The New York Rangers 2024-25 season has been nothing more than a failure. After securing the best record in the franchise’s history with 55 wins and 114 points, as well as their fourth Presidents’ Trophy, they failed to make it to the postseason.
What went wrong? How did this team, relatively the same as the 2023-24 squad, falter so badly?
Here are three reasons why this team failed what was supposed to be a great season.
Lack of production from key players
It all starts and ends with the players on the ice. They win or lose depending on their performance, and their performance this season was, for lack of a better word, abysmal.
There were only a few bright lights on this roster: Will Cuylle, Jonathan Quick, and the post-trade deadline play from J.T. Miller. But, he couldn’t do everything by themselves, especially when you have big stars like Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, and Igor Shesterkin. Those three especially took a step back this season and lost their aura.
Now, it is garbage time to see if these younger players can make it at the NHL level
Broken locker room
The trade drama and call-outs from the General Manager strained the locker room. Coinciding with that, the captain, Jacob Trouba, was dealt in December, and no one really took the initiative to try to step up. This team was leaderless for most, if not all, of the season.
That has to be addressed in the offseason. Naming a captain, per se, likely won’t happen, nor should it. But someone needs to step up and be a leader in this locker room. Whether it be Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, or even newly acquired J.T. Miller, someone has to hold these guys accountable.
Unmotivated
There was a lack of motivation. Once the media leaks started and the stories piled up, this team lost all focus on what they were fighting for. Injuries happened, and even some key pieces like Shesterkin missed time, and this team could not recover from it.
The lack of motivation also stemmed from their head coach, Peter Laviolette. Who, in the biggest game of their season, was very silent and nonchalant when their team went down in the 7-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. It all starts at the top and trickled down to a lackluster performance, much like most of this season.