Rangers believe this core can run it back, win Stanley Cup in 2025
After falling six wins short of winning the Stanley Cup this season, the New York Rangers head back to the drawing board and prepare for 2024-25. Despite questions and rumors of roster changes, this Rangers core fully believes they can run it back and bring a championship to New York next season.
“There was a belief that was built through the course of the season,” coach Peter Laviolette explained. “There was a belief that we were going to get this done. We truly believed that we were going to win the Stanley Cup.”
Having that belief within the group is going to make any potential changes very difficult in the Rangers locker room going into next season. Moves surely will be made, but this group is close knit. More importantly, the coach and players believe there’s more to give, and that they can capture the ultimate prize.
“Absolutely,” a confident Vincent Trocheck said when asked if this group could go all the way.
“We made it to the Eastern Conference Final, went six games with a team that has been to the Cup Final two years in a row now. At times this year, I thought we were unbeatable. If we can just fine-tune the game a little bit more, I think we’re right there.”
While some players, like Trocheck, had more in-depth explanations to this question, others were more brief. None more so than Chris Kreider, who has seen more playoff runs fall short than anyone on this Rangers team.
His answer?
“Yes.”
Related: Kaapo Kakko’s future with Rangers big question this offseason
Rangers aim to win Stanley Cup next season with ‘great group’
With two runs to the Eastern Conference Final in the past three years, the Rangers need to find a way to get over the hump, taking the biggest step toward winning the Stanley Cup. Rumors and speculation can point to big moves being made this offseason, but ultimately, the cards are in the hands of general manager Chris Drury.
The players are the ones who have brought so much success to the team over the past several years, three straight seasons with 100+ points and two deep postseason runs, and they feel that they can continue to do it.
“We have a great group here, great staff,” Ryan Lindgren mentioned. “It was a great year. You look around the room, and you know we have the guys to eventually do it. That’s exciting. I know everyone’s excited to get back to work and come back next year, be focused, and excited to get back at it.”
With five unrestricted free agents heading into the summer, and several restricted free agents looking for deals, it is inevitable that there will be some new faces in the Rangers locker room in September for training camp. That being said, the core of this team will almost certainly remain intact. They are the ones who have gotten this group as far as the conference final twice now, and they are the ones who believe they have the ability to win a championship.
“You don’t get to the Eastern Conference Final two times in three years by accident,” said defenseman Adam Fox. “Obviously, we have to get over that hump and figure out a way to get to that ultimate goal of winning it. The group we have is tight knit and there was a lot of guys playing for each other here. It stinks that we didn’t win the Stanley Cup, of course, but it doesn’t take away from the great year that we had during the regular season and early in the playoffs.”
Now, the focus shifts to next season. Getting prepared in the summer, getting stronger, and eventually amping up for the 82-game journey of another regular season. Despite a disappointing playoff exit, there is no shortage of belief with these Rangers.
“I just get the sense that we’re going to come back, we’re going to have a good training camp, it’s going to be sharp, and we’re going to get back to business,” explained Laviolette. “We’re going to take on the regular season, it’s there, you’ve got to go through the regular season. You don’t get a pass. You’ve got to play the 82, you’ve got to qualify for the playoffs. I just get the sense that the guys are ready for that.”
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