“Those are all questions that we need to look at as coaches here and what we can continue to push people to that level” - Grant Potulny
The New York Rangers and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, will both miss the playoffs for the second year in a row. This season, both teams will finish in last place in their divisions and the Eastern Conference. Most teams would call this a failure or even a disaster.
Most fans look at this as an organizational failure. It certainly looks that way from the outside perspective, and the Hartford team epitomizes the missteps the Rangers took as a franchise. It left them searching for answers with no light at the end of the tunnel. “Those are all questions that we need to look at as coaches here and how we can continue to push people to that level,” Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny stated when asked how they’ve proven they are building something for the future when the track record suggests otherwise.
Years of Poor Drafting Are Reflected in Both Teams
How many players on the Rangers roster are homegrown talents? How many players were drafted and developed by the team? It’s a question that brings to realization that the team and this front office dug themselves this hole for years.
This was an issue before the current general manager (GM), Chris Drury, arrived. The Rangers had the second overall pick in the 2019 draft and the first pick in the 2020 draft. They didn’t land a star player with either pick (Alexis Lafreniere is a good player but not an elite one). When a team doesn’t land a star or game-changing talent in back-to-back drafts despite having top-five picks, it sets them back and comes back to haunt them a few years down the road. The Seattle Kraken are dealing with a similar fallout as the expansion franchise has top-five picks in 2021 and 2022 but didn’t win big with either.
Drury took over in 2021, and his draft classes have been underwhelming. Aside from Noah Laba and Gabe Perreault, the Rangers haven’t found players who are regulars or even proven depth players. A few prospects this season showed flashes but it’s still too early to say whether they’ll stick around long term.
The Rangers had a core to build around at the start of the decade, with Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, and Mika Zibanejad in the top six, Adam Fox on the defense, and Igor Shesterkin in the net. The problem is that they never added reinforcements in the draft, and as the core aged, they lacked the young talent that could pick up the slack.
In fairness, the Rangers weren’t in good draft position, certainly not in the first round to find top prospects. That said, they couldn’t find those draft steals that the Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, and other teams have been great year in and year out. That can be blamed on the scouting and drafting but also the development of those later round selections. It’s why the Wolf Pack is a team depleted of prospects, or players who they can mold into NHLers.
The Lack of Veterans Killed Hartford This Season
In the AHL, teams only go as far as their veterans can take them. Yes, it’s a developmental league, yet those lifetimer AHL and “tweeners” who are in their mid 20s yet aren’t prospects anymore are the ones who make the difference and establish a culture that fosters prospect growth. The great teams have the veterans who add a leadership presence to help the prospects learn how to play while also helping the team win games.
The Wolf Pack lost its key veterans from last season in the 2025 offseason. Alex Belzile led the team with 56 points in 2024-25 and signed with the Laval Rocket. “He’s such a vocal, positive man, brings people into the fight, and he plays the right way,” Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent noted in a conversation with The Hockey News. Benoit-Olivier Groulx was second in points with 37 last season and signed with the Toronto Marlies. Groulx was one of their best players and was rewarded for it with a late-season call-up to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Aside from losing its top two players, lost valuable voices in the room.
And the Wolf Pack struggled to replace them, putting together an underwhelming offseason. The only veteran they brought in who was a reliable contributor was Trey Fix-Wolansky, and even the veteran top-line winger had a disappointing season, considering his track record. Fix-Wolansky has 60 points or more in three consecutive seasons with the Cleveland Monsters and only has 48 points this season. Yet, he’s the bright spot on a team that hasn’t gotten much from its veterans.
Along with the absence of points and production, the Wolf Pack never had the veterans who could help off the ice. It didn’t help as the losses started piling up, and they lacked a steady presence to right the ship. They established a losing culture where the prospects took steps back. Dylan Roobroeck, for example, scored 20 goals last season and was a pleasant surprise, going from a fourth liner to a top-six center. He only scored 11 goals and has struggled to find an identity in the lineup this season.
Prospect Malpractice
The poor drafting didn’t leave the AHL team depleted of prospects. The Wolf Pack had a handful of borderline NHLers who, if developed correctly, could be valuable parts of the Rangers' roster. They called up Brennan Othmann, Brett Berard, and Scott Morrow before any of them were ready for the NHL. Then, they sent all three down and called them back up, putting them on the AHL rollercoaster.
The constant movement between the two leagues and the teams affects the players' development and their confidence. It showed particularly with Othmann, a first round pick in 2021 who flamed out as a prospect (coincidentally, he was traded to the Calgary Flames at the trade deadline).
These players needed time in the AHL, specifically, the ice time and in-game situations that they won’t see in the NHL. Some teams wait until their prospects are ready before they call them up for good. The Rangers didn’t, and it’s why they’ve plateaued as prospects. Othmann is no longer on the team. Berard, at best a second-line winger but not someone the Rangers can count on for offense. Morrow, whom they acquired in the K’Andre Miller trade, still has time to turn into a top-four defenseman but his struggles at both levels raised concerns.
The bottom line is that the Rangers call up their prospects with the first chance they get and aren’t patient with them. It worked with Perreault, who has become a top-six forward and someone they can build around but it hasn’t with most of their depth skaters, some of whom were thrown into the fire this season with the Rangers out of the playoff race by the time the trade deadline rolled around. In fairness, some players have shown they can play at the next level in recent weeks, with some call-ups stepping up. “You don’t have to look much further than Gabe Perreault, Jaroslav Chmelar, Adam Sykora, Scott Morrow, and Dylan Garand,” Potulny stated when looking at the prospects the Wolf Pack have developed this season.
Grant Potulny’s Shortcomings in the AHL
Potulny was hired in 2024 as the head coach and had big shoes to fill, replacing Kris Knoblauch. He has a great hockey mind, which is obvious when he’s asked about the X’s and O’s in postgame pressers. The problem is that he never adapted to the AHL, and the turnovers, along with the age gap in the league.
On top of that, Potulny hasn’t connected with the players. There are arts and sciences to coaching, and it’s pivotal to get the message across to the players. After a Nov. 15 loss to the Rocket, Casey Fitzgerald was asked what needed to happen for the Wolf Pack to snap out of a slump, and he mentioned how they needed to “Stick to the process.” The night before, following a loss to the Rochester Americans, Potulny was asked about the process and sticking to it during the tough times, to which he responded, “None of it matters. We’re at a point where we need wins. Right now, it’s not about the process, it’s about winning hockey games.”
Teams that are poorly coached have similar bad habits that cost them games. They take penalties and let opponents take advantage of their mistakes. The Wolf Pack committed two penalties in the first two minutes of their April 15 game against the Bridgeport Islanders and saw themselves trailing 3-0 halfway through the period (they went on to lose 5-2). The Wolf Pack continue to start games slowly, falling behind 2-0 or 3-0, and they’ve struggled to close out games, whether it’s with a 2-0 or 3-1 lead heading into the third period. It’s a reflection of a team that’s poorly coached, which has been the case all season.
Where They Can Build From Here
If Potulny stays, he must reevaluate the approach the Wolf Pack have taken. They have prospects who need to take a step forward, and they must find a way to get the most out of them. “Can Roobroeck take a step? Can Carey Terrance take a step? Can Bryce McConnell-Barker, who is having a good year, take a step? Can Jackson Dorrington take a step?” Potulny noted after the recent game.
In the big picture, the Rangers must change things from the top down. Presumably, Drury will remain, but the front office and the scouting department particularly must improve if the Rangers hope to turn things around, especially as they enter retool-rebuild territory. Ryan Martin is one of the most respected hockey minds in the AHL and is the de facto GM of the Wolf Pack but he’s had a bad run with the moves he’s made. Likewise, the coaching staff must improve and fix some issues that have popped up all season, from defensive breakdowns to misplayed pucks to penalties to situational awareness.
The irony of the Islanders defeating the Wolf Pack 5-2 and clinching a playoff spot against them with a 4-1 win on Sunday was that they showed the Rangers how much things can change in one year. The Islanders overhauled the AHL coaching staff and added the right veterans to help the prospects, and were willing to buy into the team’s system.
The Wolf Pack are finishing the season with the worst record in the conference but they aren’t far behind if they take the right steps. “There are some good pieces, and they have to continue to take good steps,” Potulny added after the recent game.