Rangers Daily: Major Blueshirts turnover in 2 years; 16 playoff teams set
It’s been only two years – or more like 22 months — since the New York Rangers hooked up with the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final at Amerant Bank Arena. That 2-1 loss represented the end of an exciting 2023-24 season and extended postseason run for the Rangers.
You may have heard that the Panthers went on to defeat Connor McDavid in the Stanley Cup Final that spring. And for good measure, they did the same exact thing in the spring of 2025, repeating as Cup champs.
And the Rangers? You also might be aware that they haven’t been back to the playoffs since, guaranteed a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference this season. That a 3-2 loss to the Panthers on Monday night solidified their last-place standing seems rather fitting.
It was really jarring to watch the game Monday, when thinking back to the 2024 conference final. Nothing was on the line in this one, except for New York trying to get Jonathan Quick a dub in his final NHL game. It was a low-event contest, lacking urgency from both sides until the Rangers turned up the heat in the third period in an attempt to have Quick go out a winner.
For the Panthers, who missed the playoffs this season after reaching the Stanley Cup Final three straight years, there’s a simple excuse. They iced a JV team Monday, with the vast majority of their Stanley Cup winners out injured. Florida entered the game with 513 man-games lost due to injury this season. Yikes.
The Rangers countered with a healthy lineup, just not a very good one, which is why they’re in a retool phase, using general manager Chris Drury’s decsription. True, their season fell apart when Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox sustained lower-body injuries in the same Jan. 5 game and each missed the next month of action. New York lost 210 man-games to injury this season. A significant number, but not the whopping one Florida accumulated.
That Rangers lineup Monday had nine of the 20 players who dressed in Game 6 inside the same building two years ago against the Panthers. That number very likely could be six the next time the Rangers visit Amerant Bank Arena next season. We already know Quick won’t be back; and there’s a good chance neither will Vincent Trocheck nor Jonny Brodzinski. Perhaps Braden Schneider won’t be in the Blueshirt then, too.
It just points to a dizzying turnover of the Rangers roster in just two short years. One that’s going to continue into a crucial offseason for Drury and Co. this summer.
The Panthers expect to have the Varsity back intact next season. The Rangers? Let’s see what the GM has up his sleeve.
Rangers news and analysis
Here are our key Rangers takeaways after the 3-2 loss to the Panthers.
Our John Kreiser collects the bouquets tossed at Quick from friends and foes alike after the future Hall of Famer’s final NHL game.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of what’s next for the Rangers at the goalie position now that Quick announced his retirement.
Tom Castro takes a deep dive into why Matthew Robertson and Drew Fortescue are so important to the Rangers, looking ahead to next season.
NHL news and rumors
NHL.com: Look at the NHL standings: 16 teams officially have a check by their name, meaning that with a couple days left in the regular season, we have the field set for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Of the 16 teams, six didn’t make the postseason a year ago. And in the case of the Buffalo Sabres, they ended a 14-year postseason drought.
TSN: Speaking of the Sabres, they clinched first place in the Atlantic Division on Monday, but “have a bigger goal in mind.”
Sportsnet: Good news for the Edmonton Oilers. Superstar forward Leon Draisaitl is skating and expects to be back from a lower-body injury early in the first round of the playoffs.
Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020, after an exciting shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes. They’ll face the Pittsburgh Penguins in a best-of-7 first-round series.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Dan Kingerski breaks down three key topics ahead of the Penguins postseason return.
Montreal Hockey Now: The Canadiens are prepping for a first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but at the same time are stunned by top prospect Michael Hage’s decision to remain in college at the University of Michigan.
Daily Faceoff: The Islanders recalled exciting forward prospect Victor Eklund from AHL Bridgeport, and he could make his NHL debut in New York’s season finale on Tuesday against Carolina.
Sportsnet: Morgan Rielly played his 950th game with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, but Luke Fox dives into whether that was his final one on home ice wearing the Leafs crest, amid rumors Rielly could be traded in the offseason.
New Jersey Hockey Now: James Nichols breaks down the legitimate list of GM candidates for the Devils.
