At the beginning of the 2024-25 NHL season, the New York Rangers were widely regarded as strong contenders for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. Their prospects looked bright, and fans had high expectations for the team. However, as the season has progressed, the Rangers have experienced a dramatic collapse. Now sitting with a record of 15-15-1 and just 31 points after 31 games, the Rangers find themselves in a tailspin, having lost three consecutive games and seven out of their last 10. One of their most disappointing losses came against the Nashville Predators, who are currently at the bottom of the NHL standings.
The Nashville Predators, with only 24 points, are tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for the fewest points in the league. In fact, the Predators have fewer wins than the Blackhawks, which places them at the 32nd and final spot in the NHL rankings. Going into their game against the Rangers, Nashville had lost nine of their previous 10 matches. To make matters worse, the Rangers also suffered a loss to the Blackhawks just the week before. This combination of poor results against struggling teams has left the Rangers in a precarious position.
The situation for the Rangers is grim. A shutout defeat to the league’s worst team, dropping them to 23rd in the standings, is bad enough, but it’s clear that the worst may still be ahead. The team’s upcoming schedule is brutal, and things are likely to get even worse before they improve. According to Tankathon’s remaining schedule strength rankings, the Rangers face the second-toughest remaining slate of games in the NHL, behind only the Detroit Red Wings. The strength of their opponents is determined by the combined win percentage of all the teams they will face in the remaining games.
The Rangers’ next two weeks are filled with some of the most challenging opponents in the league. They will be squaring off against teams like the Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, and Washington Capitals. These teams are all currently in playoff contention and are considered some of the best in the league. Additionally, three of these teams, the Devils, Hurricanes, and Capitals, are within the Rangers’ own division, intensifying the competition. Despite their early-season optimism, the Rangers are currently only two points ahead of the last-place team in the Metro Division, the Columbus Blue Jackets. This is a far cry from where the team expected to be when the season began.
This dramatic downturn in performance is particularly concerning because it shows no signs of abating. A team in free fall often hits a breaking point, but for the Rangers, it seems like the worst is yet to come. As a result of their recent struggles, the Rangers have been forced to make drastic decisions. The team recently traded away captain Jacob Trouba and Kaapo Kakko, a second-overall draft pick from 2019, in an effort to shake things up. General manager Chris Drury has indicated that he is committed to making further changes to the roster, and it seems clear that the Rangers are in the midst of a major retooling. The frustration among the players is palpable, as they struggle to find answers for their recent slump.
The Rangers’ free fall is not only a reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in the NHL, but also how difficult it can be to recover from such a slide. While fans and analysts alike hoped the team would be contending for a division title, the Rangers now face the harsh reality of being in the middle of a fierce battle just to stay competitive in their own division. The team’s future is uncertain, and the next few weeks will be critical in determining whether they can right the ship or if their struggles will continue to spiral out of control.
The remaining schedule for the Rangers offers little hope of an immediate turnaround. With matchups against some of the league’s most formidable teams, it is likely that their losing streak will continue for the foreseeable future. The pressure is mounting on the team to make significant changes and find a way to get back on track. As the Rangers face off against some of the toughest opponents in the NHL, they will need to dig deep and find ways to compete at a higher level if they hope to avoid being left behind in the playoff race.
For now, it’s clear that the Rangers’ season has taken a dramatic turn for the worse. The losses are piling up, and with the toughest part of their schedule looming, there seems to be no end in sight to their struggles. While there is still time for the team to turn things around, the road ahead looks incredibly difficult. The Rangers’ management will need to make bold moves to change the team’s fortunes, and the players will have to find a way to respond to the mounting pressure. As it stands, the Rangers are a team in crisis, and it’s unclear whether they can find a way to recover before it’s too late.
