Rangers Miss Playoffs, Eye Draft Lottery & Rebuild

0:00On March 26, the New York Rangers are the first team in the Eastern Conference to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs this season. They got knocked out after a 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. Vancouver holds that unwanted spot league wide from Sunday. Expectations were high after they hired two-time cut-winning coach Mike Sullivan, and signed defenseman Vladislav Gavirkov in the offseason. But a rough start sank them with multiple home shutouts early on, and just three wins, five losses, and two ties in their first 10 games. The team never recovered, prompting General Manager Chris Jury to call it a re-tool rather than a rebuild back in January. He traded key players like Artemis Panorin, Carson Sussi, and others before the deadline to reshape the roster. Now the focus shifts to the draft lottery on May 5th, where High Pick could help. Jury may shop veterans such as Vincent Trocheck, Mika Zivenehad, or Alexis Lafernier this summer, while pushing prospects like Gay Paroel and Liam Greentree toward the big leagues.

1:04With young talent in the pipeline and some cat flexibility, the Rangers are betting on this re-tool to get them competitive again soon. I'm Cory with the story, and you've been listening to NHL News today, AI-powered team coverage.