBA title. Since the Knicks and the Rangers share the same owner, the conversation has naturally shifted, at least in the hockey world, to what the Rangers can learn from the Knicks. James Dolan will likely get that itch to see the Rangers hoist the Stanley Cup, and though they aren’t really ready to compete, they can lay the groundwork for an inevitable championship run.
1. Patience is a virtue
The Knicks started their turnaround by signing Jalen Brunson in 2022 and trading for both OG Anunoby and Josh Hart around the 2023 trade deadline. That team lost in the second round of the 2023 playoffs. This trio, along with Donte DiVencenzo and Julius Randle, also lost in the second round of the 2024 playoffs. Their ceiling was clear.
The Knicks finalized their core before the 2024-2025 season when they added Mikhal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns in big trades while adding to their depth with Landry Shamet. In doing so, they said goodbye to Randle, DiVencenzo, and many first round picks. Yet they lost in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2025.
James Dolan was patient. Leon Rose was patient. The only big change from three straight playoff losses was changing the coach.
Patience is a virtue, something the Rangers can learn from the Knicks. The Rangers have not been patient at all, with Chris Drury wheeling and dealing like his life depended on it. There has been little success with his moves, and in fact you can draw a clear line from Drury taking over as GM to the Rangers crumbling under his reign.
2. Taking risks is needed
The Knicks took on huge risks by inking Brunson, a guy that many did not think would become what he is today. They said goodbye to DiVencenzo, a key piece in the KAT trade and fan favorite. They sacrificed five (!!) first round picks for Bridges. The Anunoby trade cost the Knicks Immanuel Quickly and RJ Barrett. These are not trades for the weak minded or the risk averse.
The NHL is not known for taking risks, but the best trade comparison is the Matthew Tkachuk trade to Florida, costing the Panthers their top scorer and best defenseman. The Rangers can learn from the Knicks (and Panthers) by following this same script.
The Rangers and Chris Drury need to take risks. Not many would have made Brunson the face of the franchise. Not many would sacrifice the talent and picks to build a core around that questionable face of the franchise. Even fewer would deal from fan favorites and established homegrown stars to do so. Yet Leon Rose did just that.
Rose took risks on Brunson, KAT, Anunoby, and Bridges. He swung for the fences, and it worked. The Rangers can learn from the Knicks by making the same type of swings. It doesn’t guarantee success, but at least it stops the Rangers from trotting out the same stale core with a ceiling that is crashing down in epic fashion.
3. No snake oil, all business and results
Leon Rose was not an established NBA executive. He did not have experience running an NBA franchise. But as a former player agent, Rose knew his way around the NBA. He was an unorthodox hire, but he was not a snake oil salesman. He is considered to be the architect of the Knicks, building their championship team without the benefit of a top draft pick. Rose found ways to land talent by taking calculated risks with talented players.
The Rangers can learn from the Knicks simply because they probably won’t have many high draft picks after this offseason. This is the most viable path forward for Chris Drury. The Rangers do have some talented players that are already on the block, like Vincent Trocheck and Braden Schneider. No one on the current roster is a must keep, save for maybe Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin.
There are some known snake oil salesmen within the Rangers organization, notably Mark Ciaccio. Drury may not be a good general manager, but he is quick to learn lessons. He’s already put distance between Ciaccio and the NHL roster. With player development such a problem, there needs to be more distance between Ciaccio and anyone in the Rangers organization.
This does not, however, prevent James Dolan from buying snake oil from Drury himself. While we don’t necessarily know all the fact, we can reasonably infer that Drury sold Dolan on finding the right players for a Cup run once he became GM. All the wheeling and dealing has been for naught, as the Rangers are the laughing stock of the NHL right now.
The Rangers can learn from the Knicks–or to rephrase, Dolan can learn from the Knicks–by simply taking a step back and looking at the results and the process. The process is bad and the results are bad. That is not a good mix for any team. If the results improve, then great. But right now, there is little hope.
4. Find the right coach for the right players
Chris Drury is on his third coach since he took over as General Manager in 2021. Mike Sullivan was his guy, and he got him by passing over both Kris Knoblauch and Dan Muse. Knoblauch went to a pair of Stanley Cup Finals, while Muse is looking like a great fit in Pittsburgh. We’ve long been clamoring for a non-200 Hockey Men hire, but Sully is still a top coach in the NHL.
A top coach in the NHL does not necessarily mean he’s the right coach for this job. We simply don’t know if he is the right guy. One year is not enough of a sample. The only thing Sully has going for him right now is he seems likely to be the Rangers coach into 2027-2028, making him the longest tenured coach under Drury if/when he starts his third season as the head coach.
Where the Rangers can learn from the Knicks is simply about finding the right coach for the job. Mike Brown was a great hire, but he had never won an NBA championship prior to the Knicks. He got close, but never got over the hump, kind of like Paul Maurice in Florida. He wasn’t an unconventional hire and he was the right coach for the Knicks.
Whether Sully is the right coach for the Rangers remains to be seen.
5. Just let them play
The Rangers can learn from the Knicks by not overreacting, and having that aforementioned patience that has eluded Drury in his tenure as Rangers GM. Let the guys play and build chemistry. Find the right players that are both strong in the locker room and on the ice.
Finding glue guys is great. Finding glue guys that can also play and skate and put up points is better. If the Rangers want to find their Jalen Brunson, they may need to find someone who isn’t a star just yet, but can be. KAT and Bridges had very specific roles that complemented Brunson well.
Identify the right players. Identify the right coach. Show patience and let them play. That’s how the Rangers can learn from the Knicks.
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