10 worst New York Rangers moments of 2024

After a solid finish to 2023, the Rangers came into the New Year looking to pick up where they left off and secure a big win against the Carolina Hurricanes. Instead, they opened 2024 with a dud at home, getting blown out 6-1 at Madison Square Garden. Chris Kreider had the lone goal for the Rangers, but it was all Hurricanes as Andrei Svechnikov led the way with two goals in the contest.

Amid a terrible stretch for the Rangers, they found themselves in a back-to-back slate against the Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils. Looking to build on their 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars, New York instead dropped both games to their Metropolitan Division rivals. First, they lost 3-1 to the Hurricanes on home ice, and turned around with one of their worst games of the calendar year, a 5-0 loss to the Devils in Newark, when they managed just 12 shots on goal in a no-show performance.

Though this move was not necessarily a bad thing for the Rangers, considering all the money saved on the salary cap, it was an ugly end to an ugly situation, one surrounded with drama and controversy that lasted nearly six months. Tensions between Trouba and general manager Chris Drury were already high after the Rangers tried to trade the former captain in the offseason. Things were made worse by how public everything became, and after New York’s season took a turn for the worse, Trouba was finally shipped out.

After starting the 2024-25 season with a remarkable 12-4-1 record, the Rangers pulled a complete 180. It started with a 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames. While this one game may not have been a direct cause of the freefall that followed, the Rangers closed out 2024 with just four more wins, posting a 4-15-0 in that span. Once at the top of the Metropolitan Division standings, they ended the year at the very bottom in last place.

As if things couldn’t get any worse for the Rangers, they lost some very winnable games before the year came to an end. First, they matched up against the Chicago Blackhawks, who were dead last in the NHL. They could only muster one goal, and lost 2-1 at home, and were rightfully booed off the ice by the Garden Faithful. Just four games later, they faced off against the Nashville Predators, the new last-place team in the NHL. They not only lost that game as well, but were shut out 2-0 in what seemed like rock bottom for the Rangers at the time.

As a result of the Rangers slump, former second-overall pick Kaapo Kakko was traded to the Seattle Kraken. It was an unfortunate end to Kakko’s tenure with the Rangers, which started with such high hopes and expectations. Kakko never really lived up to the hype. Still, he was one of the first pieces of New York’s rebuild and really gave it his all trying to become a more dynamic player. It was sad to see him go, but it was probably time for a change, for both player and team.

What seemed like a minor skid at the time eventually turned into the biggest losing streak since 2021, reaching five games in a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Panic started to set in very quickly in the Rangers organization, but no one knew just how bad things were going to get. Five straight losses, however, was a major red flag after starting the season 12-4-1.

After taking a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers, the Rangers found themselves in overtime in Game 4, with a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Instead, Sam Reinhart scored in OT and evened the series at two games apiece. Florida never looked back after that win, finishing off the Rangers in six games.

After a much needed holiday break, the Rangers looked to turn things around with two games in the Sunshine State to close out 2024. Instead, they lost 6-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and 5-3 to the Florida Panthers. Though they played a much better brand of hockey against Florida, it was not enough to get into the win column. After starting the season 12-4-1, the Rangers ended 2024 in a 4-15-0 slide and on a four-game losing streak.

After winning the Presidents’ Trophy, sweeping the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, defeating the Hurricanes in six games in the second round, and taking a 2-1 lead over the Panthers in the ECF, it all came crashing down. New York lost three straight games, and were eliminated in Game 6, losing 2-1. It was a season in which the Rangers seemed destined to at least reach the Stanley Cup Final, if not win their first championship in 30 years. But once again they could not get over the hump of the conference final, as was the case also in 2022. June 1 was the most disappointing day in a long time for the Rangers.