The New York Rangers have had quite an interesting few months. They were the best team during the 2023-24 season, winning the President's Trophy as the league's best regular season team. Then, in the blink of an eye, it all went downhill.
With the hiring of head coach Mike Sullivan, expectations are back up. Is this the season the Rangers get back to a dominant team?
Rangers, Sullivan have work to do
Sullivan comes to the Rangers after a successful ride with the Pittsburgh Penguins, including two Stanley Cups. Sullivan was the victim of a depleted team that relied on Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang to get them to the playoffs and beyond.
After a debacle of a season, the Penguins are on the search for a new coach. However, Sullivan lands with a team that is the opposite of Pittsburgh. New York has a team in place to compete for a Stanley Cup, filled with depth and promise.
Sullivan has veterans like Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox, and J.T. Miller. He has young stars like Alexis Lafreniere, Braden Schneider, Will Cuyle, and Zac Jones. He has the right mix of players to do damage in both the regular season and playoffs. With Sullivan behind the bench, the Rangers should improve on and off the ice because he gets the best out of his players.
New York is hopeful for a bounce-back season
The Rangers finished last season with a record of 39-36-7 and were fifth in the Metropolitan Division. They traded captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks in late December and fired head coach Peter Laviolette at the end of the season. Needless to say, changes were needed.
Sullivan has a career coaching record of 479-311-15 and a winning percentage of .529. The Rangers will be the second Original Six team he has coached, as he was behind the bench for the Boston Bruins from 2003-04 until the 2005-06 season.
Sullivan comes to the Rangers after finishing with a record of 34-36-12 for Pittsburgh in 2024-25. The Penguins had as depleted roster and had a tough time finding offense outside of Crosby. He takes over a New York team that underachieved last season after making it to the Conference Finals in 2023-24 and losing to the Florida Panthers.
Sullivan is a good selection for the Rangers head coaching position. He expects respect from his players and also wants effort on every shift. He did well with the lackluster Penguins team, so he should perform even better with a top-notch Rangers squad. The playoffs are expected next season but with Sullivan behind the bench, the playoffs are not the only thing in mind.