Rangers' disappointing season is finally over. Now they must pick up the pieces

New York Times

18-04-2025

NEW YORK — Artemi Panarin was one of the last Rangers players to take the ice in warm-ups, just like normal. He flipped pucks high in the sky after drills, landing them near the net, just like normal. He was the final Rangers player to head to the dressing room, just like normal.
The Rangers operated as if it were business-as-usual Thursday at Madison Square Garden. The only difference was every player wearing No. 40 in warm ups to honor retiring broadcaster Sam Rosen, who was calling the final game of his 40th season as Rangers' play-by-play man. Players, including Panarin, were featured on the jumbotron as they went through their pregame routines, and John Brancy belted out the national anthem one final time before puck drop.
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But the last game of New York's season, a 4-0 win against Tampa Bay, wasn't a normal game, no matter how much the Rangers tried to make it so. Not after one of the most disappointing seasons in recent history, which saw New York go from a Presidents' Trophy winner to a non-playoff club. And especially not after Thursday morning, when The Athletic's Katie Strang reported that both Panarin and MSG, the company that owns the Rangers, 'paid financial settlements to a Rangers employee last year after she alleged that Panarin sexually assaulted her.' (Asked postgame if he wanted to comment on the report, Panarin said, 'No.')
It was a final — and particularly dark — twist in a season full of them for the Rangers. This won't be a season management, coaches, players or fans will forget, however much they want to.
The regular season finale was, in fact, a finale. Thanks to an early-season spiral and inability to string wins together after, there's no postseason hockey coming for these Rangers, who entered the year among the Stanley Cup favorites. If fans want to catch a playoff game, they'll have to cross the Hudson and watch the Devils.
'Kind of empty,' Mika Zibanejad said of his end-of-season feelings. 'Coming to the rink this afternoon with the weather being like it is, I'm used to gearing up for playoffs. But that's not the case now.'
'This is always tough,' said 32-year-old J.T. Miller, who came to New York from Vancouver in a midseason blockbuster. 'Especially the older you get, you really want to be playing this time of year, but this is where we're at. We can't change it. It sucks.'
Now New York must pick up the pieces from its lost season. General manager Chris Drury has to make decisions involving his coach, his core and the players in supporting roles. That might mean big changes. Drury could look to trade or buy out Chris Kreider, the team's longest-tenured player, after one of the most disappointing seasons of the winger's career. Restricted free agents such as K'Andre Miller and Will Cuylle will need new contracts. And, of course, coach Peter Laviolette might be in his final days leading the club.
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'Those are things I can't control,' Laviolette said. 'The year certainly wasn't where it needed to be, but right now I'm here. This is where I wanted to be.'
If Thursday was the last game for Kreider, New York's longest-tenured player, he made it a memorable one. Laviolette put him back on a line with his close friend Zibanejad — 'a little bit of chemistry has always been there with those two guys,' the coach said — and he scored from the slot to put the Rangers up 2-0 in the third. Then, later in the period, he assisted Zibanejad's second goal of the game. Kreider grabbed the puck, and Zibanejad had it in his locker postgame. It was already labeled, saying it was his 20th goal of the year.
'You never know what's going to happen,' Zibanejad said when asked about Kreider's future with the team. 'We tried to get to play together again, tried to go out there and enjoy it, tried not to make it too big of a deal. Just wanted to finish off the season in a good way, have some fun, and I thought we did.'
Some of the changes ahead will have nothing to do with on-ice personnel. Rosen, an institution in the broadcast booth, will be gone next year, with Kenny Albert taking over his responsibilities. The jumbotron showed Rosen in the third period, and fans waved 'Thank you, Sam' signs in the lower bowl. A chant of his name broke out and continued as play resumed. Later in the period, one fan showed the jumbotron cameras a shoulder tattoo of Rosen and broadcast partner Joe Micheletti.
'It was a good score with a 4-0 for Sam, as well,' said Zibanejad, referring to Rosen's 40 years in the booth.
But a win while eliminated only means so much, even if it came with some nice moments. From Drury's now-infamous November memo to captain Jacob Trouba getting traded to on-ice underperformance, it's been a difficult season.
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'For everybody,' Laviolette said. 'For players, for staff, coaches, organization, fans, everybody. It was a lot of ups and downs and too many downs. That takes a toll, an emotional toll.'
There simply haven't been many positives for the Rangers this year. They at least got one when the last buzzer sounded Thursday: A season that at times felt cursed is finally over.
Not that what comes next will be easy, either.