The NHL schedule just gave Mike Sullivan the perfect early test with Rangers

The 2025-26 NHL schedule has dropped, and it gives fans around the league a chance to start getting excited for the upcoming season that is still months away. Fans already are thinking about key matchups, and you can say the same about players and team staff like New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan who now know what his travel schedule is going to look like for the fall, winter, and spring. Sullivan is back with the organization after spending a decade in Pittsburgh, and the NHL schedule has given him a perfect early test, and opportunity, with his new squad.

The Rangers have their first four game road trip that begins at the end of October on Sunday the 26th and stretches into November. During that span the Blueshirts will journey to Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Seattle before eventually returning home on November the 4th.

The Rangers are then home for three of their next four games, and hit the road again for five of their next six. New York travels to Tampa Bay on November 12th, Columbus on November 15th, back home for a game against Detroit on the 16th, and then heads out West again for games in Vegas, Colorado, and Utah from November 18th to the 22nd.

All of this time on the road can be a great thing for the Rangers and Sullivan as they try to come together and gain chemistry and trust. During the 2023-24 season the Blueshirts went 5-0 during a trip that featured stops in Seattle, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Winnipeg, and it came at a key moment after the team looked very dispirited in a 4-1 home loss against the Nashville Predators. The significance of that trip is that it came during Peter Laviolette's first season as coach, and the loss against the Predators stung because it was a team he once coached.

The Rangers have made a number of changes over the past few months, and while there are still many holdovers that are familiar, it is going to take time for everyone to get on the same page. This is something Sullivan has experience with, and it is something Sullivan's former star player Sidney Crosby talked about in a story for The Athletic back in 2019.

"I think it’s always good to get on the road. You get to know the guys, get to spend more time with them. Whether it’s at dinner, the hotel or on the bus, everything is a little more laid back and everyone’s on the same schedule, so you see everyone."

Sidney Crosby to Rob Rossi

Getting buy in early is key for Sullivan, as last season things fell apart when there was a disconnect between the players and management which resulted in players names entering trade conversations publicly. One of Sullivan's job functions as the head coach involves serving as a liaison between the players and management, and it will take time for him to get an understanding of the existing dynamic.

In addition to his track record of success, Sullivan was brought to the team to be an agent of change, and this is year one of a partnership that Chris Drury hopes results in a Stanley Cup victory. It is important to point out that when K'Andre Miller and Chris Kreider were traded this offseason that both players were appreciative of the communication process involving Drury, so it appears he's learned from what went wrong last summer.

The good news for Sullivan is that the Rangers were pretty decent on the road last season and finished with a record of 20-17-4. It is possible that being away from home allowed the team to bond and step away from the noise, and they will get that opportunity again early this season.

It is important for the Rangers to get off to a fast start because the schedule is more condensed than last season due to the league breaking in February for the Olympics. The Rangers ended last season with a record of 39-35-8 with 86 points, and missed the playoffs by just seven points.

At this point it is hard to project what the expectation for the Rangers will be in 2025-26, but making the playoffs is likely the bare minimum. They can work toward that goal by picking up points early on, and they will get that chance with some key road trips to start the season.