The New York Rangers 2025-26 campaign was not a pleasant one, even with the addition of well-respected and revered head coach Mike Sullivan. In what was his "rookie lap", but second-stint behind the bench with the Blueshirts, things did not go as planned.
This was a seriously tough season as the Rangers bench-boss, but it was not all bad for Sullivan when it came to international play. Let's go over it.
Expectations
When Mike Sullivan was hired prior to the 2025-26 season, fans were ecstatic due to his incredible tenure with Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Back-to-back Stanley Cups, an incredible .602 winning percentage and all of the great players to come in and out of the Pens organization that were homegrown was just the tip of the iceberg.
Unfortunately, it did not go as planned.
Performances
Sullivan had some very high expectations for his rookie season as the Rangers head coach, and it was not great. In part, it was his fault for not rallying the troops but the lingering effect of last season's drama-filled and toxic locker room seemed to bleed over.
At 34-39-9, the Rangers finished in last place in the Metropolitan Division. Just three seasons ago, this team was the Presidents' Trophy winners and set a franchise-record of 55 wins and 114 points. What happened?
Team USA needed a head coach to help lead one of the greatest teams ever assembled and decided to select Sullivan. It was the right call, as the United States took home the gold Medal at the 2026 Olympics thanks for New Jersey Devils star forward Jack Hughes, and Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
Grade: C+
Where do they go from here?
From here, Sullivan enters a familiar territory of his last few seasons in Pittsburgh. The Rangers, spearheaded by President and General Manager Chris Drury, announced that they are going into a retooling phase following the abysmal season and trade of Artemi Panarin. Without "The Breadman", this team does not have a superstar on their roster anymore, which makes room for a new one.
Let's just hope it is the superstar from Edmonton, or Toronto, or even Ottawa that decides to call the World's Greatest Arena home.
The Rangers got the fifth-overall pick in this upcoming NHL Draft on June 28. There are plenty of prospects to grab from this deep pool of players, and Sullivan is the perfect coach for them. Not to mention, David Quinn is still behind the bench, and we can already see his hooks inside of Gabe Perreault and it is working.
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