New York Rangers Receive Unexpected Offseason Grading: Division Rivals Ranked highest
Photo credit: Barclays Center
How did the New York Islanders and New York Rangers fare during the postseason? The website Blueshirt Banter ranked the Metropolitan Division rivals, as GM Chris Drury's biggest move was signing Mike Sullivan. But for the Islanders, Matthieu Darche hit a home run by drafting Matthew Schaefer.
The New York Rangers aim to improve their 2025-26 outlook by adding to the lineup. For GM Chris Drury, the moves were sparse, and the most significant acquisitions during the postseason were Mike Sullivan and Vladislav Gavrikov.
Other notable additions during the postseason were depth pieces in Justin Dowling, Taylor Raddysh, and Scott Morrow (from Carolina).
The Rangers would subtract: Peter Laviolette, 2 years into his tenure, like Gerard Gallant.
Along with moving on from Calvin de Haan and trading K'Andre Miller, you get a greater picture of GM Chris Drury's complete offseason.
The New York Rangers Postseason Grade: B
The Rangers made major moves in firing Peter Laviolette and hiring Mike Sullivan. Drury's confidence that Sullivan can deliver a cup to the team in the future should be heartening, but we haven't seen how the team performs under him yet.
The Rangers felt it necessary to move on from K'Andre Miller and give him a fresh start. A lack of confidence led to a lack of reinvestment, while they fortified the defense core, with Vladislav Gavrikov.
The team would re-sign the rest of their RFAs, including Will Cuylle. Not a thrilling finish to the postseason, but a good end.
The New York Islanders: A-
The Islanders had an exciting offseason after receiving the 1st-overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. That gave them the option of selecting defenseman Matthew Schaefer.
This wasn't the only exciting move for the Rangers' divisional rivals, as they got rid of Lou Lamoriello and hired Matthieu Darche. They'd add significant talent in Jonathan Drouin, Maxim Shabanov, and Emil Heinemen.
Noah Dobson would be traded to the Montreal Canadiens and would receive two 1st-round picks, which ended up being Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson, after Schaefer.
In many ways, a franchise-altering postseason, which could point to a brighter future not seen under Lou.
Previously on NYRangersInsider
| POLL | ||
AOUT 26 | 47 ANSWERS New York Rangers Receive Unexpected Offseason Grading: Division Rivals Ranked highest Did the New York Islanders have a better postseason than the New York Rangers? | ||
| Yes | 16 | 34 % |
| No | 31 | 66 % |
| List of polls | ||
