It’s hard to watch this year’s Stanley Cup Final, beginning Wednesday night, and not feel envious if you’re a New York Rangers fan. There’s the reigning champions, the Florida Panthers, back for their third straight trip to the Final. We also have the Edmonton Oilers, finally hardened by heartbreak and ready to fight for the Cup again after falling short in Game 7 last June. The Blueshirts are sitting at home again. Yet this time, they missed the playoffs entirely and became only the fourth team in NHL history to win the Presidents’ Trophy and fail to qualify for the postseason the following year. This is the first repeat Final since 2009, and it hits differently because it represents a blueprint the Rangers desperately need to study. Let’s go through it.
1. You Need Your Stars to Be Stars:
We all know the Panthers and Oilers have stars: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Matthew Tkachuk, and Selke winner Alexander Barkov. Yet those stars are icons because they deliver when it matters most. Yes, we’ve seen flashes: Chris Kreider’s hat trick against Carolina, and Artemi Panarin’s Game 7 OT winner vs. Pittsburgh. Yet none of that has lasted long enough to carry a run. Questions have arisen about whether this core is right for the job. When the Rangers get deep, they run out of steam, magic, and answers. It’s been the same story since their finals run in 2014.
2. The Cup Isn't Won in Free Agency — It's Built Over Time
Florida lost in the Final to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023. They came back stronger. Edmonton lost to these same Panthers in 2024. They added grit, depth, and playoff muscle. Both teams evolved.
The Rangers have spent the last six years trying to fast-track a contender. They got Panarin, Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba (Now an Anaheim Duck), and Mika Zibanejad. They won the lottery for Kaapo Kakko (Now with the Seattle Kraken). Then, two more in the 2020 Alexis Lafrenière sweepstakes. They kept adding veterans and "going for it." Yet they never truly grew or formed an identity like Florida and Edmonton have used to reach consecutive summits.
Florida is relentless, structured, and mean. The Paul Maurice-led group is the best forechecking team in the league. They suffocate you in the neutral zone with a 1-2-2 system that forces turnovers and creates chaos. They lead the NHL in goals off-turnovers for a reason. They come in waves and hit like they're angry at the ice. Edmonton is the top rush offense in the playoffs. They're a breakout machine. Weak side rims and five-person attacks were all built to exploit Florida's aggression. You get past one guy, and have McDavid and Draisaitl flying at you in full flight.
Florida's PK is a 2-2 box that wants to kill you early. They're aggressive up top and look for short-handed chances. They want to make your PP panic. Edmonton, led by Kris Knoblauch, who yours truly wanted even before the Peter Laviolette hire, runs a 1-2-1 wedge. They keep the middle locked down and force you wide. The Rangers have the personnel to do this — especially with Mike Sullivan now behind the bench. His Penguins teams lived off that kind of aggressive, structured forecheck. If he brings that identity here, Kreider, Lafrenière, and Will Cuylle could thrive in an unyielding environment.
Both finalists also emphasize the importance of controlling the slot area. Statistically, teams that outshoot their opponents from the slot have a 93% success rate in playoff series. Florida excelled in this aspect, allowing only 10.4 slot shots per 60 minutes, ranking second among playoff teams, and Edmonton is at 11.3. Offensively, the Oilers paced the Spring with 13.1 per 60, while the Cats were a close second at 11.5. Both teams are very effective at getting slot shots, but 43%-44% of their overall shots come from the slot. Florida does it as well as anyone. They collapse block shots, clear rebounds, and take away second chances.
The Blueshirts have too often abandoned Igor Shesterkin to chaos in the slot, consigning their star netminder to fend off high-danger chances from mere feet away with little support. You don’t survive, let alone advance, in the postseason when your structure is porous. It's an issue between the ears, and Mike Sullivan is a coach who demands cerebral engagement and positional accountability in equal measure. The more you watch this Final, Florida's Paul Maurice-led system starts to resemble what Sullivan has preached for years. He's not coming to Broadway, letting high-paid stars coast through games unchecked, or bench promising young players for every mistake. He's hopeful on instilling an imprint, embracing metamorphosis in exchange for winning playoff games deep into June.
3: Draft and Develop — or Die Trying
The 2025 Final makes it clear: no matter how big your market or how wealthy your owner is, you don't win in this league unless you draft well and develop better. Florida's core was built with patience. Edmonton has stuck by its stars and surrounded them with brilliant pieces. The Rangers seem allergic to trusting young players. Now, Sullivan said the right things at his introductory press conference. He mentioned the runway and how young players need to "earn" their minute. Still, the disconnect between scouting, player development, and coaching in this organization has been apparent for too long. Until it changes, nothing will.
The core is aging, meaning this summer has to be the turning point. The Rangers need their stars to rise, and their prospects to be trusted. The franchise still convalescing from playoff scars must evolve and President and GM Chris Drury needs to assign kids to Hartford, with a purpose. The Cats AHL affiliate the Charlotte Checkers made the Calder Cup final too. As Tkachuk said of Florida and Edmonton, 'It's clear we're the two best teams in the league". They don’t need to copy the finalists, rather insulate themselves from the illusion that talent alone wins Cups, or they'll be incessantly left with rudimentary excuses and familiar regrets.