Mike Sullivan had the same sentiment as nearly everyone else after his New York Rangers were dismantled 10-2 by the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
“I don’t have words,” the Blueshirts’ first-year head coach said twice.
That is about as perfect a way to encompass the Rangers’ 2025-26 season so far. They have lost six of their last seven games and have scored more than two goals just twice during that stretch.
Starting netminder Igor Shesterkin is injured, as is star defenseman Adam Fox, which is perhaps why New York has allowed 15 goals in its last two games.
Even with the benefit of a tightly-packed Metropolitan Division, they sit in seventh place out of eight teams, and are now 13 points adrift of first place. Entering Sunday, they have also played more games than any other team in the division.
The blame cannot be put on Sullivan’s shoulders. The two-time Stanley Cup winner has been given an ineffective roster by general manager Chris Drury, who continues to escape any real repercussions for not fielding a competitive team.
However, the fact of the matter is that this Rangers team is not going anywhere in its current form. And for a team that has refused to embrace the term “rebuild,” that should very much be in the cards beginning right now.
The NHL’s trade deadline is on March 6, and a team that is now one of the very worst in the Eastern Conference has to start selling some notable pieces to start planning properly for the future.
Artemi Panarin is in the final year of his contract and could bring in a king’s ransom from a contending team. He has been the Rangers’ leading point producer in each of his first seven seasons with the team, including 49 points in 45 games this year.
Defenseman Carson Soucy has proven to be a reliable and more traditional shutdown blue liner, which is why the Rangers made a swing to get him at last year’s trade deadline. He’s another pending free agent who should receive plenty of attention.
Vincent Trocheck is a gritty, reliable two-way forward with three years of control left on his contract. At 32 years old, now is the time to sell when his ceiling is still high.
Would a team take a flyer on the still-young Alexis Lafreniere? The former No. 1 overall pick has yet to put it all together, with just nine goals and 15 assists in 46 games.
There are assets to part with, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that the Rangers are not going anywhere with this current group. It’s time to get something for them while Drury still can.
