Why Rangers coach remains confident amid woes: ‘We can play with any team’
There are enough reasons for Mike Sullivan to feel down about the New York Rangers these days, but he isn’t. Instead, the Rangers coach remains as bullish as ever about his team, heading into the 2026 NHL Winter Classic against the Florida Panthers on Friday.
Undeterred by the Rangers (19-18-5) owning the worst points percentage (.514) in the 16-team Eastern Conference, Sullivan made the case for better days ahead.
“The reality is we’re halfway through the season here, we’ve played a fair amount of hockey and we have a fair amount left, and there’s a lot of parity in the League,” Sullivan explained Thursday during a rinkside interview with NHL Network. “You have a good week, put a stretch of games together over 10 days or two weeks and you’re at the top of the League. You struggle for a week or two and you’re at the bottom of your division
“I think we’ve got an opportunity to play our way into a good spot, and we’re going to embrace that challenge.”
He’s not wrong. Just look at the Buffalo Sabres, who just a few weeks ago were last in the conference and now sit in the second wild card thanks to a 10-game winning streak. Even a stretch half that good, coupled with more overall consistency, would serve the Rangers well in their bid to get back into a playoff spot.
Of course, the reality here is that the Rangers haven’t won more than three games in a row this season, and their last four-game winning streak was back in October of 2024. They also need some help since every team in the East has games in hand on them Five teams, including the Panthers, played three fewer games than the Rangers.
It’s true that no team is out of it halfway through the season. Parity reins in the NHL. But the Rangers could be in trouble if teams begin to pull away when they make up games in hand.
The Rangers can’t worry about that, though. There’s enough for them to be concerned with. They’re 31st in the NHL, averaging 2.55 goals scored per game. Eight times already the Rangers were shut out. They have five wins on home ice at Madison Square Garden. Four of their regular forwards are out injured, including captain J.T. Miller, who’s closest to returning but remains sidelined for the Winter Classic.
New York just got star defenseman Adam Fox back from a 14-game injury absence, and he scored a power-play goal in his lineup return, a 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals on New Years Eve. But the Rangers lost Noah Laba and Conor Sheary in the same game. One step forward, two steps back.
Yet Sullivan said this group’s shown him enough to feel confident moving forward.
“I think the guys are buying to how we’re trying to play, and when we put that game on the ice consistently, I think we can play with any team in the League. And we’ve shown that,” he stated. “The guys haven’t lost any level of enthusiasm, which I think is a really important aspect of it. It’s a hard league, and when you don’t have the success you expect to have, that’s when the League challenges you.”
Mike Sullivan remains positive about Rangers, despite hovering dark clouds overhead
One of the next challenges could be a tricky one to handle. Fox was left off Team USA’s roster for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. Since Sullivan also is the U.S. coach — and Rangers general manager Chris Drury is on the management committee — there could be some bad feelings.
The 27-year-old defenseman and his coach sidestepped questions about their relationship and private conversations, when asked Thursday. Fox did, however, clearly sounded disappointed about not making the team.
“I thought my play this year was worthy of it. Track record as well.,” he said about the Olympics snub. “It’s out of my hands at a certain point. The decision is the decision. I guess that’s how it goes.”
So, despite all of these dark clouds, Sullivan maintained a sunny outlook Thursday. Maybe being in Miami and set to play a game outdoors had the Rangers coach thinking positively. Or maybe, just maybe, he really sees something in the Rangers that many others simply don’t.
Time will tell if it’s a well-founded take by Sullivan, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, whe he coached the Pittsburgh Penguins. The next opportunity for him to be proven right — or wrong — comes on the big stage at loanDepot Park on Friday.
