The 2025-26 New York Rangers season is going to be one of the most intriguing in recent memory. They aren’t a sexy preseason pick for the Stanley Cup, but they aren’t projected to be a bottom of the barrel team either. Last night the Rangers, under new Head Coach Mike Sullivan, got shutout by the Penguins in a 3-0 loss at MSG. This is one single loss will not define the season. We have 81 games left to go in the regular season and hopefully many more after, but ultimately what should we expect from the Rangers? If they aren’t a true contender why should fans watch the Rangers and devote themselves to this team once again?

Like many of you out there, this season hasn’t had the full on excitement for me that previous ones have had. Rangers hockey is back and it’s always great to watch the Rangers play all season. Whether you’re at home and yelling at your TV for them to shoot the puck or you’re in the Blue Seats at The Garden drinking your $25 dollar beer, we all love watching our favorite team.

But at the same time, last year’s team crashed and burned in what should have been another year with Cup contention hopes. What’s that saying? “Everyone loves a comeback?”

This is the season where the organization and fans hope things will start their turn around. There’s a new captain, new faces on the blueline, new rookies to obsess over, and there’s the powerplay that seeks to become that frightening weapon that it previously was. There are many reasons to watch the Rangers this season.

A new captain in New York 

New captain JT Miller received a raucous ovation that was for the the 32-year old last night at Madison Square Garden. Though many assumed Vincent Trocheck would be named captain after the Jacob Trouba trade, it was Miller who was named captain. The way he has handled himself since coming back, you can see why.

Miller is a player that lives and breathes the “NO BS” slogan and you know he’s going to give this team 100% night in and night out. Even if this team may not have the lofty win totals some want, they’ll be led by an in-your-face point per game player who will set the tone for his squad every single night. It seems like Miller was the right choice for the players, the fans, and the organization. No longer do the Rangers have a quiet captain. They have one who will be loud, put his body on the line, and get the best out of his linemates and teammates. 

A True First Defense Pair 

Adam Fox hasn’t played with a defense partner of Vlad Gavrikov’s caliber for most of his career. Gavrikov, GM Chris Drury’s prize acquisition this summer, paired alongside Fox, gives the Rangers the true first pair they haven’t had in a long, long time. For some reason, Fox is now underrated, and I can’t believe I actually typed that sentence out. It seems that in some NHL circles, one semi down season has soured a lot on him league wide.

With a partner like Gavrikov, one of the best defensive defenseman in the NHL, Fox finally has a partner he can trust fully. No longer does he have to worry about covering for Ryan Lindgren, or K’Andre Miller being way out of position (though with the latter, they had excellent possession numbers). Fox now has a partner he can fully to cover for him if he takes a little extra risk.

Mind you Fox already has a Norris Trophy and we could see him reach a higher level than even that. Fox is in line for what could be his best season in New York so far and it’ll be nice to see the Rangers dress a true first defense pairing. 

“Laba, Laba, Laba”

If you said that in the voice of George Costanza, I applaud you. If not, watch more Seinfeld.

Noah Laba, who was not on anybody’s radar (aside from BSB’s Hope), was the only rookie to break camp with the Rangers. For all intents and purposes, he was a lock for Hartford before training camp began, but he flipped the script and led all Rangers in preseason scoring (2-4-6) and looked like one of the best players on the ice some nights. Laba now gets first crack at the third line center role and will play in between Conor Sheary and Taylor Raddysh.

How did Laba look in his first game? He was one of the more noticeable Rangers on the ice despite not getting a point. The Rangers prospect pipeline has basically been devoid of true center prospects for a long time and Laba, while a good story already, has the potential to become a great story for this Rangers team as they seek to return to the playoffs. Laba’s progress will be very fun to watch over the course of this season. 

Power outage or Power play?

David Quinn is back behind the bench of the Rangers but this time, not as the head coach. He will work as an assistant coach behind Mike Sullivan and he will seek to transform the Rangers power play back into the weapon it was just a few seasons ago.

The top unit will feature the usual suspects: Miller, Trocheck, Fox, Artemi Panarin, and Mika Zibanejad to start the season. It will be on Quinn to make sure this unit can be a dominant weapon in the Rangers arsenal this season. It’s unlikely this unit stays together–Trocheck was replaced by Alexis Lafreniere last night–as it leaves little to be desired on PP2, so it’s more important to gain some confidence and get the unit clicking, especially with Matt Rempe somehow getting power play minutes on PP2.

Its a fresh slate. Let’s see if teams will fear putting this Rangers on the power play again. 

So why watch the Rangers?

These are just some of the storylines and reasons to wacth the Rangers that will weave their way through the headlines as the season progresses. Other fun questions that will lead to more reasons to watch the Rangers:

  • When will we see top prospect Gabe Perrault get back to Madison Square Garden?
  • Will Brett Berard be called up to provide his brand of in-your-face hockey soon?
  • Will Brennen Othmann get another shot to be an effective player for the Rangers?
  • Will the Rangers truly be competitive and if so, do they have a big trade deadline?
  • Does Chris Drury still have eyes for his white whale, Jack Eichel, and will the Rangers make a play for him come offseason time if he becomes a UFA?

I’ve been quite cynical about this team for a little while now, but when the bar is on the floor the only place to go is up. Opening night is behind us. There are 81 regular season games remaining and hopefully the playoffs thereafter. Let’s hope we are given more reasons to watch the Rangers this season.

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