Halfway through the 2025-26 preseason, the New York Rangers cannot seem to find a way to hold leads and win hockey games. Thankfully, it is only the preseason, and that can easily be fixed by the start of the regular season.
Speaking of the regular season, is there any clear-cut way to distinguish whether or not it is a successful year by the end of it? Looking at the last two Rangers campaigns, the 2023-24 season ended with a Presidents' Trophy, meaning it was very successful, but last season was a failure through and through.
What is the benchmark for success in 2025-26?
Better record?
Would a better record than the 2024-25 season be a good enough minimum requirement for success? For that to happen, this season must feature a Rangers team that does better than 39-36-7 for 85 points.
That is certainly doable, with a new head coach in Mike Sullivan trying to right the ship, and a new captain in J.T. Miller, who is actively trying to change the culture in the locker room to be a more hard-nosed and tenacious group. A better record is a start, but not everything.
Playoffs?
Bingo. This is the measuring stick for a successful season. If the Rangers can live up to the annual expectation of making it to the Stanley Cup playoffs, it should be deemed a success.
Now, this has some stipulations. If they are bounced after the first round via a sweep, then what was the point, but if they can make it into the final bracket of the year and actually put up a fight, that's a win.
Stanley Cup or bust?
Only two years out from being the best team in all of the NHL and winning the Presidents' Trophy, and a minimal to considerable amount of changes in roster, this expectation should not be ruled out. As the stars of this team are entering their final years of contract and phasing out of the prime of their careers, the time is now to win it all.
It is a tough ask of any team to make it to the end of the line and win it all. Even harder when the entire measure of the season is based on lifting the Stanley Cup at the end of it all. This is not the benchmark for this team, although it might be to most of the fan base.