The New York Rangers have one more game before the Olympic break puts the league on pause, and Head Coach Mike Sullivan confirmed what Rangers fans are already thinking about the youth movement post Letter 2.0.
Sullivan speaks to the Rangers' plan with playoffs out of reach and key players on the trade block
The Rangers are all but officially eliminated from playoff contention, and they are trying to trade Artemi Panarin. Other players could also be on the move, likely after the break, and it has become clear that there is a new priority. We've slowly seen Gabe Perreault bumped up from the third line, Alexis Lafreniere put on the power play, as well as the No. 2 unit getting a bit more run than normal. There's still tweaks that could and should be made, but it would appear that development is a key focus.
When asked about the shift by Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic, Sullivan admitted, "I think it goes hand in hand, and it's already happening. These guys are already in elevated roles, and so it's already happening out of necessity... It gives us an opportunity to assess where people are at and what we have and how we can help them improve… Will it continue to occur? I would envision it would, yes."
As mentioned before, Lafrenière has had the chance to play on the top power play unit, but such a chance hasn't been afforded to Perreault yet. Sullivan was asked about that in a follow up question, and he explained, "Laf is also a young guy, all of these guys require opportunity in order to continue to grow and develop, and we're trying to balance that."
One big change that Rangers should make after the Olympics
Braden Schneider has been playing on the top pair with Adam Fox out of the lineup, and it's something he's been doing for long enough that the Rangers should have a sense of what he's capable of. He led defenders in 5v5 ice time during the month of January, and he posted some putrid results. Scott Morrow had the fifth most minutes, and the only reason for that was because Carson Soucy was traded. The Rangers owe it to themselves to see what they truly have in Morrow, and he might not get that chance now that Vincent Iorio was claimed. This is just one simple thing that the brain trust can do, but perhaps they feel they've already seen enough from Morrow and might try and flip him alongside one of the more established names in a bigger deal.
What comes next for Rangers?
The 2026 NHL Olympic trade freeze begins at 3:00 p.m. Eastern today, and lasts until 11:59 p.m. Eastern on February 22, 2026. It remains to be seen if a deal or two will be made, and if it is not, the last bit of business will be the Rangers' game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.
The Blueshirts will emerge from the break on February 26 against the Philadelphia Flyers, and close the month with a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 28. The next big event after that will be the NHL trade deadline which is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on March 6.