The New York Rangers’ season started like a dream but quickly became a nightmare.
What began as a promising campaign with a 12-4-1 record has devolved into a disastrous stretch of 4-13-0 over their last 17 games.
The collapse has, understandably, left fans bewildered, angry, and united in their frustration.
Everywhere you look—whether it’s social media, sports shows, or conversations with other hockey fans—people ask the same question: Is it time to blow up the Rangers and start over?
The frustration isn’t coming out of nowhere.
Six months ago, the Rangers were close to reaching the Stanley Cup Final.
Now, they look like a shadow of that team. Something has gone very wrong, and the calls for big changes are getting louder every day.
- The New York Rangers’ season has spiraled from a promising 12-4-1 start to a disastrous 4-13-0 stretch, leaving fans and analysts calling for a major roster overhaul.
- Chris Kreider, the team’s most valuable trade asset with two years remaining on his $45.5 million contract, is central to trade rumors, with potential suitors like the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks exploring deals.
- While the Rangers’ struggles stem from poor team chemistry and mental mistakes, GM Chris Drury’s incomplete retooling plan has left the team in disarray, making a rebuild more likely.
The Early Warning Signs
To understand how the Rangers ended up here, you have to go back to their West Coast trip earlier this season.
The team looked shaky, and cracks in their armor began to show.
And the cracks turned into chasms when General Manager Chris Drury sent a memo that sent shockwaves through the organization: Chris Kreider was on the trading block.
Kreider wasn’t the only player mentioned—Jacob Trouba’s departure was already expected—but Kreider’s inclusion reportedly caused a rift in the locker room.
Imagine finding out that one of the team’s core leaders might be on his way out while you’re struggling to build momentum.
So, it’s no surprise that things started to fall apart.
And the offseason didn’t go smoothly, either.
Barclay Goodrow was waived, apparently to improve the team on paper.
Shortly after the infamous memo, Trouba was traded, and Kaapo Kakko followed him out the door in another deal.
These moves, while bold, were incomplete.
Drury’s plan to retool the team blew up in his face when only a third of the necessary changes were executed.
What followed was a perfect storm of poor chemistry, inconsistent play, and a team that looked lost on the ice.
The Locker Room Fallout
What’s particularly heartbreaking about this situation is that it’s not a matter of the players not caring.
You can see that they do.
Most of them are giving it everything they’ve got, but the confidence is gone.
The locker room feels like a pressure cooker, and it’s showing in their play.
Mistakes that shouldn’t happen are happening, and every bad bounce seems to end up in the back of their net.
At a macro level, the Rangers’ play at 5-on-5 isn’t terrible, but when the mental mistakes start piling up, it doesn’t matter.
The team can’t win puck battles, they’re slow to lose pucks, and they’re making costly turnovers.
It’s hard to watch because it feels like a team that’s forgotten how to win.
Drury’s already made two trades, and head coach Peter Laviolette isn’t going anywhere.
The ball is now firmly in the players’ court.
They’ve got to figure out how to dig themselves out of this mess, but with fans clamoring for drastic changes, the calls to blow up the team are only growing louder.
The Chris Kreider Dilemma
If the Rangers do decide to start over, Chris Kreider will likely be the first domino to fall.
Kreider is in the fifth year of a seven-year, $45.5 million deal, and while his production has dipped this season—11 goals and a single assist in 30 games—he remains one of the team’s most valuable assets.
He’s the kind of player playoff contenders drool over: a big body, a proven scorer, and someone who knows how to perform under pressure.
Trade proposals are already flying.
One idea involves the Minnesota Wild, where Kreider would join Kirill Kaprizov on the top line in exchange for Ryan Hartman and a 2026 first-round pick.
This trade could benefit both teams.
The Wild would solidify their Stanley Cup aspirations, while the Rangers would gain a middle-six forward and future draft capital.
But it’s not that simple.
Kreider has a 15-team no-trade clause, and he could veto any deal to teams he doesn’t want to join.
That includes many West Coast teams, which could complicate negotiations.
Vancouver has reportedly expressed interest, but with limited cap space and over $7 million tied up in long-term injured reserve, they’d have to move significant contracts to make it work.
Even then, the Rangers might have to retain some of Kreider’s salary, which would raise the price for Vancouver in terms of assets.
Who Else Could Be on the Move?
Kreider isn’t the only name being floated.
Ryan Lindgren, Reilly Smith, and even Mika Zibanejad have come up in trade discussions.
Zibanejad’s contract makes him nearly immovable, but that hasn’t stopped fans from wondering what it would take to get his $8.5 million cap hit off the books.
Meanwhile, young players like K’Andre Miller are also being scrutinized.
Miller has struggled this season, and while some fans are ready to see him traded, others argue that moving young talent is short-sighted.
Drury’s already shown he’s willing to make bold moves.
Trouba was shipped to Anaheim, and Kakko went to Seattle.
In return, the Rangers picked up defensemen Urho Vaakanainen and Will Borgen.
While these trades haven’t turned the season around, they signal that Drury isn’t afraid to shake things up.
If the Rangers continue to flounder, more blockbuster deals could be on the horizon.
Patience vs. Drastic Action
As we’ve seen today, the Rangers are at a crossroads.
On one hand, fans are demanding immediate action.
On the other, patience might be the smarter approach.
Teams can turn things around, and the Rangers have enough talent to do it.
But the clock is ticking, and every loss makes the prospect of a full-scale rebuild more appealing.
What’s particularly frustrating is that this team doesn’t feel hopeless.
They’re not being outplayed in every facet of the game; they’re beating themselves.
If they could eliminate the mental mistakes and regain their confidence, there’s a chance they could salvage the season.
But that’s a big “if,” and patience is running thin.
The trade deadline is looming, and Drury has some tough decisions to make.
Whether he decides to blow up the team or stick it out with the current roster, the choices he makes in the coming weeks will shape the Rangers’ future for years to come.
For now, all we can do is wait—and maybe try to enjoy the holidays.
