2024 was a year of the highest highs and the lowest lows for the New York Rangers. Six months ago, the Blueshirts fell short of a Stanley Cup Finals appearance after losing to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Today, they are in the midst of a 13 game slump in which they have won just three times. Calling the year a rollercoaster would be an understatement.
Let's take a look at what made and broke the 2024 Rangers.
5. November/December Slump
The lasting memory of the year for many Rangers fans might be what came in its fleeting moments. After a promising start to the season, the Rangers went on a 3-10-0 skid during the months of November and December. There is no light at the end of the tunnel.
With the veterans heading one feeble performance after another, general manager Chris Drury has stated he is open for business. The core that the Rangers have built around for half a decade seems to have had the door abruptly slammed shut. Some of the team's longest-tenured players have made no effort to put their skate in the door, while much of the youth has tried to will the team back from the dead.
Heading into 2025, the team has too many questions and not enough answers. Players such as Mika Zibanejad have seen a stark decline in performance, but are virtually unmoveable. Chris Kreider could be on the trade block, along with Ryan Lindgren and Kaapo Kakko. A new core consisting of Igor Shesterkin, Alexis Lafreniere, and Adam Fox will be leading the Rangers into an uncertain future.
4. Stadium Series Comeback
If there was one game that encapsulated the "No Quit in NY" Rangers, it was their 6-5 Stadium Series overtime victory over the New York Islanders. Despite trailing 5-3 with less than five minutes remaining, goals by Kreider and Zibanejad willed the Rangers into overtime. Perhaps it is poetic that two of the posterchildren of the Rangers current struggles were at the forefront of one of 2024's signature victories.
Ten seconds into overtime, Artemi Panarin took the puck away from Islander's defenseman Noah Dobson and richocheted it in. After a brief review, the Ranges were deemed victors. MetLife Stadium erupted. The team mobbed Shesterkin, jumping in jubilation for what they had accomplished. They never felt out of it, even when the odds were stacked against them.
What happened to that team?
3. Jacob Trouba Traded to the Anaheim Ducks
After the Rangers fell to the Florida Panthers in a six game Eastern Conference Final, the front office decided that changes needed to be made. Just before the new league year started, it was reported that the team was close to trading captain Jacob Trouba. Much of the fanbase welcomed the idea of a shakeup. Trouba did not. With his wife's residency playing a factor, he fought tooth and nail to stay for one last ride. 24 games later, his watch ended.
On December 6th, Trouba was traded to the Anaheim Ducks. He became the third consecutive Rangers captain to be traded in-season. The organization's decision to trade Trouba marked a moment for the current core. This time, it was different. Sure, they had gone through the typical ebbs and flows of a season, but they always found a way out. Trading the captain showed the rest of the group that few were safe. The hopes that the move would inject new life into the team have not resonated in the locker room. The team has won just two of the six games they have played in the post-Trouba era.
Trouba was a polarizing figure amongst the fanbase, but it was clear he was respected by his peers. The team's response to his departure proves it. Removing his $8 million cap hit was a masterful stroke by Chris Drury as he looks to retool his roster in 2025. Unfortunately for him, he might not be the one spending the team's newfound funds come the offseason.
2. Rangers Win the President's Trophy
The 2023-24 Rangers were one of the best teams in franchise history. They racked up a club-record 55 wins and 115 points. They might very well have been the best group of Blueshirts not to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup. In the final game of the regular season, the Rangers defeated the Ottawa Senators, 4-0, to clinch the position as the league's best regular season team.
Despite the season not ending with the desired hardware, it was still a special one for the Rangers. Lafreniere broke out in the second half. New head coach Peter Laviolette provided a breath of fresh air behind the bench. Panarin had one of the best seasons in team history, scoring 49 goals and 120 points. Fox scored at over a point-per-game pace. They were far from perfect, but they provided numerous memories that will stick with the fanbase forever.
1. Vincent Trocheck, King of the Garden
In the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Vincent Trocheck provided the highlight of 2024 for the Rangers. After trailing 3-2, Kreider scored a power play goal to knot the score at three. It would stay that way until just a shade before the midway point of the second overtime period. With the Rangers back on the power play, Trocheck delivered.
VINCENT TROCHECK WINS IT IN OVERTIME FOR THE RANGERS 🚨 pic.twitter.com/ugRv12UU5G
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 8, 2024
The drama was as high as it could be. Trocheck, a former Hurricane, had the chance to deliver a body blow to his former team. Rebounding from a 2-0 series deficit against a team as good as the Rangers would be a tall task. As the puck came loose in front, Trocheck banged it home to send Madison Square Garden into a frenzy. Facing the crowd and banging on the glass, he gave us one of the most iconic videos of the season to couple with his iconic goal.
The Rangers would go on to win the series against Carolina in six games. It would be a disservice not to mention Kreider's third period natural hat trick to win the Rangers the series. Kreider's heroism just missed the list, but played a pivital role in helping the Rangers advance to play Florida.
2024 provided more positives than negatives for the Rangers. For many, the late-year slump might be all that is remembered. However, the entire year leading up to game four against the Florida Panthers was one for the record books. Fantastic years end in championships. Great years do not have to. While everyone wishes that there were two more 2024 banners hanging in Madison Square Garden, the year should still be looked back upon fondly.