It was nothing short of a completely disappointing 2025-26 campaign for the New York Rangers, who not only failed to claim a playoff berth for the second straight year, but also came nowhere close to attaining it while also trading away their best forward for peanuts in return.
The Rangers, who traded forward Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings in early February after informing him that he would not be offered a new contract, are now officially in offseason mode while the Stanley Cup Playoffs are being played.
Adding insult to injury was having to watch multiple teams from their own division qualify, with two of whom that have already advanced, the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers.
In the meantime, there have been repeated calls by frustrated Rangers fans for a major change at the executive level. There has been a change, though likely not the one that Rangers fans had in mind.
The New York Rangers Have Made A Change At The Executive Level
According to a report from Vince Z. Mercogliano, a Rangers beat writer from The Athletic, the Rangers have parted ways with Jed Ortmeyer, their now-former director of player development.
Ortmeyer, who played for the Rangers during his NHL career, had been in the role since 2017.
He was never drafted into the NHL, but spent three years playing for the Rangers, as well as stints with the San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators, and Minnesota Wild.
In 345 career NHL games, he tallied 22 goals with 33 assists while also accumulating 161 penalty minutes.
GM Chris Drury Penned A Letter To The Fans In January
Amidst their home struggles and precarious position in the standings in January, general manager Chris Drury penned a letter to the fans explaining that difficult decisions were ahead for the team.
In part, the statement read:
“With our position in the standings and injuries to key players this season, we must be honest and realistic about our situation. We are not going to stand pat – a shift will give us the ability to be smart and opportunistic as we retool the team. This will not be a rebuild. This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects. We will target players that bring tenacity, skill, speed, and a winning pedigree with a focus on obtaining young players, draft picks, and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward. That may mean saying goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years. These players represented the Rangers with pride and class and will always be a part of our family.
As we start on this new strategic plan, we will continue to play hard with pride and passion for our fans. We appreciate your unwavering support for the Rangers more than we can describe and thank you for all that you do for our organization. You will begin to see some of our plans come to light in the coming weeks and months. LGR”
New York Rangers Announce Executive Change After Missing Playoffs