NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman Blasts The New York Rangers Disastrous Year

The New York Rangers finished 2024-2025 with a record of 39-36-7, and 5th in the Metropolitan Division. The team was originally pegged as Stanley Cup contenders after finishing with a Presidents' Trophy the year prior, but it seems they just couldn't escape the curse.

The disappointing end to the season resulted in Peter Laviolette being fired, and before that, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman tore the Rangers to shreds as their languid performance arguably deserved it.

Friedman believes the players are disheartened, and toxicity is raging rampant throughout the locker room.

Peter Laviolette was unable to rescue the season despite multiple trades occurring, replacing players on the blue line and the forward core.

The Rangers were unable to rescue themselves from the throes of failure, as the blame has to be shared across all avenues in the Rangers organization.

That includes GM Chris Drury, who built the team as it is, while the players who lost their Captain early in the season were a deathblow to the morale in the locker room.

Friedman argues that the team at this point is broken and unable to be fixed, and Laviolette was unable to win due to structural issues.

At this point, it's difficult to disagree, considering how many of the Rangers' moves this year were puzzling, considering Kaapo Kakko excelled in Seattle, while Ryan Lindgren is now in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The team has no identity, the locker room is broken, and players across the board have regressed. It's time for a major set of moves to course-correct.