‘You can just play’: Rangers react to latest retool, likely roster shakeup
No player in any sport wants to read that his team plans to enter a “retool built around our core players and prospects” – the message that New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury sent to the hockey world on Friday.
Drury didn’t say who the “core players” are, but he did concede that the decision “may mean saying goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years.”
Needless to say, “The Letter 2.0” – similar to one then-president Glen Sather and GM Jeff Gorton sent eight years ago – was emotional for those who wear the Blueshirt. To their credit, they shook off any emotions they might have been feeling and ended a five-game losing streak with a 6-3 road victory against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Afterward, captain J.T. Miller talked about his team’s ability to put the letter and its aftermath aside and leave Philadelphia with a win, their first in six games (1-4-1).
“All the B.S. is out in front of us now. You can just play. You can just kind of go out and try to enjoy the game again,” he said. “It’s been rough and we’ve been challenged here lately.
“It’s a really hard game. We use the word ‘humbling’ all the time. It’s really hard to do all the right things when nothing is either going your way or you’re not playing as well as you’re supposed to. It’s difficult. Today, we were just trying to get two points and win a hockey game. We had some guys step up big, so it was nice.”
Mika Zibanejad had his 10th career hat trick and team scoring leader Artemi Panarin scored twice and had an assist to help the Rangers win indoors for the first time in 2026. Their only previous victory in the new year came outdoors, when they defeated the Florida Panthers 5-1 at the NHL Winter Classic in Miami – Zibanejad had a hat trick (and two assists) in that game as well.
Miller, who had two assists, three hits and won six of nine face-offs Saturday, said the Rangers must ignore the outside noise and focus on winning.
“The emotions have been going on for longer than the last two days,” he said. “It’s unfortunately part of the game. It’s disappointing, for sure. I don’t think four or five months ago this is where we thought we’d be, but we’ve got a job to do, and we need to start moving forward towards the next chapter.
“I was just really proud of the way we played today. There’s obviously a lot of distraction out there right now, and we were able to put that aside and enjoy the game and come out with the right intentions and earn the win.”
Rangers put aside talk of retool, respond by defeating Flyers
Zibanejad was also proud of the way the Rangers played after such an emotional jolt.
“You have all kinds of feelings toward something like that coming out,” he said. “It’s a lot of emotions and obviously we have the early game today, so not a whole lot of time, I think 24 hours from it being posted to us playing. Huge credit to the guys. … It’s not an easy situation.
“The way we responded today and the way we played today was great.”
Mike Sullivan, who became the 30th coach in NHL history to win 500 games, was also impressed with what he saw from his club.
“I just think it speaks volumes for the character of the people in the room,” he said. “The last couple of days have been pretty emotional for the whole group. To respond with an effort like they did tonight, for me, I think, is evidence that these guys are quality people and they care a lot about each other and about the Rangers.”
The victory in Philadelphia made for a much more pleasant flight to Southern California, where the Rangers (21-22-6) begin a three-game trip Monday with a game against the Anaheim Ducks and former teammates Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba, Frank Vatrano and Ryan Strome. But it didn’t lift the Rangers out of last place in the Eastern Conference. They are nine points behind the Buffalo Sabres, who hold the second wild card in the East, with 33 games remaining.
Sullivan said before the game that he doesn’t intend to hold players out to avoid injury despite Drury’s indication that he’s likely to look to trade veterans.
“We’re going to try to win every game,” he said. “These guys are competitive guys. We’re going to try to win every game in front of us. That’s just the way it’s going to be.”
Panarin, who can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, appears to be at the head of the list among players who could be moved. Multiple media reports said Drury told the team’s leading scorer in each of the past six seasons that the Rangers won’t offer him another contract and they will work with him and his agent to find a new home. That’s a must because Panarin has a no-movement clause, meaning that he can’t be traded to any of the other 31 teams without his approval and can opt not to be traded at all.
For now, Panarin said he’s OK with what’s happening.
“It’s hard to say how I feel, still confused,” he said postgame. “Team decide to go in a different direction. I’m OK with that. I’m a Ranger play right now, so I gotta play every game 100 percent.”
When asked about his conversation with Drury, Panarin responded that “I actually said everything I want to say about this situation. Let’s talk about hockey.”
Sullivan went through the retool vs. rebuild process during the final three of his 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He joined the Rangers on May 2 after parting ways with the Pens, so he’s familiar with everything associated with trying to get a team back on the winning track. He’s all in.
“I understand the process. I understand the process,” he said prior to the game. “What I’ll tell you is that I’m all in on trying to help this organization move forward. Chris [Drury] and I have talked throughout this whole process. We have a very transparent relationship, and I’m going to do everything in my power to try to help this team move forward.
“I’m going to control what I can and try to be the very best coach that I can be for this organization.”
