How the Rangers’ 2024-25 Season Fell Apart
The 2024-25 New York Rangers were supposed to be chasing the Stanley Cup, not staring down the end of an era. Fresh off two trips to the Eastern Conference Final in three years and having just won the Presidents’ Trophy, they returned nearly the entire core and opened the season like a team ready to finish the job. At 12-4-1, everything pointed toward another deep run.
The 2024-25 New York Rangers were supposed to be chasing the Stanley Cup, not staring down the end of an era. Fresh off two trips to the Eastern Conference Final in three years and having just won the Presidents’ Trophy, they returned nearly the entire core and opened the season like a team ready to finish the job. At 12-4-1, everything pointed toward another deep run.
The Rangers started the 2024-25 campaign 12-4-1. After two losses on the West Coast road trip, against the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, general manager (GM) Chris Drury sent a memo to the other 31 GMs saying that certain players, namely Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider, were available.
After a 25-24-5 start to the 2017-18 season, on Feb. 8, 2018, Gorton and team president Glen Sather sent out a letter to the fanbase. In their letter, they announced that the Rangers were beginning a rebuild focused on acquiring young, skilled, and character-driven players. They acknowledged the team’s past successes since 2005 but emphasized that the ultimate goal of winning a Stanley Cup had not been met. While warning that familiar players might be moved, they promised transparency and reaffirmed their commitment to building a future contender.
