Rangers go from Presidents’ to peasants in all-time collapse

The past three seasons and the expectations the Rangers came into the 2024-25 campaign with are a major part of what’s made this season such a disappointment.

How did the Blueshirts team that sat atop the Metropolitan Division for 24 straight weeks on the way to winning the Presidents’ Trophy and an Eastern Conference Final finish drop to 22nd in the NHL and miss the playoffs the next season?

“You can’t just show up and expect it to go the same way it did last year,” Vincent Trocheck said after the Rangers’ 7-3 loss to the Hurricanes. “We earned it last year. We certainly didn’t earn it this year.”

The Rangers became the second team in franchise history and just the fourth team in NHL history to have endured such a catastrophic fall from grace.

Logan Stankoven knocks down Adam Fox during the Rangers’ 7-3 loss to the Hurricanes on April 12, 2025.

The 1991-92/1992-93 Blueshirts were the first to do it, but fans should cling to the fact that they went on to win the Stanley Cup the subsequent season in 1994.

Of course, that is the last time the Rangers hoisted Lord Stanley down the Canyon of Heroes.

Also on that list are the 2006-07/2007-08 Buffalo Sabres and the 2013-14/2014-15 Boston Bruins.

Peter Laviolette walks off the ice after the Rangers’ loss to the Hurricanes which eliminated them from playoff contention.

“I don’t think it was a ‘want’ issue,” head coach Peter Laviolette said, referring to the defensive mistakes that have plagued the Rangers all season. “It’s putting two guys on the puck or three guys on one man, so there are coverage breakdowns, for sure. We’re leaving it right in front of our net with just the player the goaltender and that cost us tonight.

“That’s what’s brutal about tonight, we ended up working our way back into a game, but we just gave up too much.”

The Rangers stuck with the same lineup that posted the club’s highest goal total since March 17, 2021, but they were still eliminated.

That meant rookies Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann were healthy scratches once again, with the former sitting out a third straight game and the latter sitting out for the second contest in a row.

“It was more we needed a centerman,” Laviolette said of his decision to scratch Othmann in particular. “If we were going to move Jonny [Brodzinski] up the lineup [to the first line with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck], we would only have three centermen down the middle.

“So [Juuso Parssinen] has been a natural centerman for us, he’s been waiting to play and played a pretty good game. Came in and got three points, so good for him.”

Recalled at the end of February, Othmann played in 20 of the Rangers first 21 games with him on the roster. After serving as a healthy scratch against the Flames on March 18, Othmann wasn’t taken out again until Thursday’s 9-2 win over the Islanders.

The 22-year-old is still searching for his first NHL goal 20 games into his career.

“He’s had some games where he’s been really noticeable,” Laviolette said of Othmann. “He’s a good young player. Again, it’s decisions based on the lineup. On what positions need to be filled. Can’t go in with three centermen, so I need a fourth centerman.”

Igor Shesterkin gave up five goals on 26 shots in the Rangers’ loss Saturday.