New York Rangers fan guide to 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs: who, what to root for

It’s in New York’s best interest to root for a deep postseason run from the Kings — as improbable as that might be.

The Rangers received a conditional 2026 third-round pick from Los Angeles in the Panarin trade, which upgrades to a second-rounder if the Kings advance past the first round. New York would receive an additional fourth-round pick in 2028 if Los Angeles reaches the Western Conference Final this postseason.

Recent history isn’t on their side. The Kings dropped four straight first-round series from 2022 to 2025, each one coming at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers. They’ll dodge the Oilers this time around, but a matchup against a League-leading Avalanche squad (119 points) offers little consolation.

Then again, things worked out just fine the last time Panarin battled the League’s best team in the opening round. In the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, his Columbus Blue Jackets — coached by Tortorella — stunned the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning in a four-game sweep. Panarin notched six points (two goals, four assists), including an empty-netter in the series-clinching Game 4.

2. Anaheim Ducks — Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba, Frank Vatrano

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The Anaheim Ducks are the only playoff team with three former Rangers on the active roster. Chris Kreider reunited with Frank Vatrano and former Blueshirts captain Jacob Trouba last offseason, when general manager Chris Drury dealt the franchise’s all-time playoff goals leader (48) for forward prospect Carey Terrance and a 2025 third-round pick.

Healthy again, Kreider tallied 22 goals and 50 points in 74 games during his first season with the Ducks. Now comes familiar territory for the 14-year NHL veteran. Kreider has a history of postseason success, though it will be hard to top his heroics in 2024, when he booked New York’s ticket to the Eastern Conference Final with a third-period natural hat trick in Game 6 of the second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Vatrano returns to the playoffs for the first time since 2022, when he joined the Rangers midseason in a trade. He was instrumental in New York’s run to the Eastern Conference Final, notching five goals and 13 points on a line with Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.

Trouba’s legacy with Blueshirts fans is muddied after an unceremonious exit during the 2024-25 season, but the Garden faithful will likely be drawn to a couple of fan-favorites in Kreider and Vatrano.

3. Buffalo Sabres — Sam Carrick

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It’s hard to root against a Buffalo Sabres team that finally made the postseason for the first time since 2011.

Buffalo snapped a 14-year playoff drought — the longest in NHL history — and did so emphatically, clinching first place in the Atlantic Division with 109 points (50-23-9). They’ll face the better of the two Eastern Conference wild-card teams with a first-round matchup against the Boston Bruins.

Unfortunately, they’ll take on Boston without former Rangers center Sam Carrick, who Buffalo acquired for a third and six-round pick in 2026 ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Carrick sustained an upper-body injury during a fight with New York Islanders captain Anders Lee on March 31.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff confirmed Thursday that Carrick will miss the opening-round series against the Bruins. Still, Rangers fans might find themselves pulling for Buffalo’s feel-good story — especially if it means Carrick can return later in the postseason.

4. Minnesota Wild — Mats Zuccarello, Vladimir Tarasenko

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It’s no secret that Mats Zuccarello endeared himself to Blueshirts fans during a nine-year tenure in New York. A three-time Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award winner, as voted by the fans, Zuccarello will always hold a special place in the hearts of the Garden faithful.

Even after missing the first 15 games of 2025-26 with a lower-body injury, Zuccarello finished with at least 50 points for the fifth consecutive season. The 38-year-old nearly managed a point-per-game pace, recording 54 points (15 goals, 39 assists) in 59 games.

He’s joined by another veteran forward in Vladimir Tarasenko, who spent 31 games with the Rangers in 2022-23 and scored three goals in a first-round loss to the New Jersey Devils that postseason. Minnesota has home-ice advantage for an opening-round matchup with the Dallas Stars.

5. Vegas Golden Knights — John Tortorella, Brett Howden, Reilly Smith

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The Vegas Golden Knights won the Pacific Division with 95 points (39-26-17), three fewer than the Flyers (98 points), who had the fewest points among Eastern Conference playoff teams.

But there may not be a more interesting storyline than the one surrounding Tortorella, who took over as Vegas’ interim coach with eight games left in 2025-26, replacing a fired Stanley-Cup winning coach in Bruce Cassidy. The Golden Knights finished the season 7-0-1 under their new bench boss, setting up a first-round matchup against the Utah Mammoth.

Tortorella briefly coached the Rangers for four games during the 1999-00 season, and took over again from 2008-13, when his fiery persona made him one of the more memorable figures in Rangers history. New York reached the postseason three times under Tortorella, including the memorable run to the 2012 Eastern Conference Final, when they lost in six games to the New Jersey Devils.

Former Rangers forwards Brett Howden and Reilly Smith will both suit up for Vegas after helping the Golden Knights to their first Stanley Cup title in 2023. Howden played his first three NHL seasons in New York after coming over from Tampa Bay as part of the trade return for Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller. Smith spent a half-season with the Rangers before being dealt back to Vegas ahead the 2025 trade deadline.

6. Pittsburgh Penguins — Dan Muse, Kevin Hayes

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In his first season as an NHL head coach, Muse guided the Pittsburgh Penguins to 98 points (41-25-16), fueled by strong efforts from veterans Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson, as well as a 35-point campaign from 18-year-old rookie Ben Kindel.

The Penguins are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2022, and they’ll look to add another chapter to a storied rivalry with the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round.

Muse served as an assistant for two seasons under Rangers coach Peter Laviolette from 2023 to 2025, helping New York win the Presidents’ Trophy in 2023-24 with a team-record 55 wins and 114 points (55-23-4).

Muse replaced current Rangers coach Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh last offseason. Sullivan told reporters Friday at Rangers breakup day that he’s “really happy” for his former team, and that the players he coached there “mean the world to me.”

Pittsburgh’s roster includes Kevin Hayes, who spent his first five NHL seasons with the Blueshirts, totaling 216 points over 361 games. Hayes may not factor heavily into the Penguins’ playoff outlook after being a frequent healthy scratch this season, though Crosby raved about his impact within the locker room.

7. Tampa Bay Lightning — Ryan McDonagh

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The Tampa Bay Lightning secured their ninth straight playoff berth, finishing second in the Atlantic with 106 points (50-26-6). Tampa Bay has appeared in 12 of the last 13 postseasons, a stretch that dates back to the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Star winger Nikita Kucherov put himself in the running for his second career Hart Trophy, ranking second in the League with 130 points (44 goals, 86 points). The Lightning blue line includes former Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh, who returned to Tampa Bay in 2023-24 after a brief two-year stint with the Nashville Predators.

McDonagh is chasing a third Stanley Cup championship after hoisting the Trophy with Tampa in 2020 and 2021 — but don’t expect many Rangers fans to back a Lightning franchise that knocked New York out in the conference final in both 2015 and 2022.

8. Carolina Hurricanes — K’Andre Miller

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K’Andre Miller flourished in his first season with the Carolina Hurricanes. The former Rangers defenseman posted 37 points (eight goals, 29 assists) — six shy of his career-high in 2022-23 — and strong defensive metrics on a Carolina team that led the Eastern Conference with 113 points (53-22-7).

With Miller entering the 2025 offseason as a restricted free agent, New York traded the former first-round pick (No. 22 overall 2018) to Carolina for defender Scott Morrow and two draft picks. Morrow played just 29 games with the Rangers in 2025-26, recording six assists and a minus-five rating.

Miller, meanwhile, will try to push the Hurricanes to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2006. He played a part in extending their Cup drought, when New York eliminated Carolina in the second round in both 2022 and 2024 during his five-year tenure with the Rangers.

9. Montreal Canadiens — Martin St. Louis

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The Montreal Canadiens finished 2025-26 third in the Atlantic with 106 points (48-24-10), their highest total in St. Louis’ four seasons as head coach. After a Hall of Fame career with the Lightning and Rangers, St. Louis earned his first playoff appearance as a coach last season — though it ended swiftly, when the Canadiens fell in five games to the Washington Capitals.

The undrafted 5-foot-8 forward produced a handful of memorable playoff moments in two seasons with the Rangers, including a 15-point postseason (eight goals, seven assists) at age 38 during New York’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014.

Facing elimination against Pittsburgh in the second round, St. Louis opened the scoring in Game 6 on Mother’s Day — just days after his mother’s death. Two weeks later, St. Louis picked the corner for the overtime winner in Game 4 of the conference final against Montreal, nine seasons before becoming the Canadiens coach.

10. Edmonton Oilers – Kris Knoblauch, Jack Roslovic, Ty Emberson

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Knoblauch led the Edmonton Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances since taking over for coach Jay Woodcroft in November 2023, falling to the Florida Panthers both times. Florida missed the playoffs this season, but Edmonton will try to lift the Cup for the first time since 1990.

Knoblauch spent four seasons in the Rangers organization as coach of their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, leading the Hartford Wolf Pack to a 112-87-31 record and a playoff appearance in 2022-23 — their first since 2014-15.

Connor McDavid headlines Edmonton after locking up his sixth Art Ross trophy in 11 NHL seasons, racking up 138 points (48 goals, 90 assists) in 82 games. But the Oilers roster also includes two former Rangers — forward Jack Roslovic and defeseman Ty Emberson.

Roslovic played 19 games for the Blueshirts as a trade deadline acquisition in 2023-24, recording three goals and eight points. Emberson never officially played for the Rangers in the NHL, though he was briefly in the organization as part of the trade return for defenseman Patrick Nemeth. New York waived Emberson in September 2023, and he was subsequently claimed by the San Jose Sharks.

Both are projected to appear in Edmonton’s lineup this postseason.

11. Dallas Stars – Colin Blackwell, Nils Lundkvist

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The Dallas Stars have the least prominent connection to the Rangers, but the ties are present nonetheless.

Right-handed defenseman Nils Lundqvist slots into Dallas’ second pair alongside Thomas Harley, and posted 11 points (three goals, eight assists) and a plus-12 rating in 53 games this season. New York drafted the Sweden native No. 28 overall in 2018, though he only played 25 games with the team before being dealt to the Stars for two conditional picks in September 2022.

Colin Blackwell recorded four goals and 11 points in 70 games for Dallas in 2025-26, primarily in a fourth-line role. The journeyman enjoyed his best season in 2020-21 with the Rangers, tallying a career-high 12 goals and 22 points in 47 games.

The Stars reached the Western Conference Final in each of the past three seasons under Pete DeBoer, and seek another lengthy postseason run in 2026, this time with coach Glen Gulutzan at the helm.

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