The New York Rangers won the Presidents' Trophy two seasons ago, then plummeted to 11th in the Eastern Conference last year. That's quite the change. Suffice it to say, the Rangers [http://thn.com/nyrangers] intend to prove last season was an anomaly, making changes of consequence. They added a new coach in former Pittsburgh Penguins [http://thn.com/pittsburgh] bench boss Mike Sullivan, traded Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks], sent K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes, [http://thn.com/carolina] and picked up defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov on the free-agent market. Now, the Rangers will try to bounce back. BetMGM [https://sports.betmgm.ca/en/blog/league/nhl/?utm_source=thehockeynews&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=nhl_blog_page] has the Rangers with the sixth-best odds of winning the Eastern Conference [https://betmgmsporton.onelink.me/otUl/4rkbpwij] this coming season. And there is certainly a possibility that the Rangers manage to keep up with the Joneses with their off-season moves and ride one of the NHL’s top goaltenders to win the East. But this writer has some significant doubts that the Blueshirts will bounce from such a low to such a high. For starters, the Rangers have to consider their opponents in the Metropolitan Division and the rest of the East. In the Metro, you have to figure the Hurricanes, Washington Capitals [http://thn.com/washington] and New Jersey Devils [http://thn.com/newjersey] are locks to be playoff teams. We’ve already said we see the Columbus Blue Jackets as a playoff team [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/after-years-in-the-expansion-wilderness-columbus-eyes-a-return-to-the-playoffs], so from our perspective, the Rangers are going to be battling for fifth place in the Metro and hopefully focused on grabbing that second wild-card berth and limiting the Atlantic Division to sending only three teams into the playoffs. The next reason the Rangers are going to have a tough time rebounding into playoff form: the caliber of their opponents. In the Metro, the fight for fifth also includes the New York Islanders [http://thn.com/nyislanders], Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers [http://thn.com/philadelphia]. The Pens have a group of veterans intent on making one last playoff run, and the new-look Islanders also have experienced players who want to win now. Meanwhile, the Flyers have also looked to take a step forward, adding a new coach, as well as Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak and Dan Vladar to augment their lineup. NHL Summer Splash Rankings: No.10 New York Rangers [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/e3deaaaf-f7e5-4e46-888a-491a7c488103.webp] NHL Summer Splash Rankings: No.10 New York Rangers The Hockey News’ exclusive summer splash series evaluating the off-seasons of every NHL team is into the final stretch. To put these rankings together, we’ve focused the spotlight on every franchise’s off-season additions, departures, hirings and firings. And we’ve labelled each team as belonging to one of three categories – teams that have improved, teams that essentially stayed the same, and teams that have regressed. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/nhl-summer-splash-rankings-no-10-new-york-rangers] The competition for fifth in the Metro is bound to be fierce. All it may take is one or two points that separate playoff teams from the outsiders in the division and conference. And if the Rangers suffer through a bad couple of weeks or a bad month, they could find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. The trade departure of veteran left winger Kreider may leave a vacuum in the Rangers’ dressing room that hurts them in the long run. Certainly, the Rangers have arguably a considerably better lineup than the one that finished last season. They’re going to have a full year of star center J.T. Miller, and Gavrikov can play on their top defense pairing. Those two veterans have the potential to be difference-makers for the Rangers in 2025-26. Who knows – maybe the Rangers get a superb effort from star goaltender Igor Shesterkin, and maybe he carries them through the first, second and third rounds next spring. It wouldn’t be the first time a team benefits from a netminder standing on their head. Nevertheless, we can see multiple roads forward for the Rangers next year: one road has them meeting expectations and re-establishing the franchise as a true Cup threat, and the other road – the one we think is more likely for them – has them pushing for a playoff spot but just falling short and facing the same questions next year. Five Possibilities For The New York Rangers' Captaincy In 2025-26 [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/2cf557f5-257d-4718-988c-22722786b9fe.webp] Five Possibilities For The New York Rangers' Captaincy In 2025-26 The New York Rangers are one of only three NHL teams without an active captain. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/five-possibilities-for-the-new-york-rangers-captaincy-in-2025-26] Is winning the East in the cards for the Rangers? Sure, it’s possible. But asking whether it’s likely is a more sobering question, and one whose answer may not make Rangers fans happy. 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