Rangers End Season On High Note, But Uncertainty Around The Team's Future Still Remains

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers ended the 2025-26 season with a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

With one game remaining of the season and not much to play for, Mike Sullivan decided to give Dylan Garand another look to close out the year.

It was Garand’s first start since he played on March 27 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The 23-year-old goaltender put on a strong display, making 29 saves on 31 shots, en route to his second NHL victory.

“I thought he was solid again,” Sullivan said of Garand. “He swallows a lot of pucks. What really impressed me was his rebound control. I thought he did a great job swallowing pucks. There were whistles and faceoffs, and it just settles everything down when the goaltender has that type of rebound control, and he certainly had it tonight.”

This start comes just a couple of days after Jonathan Quick announced he would be retiring at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, leaving the backup goaltending job vacant for next season.

Since being called up from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League on March 20, Garand has gotten a little taste of NHL action.

Garand is well-positioned to replace Quick, and this recent stint with the Rangers has certainly helped his case.

“A lot,” Garand said when asked how much this taste will push him moving forward. “I never want to go back to the American League, honestly. I'm so hungry to be here. I want to be in this league and a part of this organization. There's nothing else like it. It's the best league in the world, so yeah, it's been a great taste. I’m definitely going in the summer very motivated to be back here.”

Tye Kartye had arguably his best performance as a Ranger, recording two goals, one assist, and three points.

The Rangers took a flyer on Kartye when claiming him off waivers on Feb. 27, and that move has certainly paid dividends.

The 24-year-old forward became a staple middle-six forward through the latter half of the season.

In 24 games with the Blueshirts, Kartye posted five goals, nine assists, and 14 points, while averaging 14:04 minutes.

“I thought Tye fit in from Day 1 that we acquired him,” Sullivan said. “I thought our hockey operations did a great job identifying him as a player that could potentially fit into the way we're trying to play, and he certainly has. He skates well, he helps us on the penalty kill. As far as his point production or goal production since he's been here, it has been a pleasant surprise. He's got some offense to him. He certainly showed that in his time here as a New York Ranger.”

The Rangers finished the season with a 34-29-9 record and 77 points, sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference standings.

For the second consecutive year, the Rangers have missed the playoffs and are now embarking on “retooling” the roster, which Chris Drury detailed in his letter to fans on Jan. 16, outlining the team’s direction.

It’s been a season filled with disappointment, uncertainty, and frustration.

The future of the Rangers and exactly what this retool will entail moving forward remains somewhat of a mystery, and something Drury, Sullivan, and company will have to navigate through in the coming months.

“They’re mixed right now,” Sullivan said about his emotions. “Obviously, we’re not in the position that we had hoped to be in or where we want to be. From that standpoint, we’re all disappointed, and we all have to take ownership for it, myself included. There'll be a process that we'll go through to try to figure out how we can do a better job in the positions that we're in, in order to try to put this team in a better position moving forward.”