Monday, April 21 marked breakup day across the National Hockey League, including for the New York Rangers.
For those casual hockey fans, in the NHL, "breakup day" — also known as exit day — is the day when a team officially concludes its season and prepares for the offseason. It's typically held at the end of the regular season and before the start of the playoffs, serving as a final gathering for the team to reflect on the season and discuss upcoming plans. At the Rangers' breakup day, pretty much every single player on the Blueshirt roster spoke to the media — excluding J.T. Miller who was absent due to death of a friend.
Here are some of the key quotes for Rangers fans to look at from Monday morning after the recent firing of former New York Rangers Head Coach Peter Laviolette.
"Everyone has to really look in the mirror. … This year was unrecognizable from the team that made the conference finals two of the past three years."Defenseman Adam Fox
"I mean, this is home for me. This is the organization that gave me an opportunity to live out my dream. I’ve developed so many incredible relationships and grown up and spent in this area. So, obviously, this is where I want to be and this is the group I want to help in whatever fashion and win hockey games."Left wing Chris Kreider
"We didn’t get up to the level of play we can … There was a lot of noise around our team this year. I’m not saying that is the cause of (the season), but it wasn’t the calmness I felt we had the year before ... I think [there was] frustration. I think it's just when you don't know everything, we don't know what's going on."Center Mika Zibanejad
"In my mind, something broke during the season and went the other way. We couldn't handle it. t was our job to find a way to get back."Goaltender Igor Shesterkin
Blueshirt fans also learned that 33-year-old Calvin de Haan — who previously expressed frustrations with his lack of playing time — said he was under the impression he would play when he came to New York as there was a verbal exchange had discussing the matter.
"Not much to assess, I only played three games ... It might have just been a teleprompter answer, frankly, just 'welcome to the team,' that kind of thing. They alluded to the fact that I was part of a trade for a Ranger who was a good Ranger for a long time. I was told I was going to be part of the team moving forward and get an opportunity."Defenseman Calvin de Haan
Via the media, it was also expressed that Adam Edström underwent surgery on his season-ending lower-body injury and has resumed skating. He expects to be ready for training camp next season. Additionally, defenseman Braden Schneider showed up with a big brace on his right arm. He said his surgery went well for his torn labrum and that he will be ready to go next season. He also revealed it is something that has been bothering him for quite sometime, which was quite an interesting revelation.
#NYR Braden Schneider said he’s been dealing with this labrum issue since the 2022-23 season.
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) April 21, 2025
“It was sore for the first season. Last year, I knew there was a tear in it. And then this year, they said it was pretty bad.”
The surgery was on April 17. He’s in the sling 4 weeks…
Finally, Peter Baugh with The Athletic also revealed that rookie and 19-year-old Gabe Perreault hasn’t decided on where he will train this summer, but it’s not quite summer for him yet. He’s going back to Boston College to finish his sophomore year of classes.
All 24 player media availabilities from Break-Up/Exit Day videos are available on the New York Rangers YouTube channel for viewing.