ROCK BOTTOM?

BY MIKE RIFKIN

The Mets lost 2-1 in 10 innings on Sunday, marking the Mets eleventh straight loss as they finished a road trip 0-6 against the Dodgers and Cubs. Every little mistake the Mets have made, has wound up coming up costing them in a big way, and Sunday and old friend beat them. Michael Conforto hit a game tying RBI double in the bottom of the ninth off of Devin Williams. The Mets offense has been a massive issue during this stretch, they are averaging 1.70 runs per game. They’re hitting an even .200 with 17 extra base hits, a .537 OPS and a .145 average with runners in scoring position. It’s still April but it’s getting late early in the season. 

Point the finger at whoever you want. Steve Cohen, Carlos Mendoza, the players, or David Stearns. The problem is the answer is they’re all at fault, and as much as we want to say Juan Soto will help and he will, we can’t think he’s the savior despite being paid like it. I’ll say this I was on board with some of David Stearns’ decisions this past winter. I was on board with moving off of Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo, despite both getting off to good starts with their new teams. I was not a fan of letting Pete Alonso walk, and I think the Mets right now are feeling that weakness right now. They miss Alonso’s power, as they are tied with the Tigers and Marlins with 15 homers, only the Giants and Red Sox have fewer. And say what you want about his defense, but Mark Vientos and Brett Baty haven’t exactly been awesome defensively. Jorge Polanco hit the IL on Saturday with a Wrist issue. 

David Sterans was able to convince Cohen that changes were necessary after last season’s collapse, and the truth is the Mets probably did need to make some changes after last season. But the goal in the offseason was to get better, but right now the Mets are going through the motions and just not coming up clutch. They’re lucky it’s April, but continue to play this way and Citi Field will be a ghost town this summer and that’s the last thing Steve Cohen wants, especially with a work stoppage looming in 2027.

CHERRY ON TOP

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Thursday was another tough day if you’re a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Thursday was locker room cleanout day, which meant for the final time this season Leafs players and coaches spoke to the media. For the first time since getting injured against the Ducks, Captain Auston Matthews spoke and said a lot of interesting things. 

The most interesting thing Matthews said was that he couldn’t “predict his future.” Matthews was speaking for the fact that the Leafs still need to hire a new GM, and that GM has to decide between retooling the Leafs or rebuilding the Leafs. But if you’re a Leaf fan, you were hoping Matthews would say he wanted to continue to be a Leaf. After winning Gold with Team USA during the Olympics, Matthews did take some heat in Toronto, which may or may not also affect his decision. 

Now to the GM part, which was literally the cherry on top of Thursday, the Leafs top candidate to become their next GM, Sunny Mehta was hired to become the GM of the New Jersey Devils. Keith Pelley, the man in charge of finding the next GM of the Leafs gave a press conference two weeks ago, which was not good (more on that here https://thesportsinsanitynetwork.com/2026/04/04/swallowing-pride ) But something that Pelley and people keep mentioning is this retool vs rebuild situation, which will most likely dictate Matthews’ future. Now while nobody in Toronto will want to hear this it’s clear to me this is more of a rebuild situation. Yes, everyone is pointing to the situation in Boston and Washington to show how the Bruins and Caps were able to retool quickly. But the difference between those two teams is simple they had cornerstone pieces and players ready to take over. Boston had David Pastrnak, Jeremy Swayman, Charlie Mcavoy. All of them are cornerstone pieces. Washington drafted very well and you’re seeing the benefits of players like Ryan Leonard and Connor McMichael. But because the Leafs have been in situations where they’ve gone all in they don’t have those kinds of pieces waiting in the wings. 

We don’t know how this situation will play out, but if you’re a Leaf fan Thursday was not a good day. And that might mean that it might be a tougher summer than anticipated, because whoever the next GM is they cannot be a yes man, they have to be willing to tell Pelley what they truly think otherwise you just continue what has gone on in the last decade.

GARBAGE

BY MIKE RIFKIN

One thing about the NBA and Stanley Cup Playoffs that separated them from MLB and NFL was at least in the first round you’d get to listen to your local broadcast do the games. Well, the NBA decided against that. The NBA playoffs begin on Saturday and they just released the schedule and on Saturday there will be four games played, three of them on Amazon Prime. So if you’re a fan of the Raptors, Cavs, Timberwolves, Nuggets, Hawks or Knicks you better have Prime. 

Knicks announcer Mike Breen said during Sunday’s final game of the season : “ first time ever the entire playoffs exclusive to National TV… Poor decision fans want to hear their home team’s announcers, at least in the first round… Part of the family, I get networks pay a fortune… but fans deserve to be thrown a bone, this is our final telecast of the season.” Breen is absolutely correct the fans deserve to be thrown a bone. Now, look this isn’t just a crusade against the NBA, I hate the fact that you have to have three streaming services to watch the NFL too. 

Fans pay to watch and attend these games (which is also a fortune), and what do they get in return? And for the NBA of all the leagues to do this, while we can clearly see that they have teams tank is absurd. Fans develop a relationship with their local broadcasters, it’s bad enough they only get to hear them for the first round, but now fans have to pay a streaming service in order to watch their team in the playoffs is wrong. The NBA signed a 11 year 19.8 Billion dollar deal with Amazon Prime and a 76 billion dollar deal with Peacock (at least some of those games are on tv). 

When will a Super Bowl or NBA Finals be streamed? Yes, this is the way the world is going at the moment, but the fact that hard working people who want to open a beer and watch the playoffs, can’t unless they have these services is a bunch of nonsense. Once again if these leagues truly cared about their fans, they’d give them something, instead they don’t care about the fans, they just care about their money.

OFFENSIVE TO WATCH

BY MIKE RIFKIN

For the second consecutive day, and for the third time in four games the Mets were shutout. They lost 4-0 to the LA Dodgers. If you look at the Dodgers’ pitching staff you could understand if Ohtani or Yamamoto, the two pitchers the Mets will face over the next two games shut them down, but on Monday it was Justin Wrobleski. Wrobleski threw eight innings and gave up two hits, the Mets as a team had three (all singles) and struck out two. Entering Monday the Mets had a team slash line of .236/.305/.353. And in Monday’s lineup had two hitters hitting over .300 (Alvarez and Robert) the next closest is Mark Vientos at .244. This offense has been up and down to start the season, but without Juan Soto the holes in the lineup are glaring. 

The Mets went through a lot of changes in the offseason and felt the need to cutdown on strikeouts and get more athletic. While, they might be better defensively, right now that doesn’t matter if you cannot score runs. Now, you can’t make the playoffs in April, but you can miss the playoffs in April, and the Mets with their payroll cannot miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season. So, how do the Mets get some offense, well how about a shakeup in the lineup. Let’s use some of what Stearns did this offseason to the Mets advantage. 

Francisco Lindor has been dreadful to start the season, how about taking him out of the leadoff spot for now and try to get him a little more confidence. The Mets had four players in Monday’s lineup including Lindor hitting under .200. 

NEW LINEUP (WITHOUT SOTO) : BICHETTE, POLANCO, LINDOR ROBERT, VIENTOS, ALVAREZ, SEMIEN, PHAM/BATY/TAYLOR, BENGE. 

I’m not saying the new lineup would work, but getting shutout in three of four games is absolutely pathetic. With the next two games being against Yamamoto and Ohtani, try and shake things up, because if this isn’t rock bottom, I’d hate to see what actual rock bottom looks like (if the Mets could even hit that).

THE CONTENDERS ARE LINING UP

BY MARK HALPERN

     The Masters, Golf’s Super Bowl is being played this weekend in Augusta. Some years the field is very tight and it comes down to the wire. This year has had some exciting moments and a new crop of golfers some expected some surprising on the standings.

     Right now, if the Masters was to stop and a winner was dawned the Green Jacket, we would be putting it in on Rory Mcllroy who is currently the leader with a -12 and a comfortable 6 stroke lead. A lead like this is not only is a tribute to the golfer himself but almost a slam dunk guarantee, but in this sport it’s not the first day or the last day that will kill you. Black Saturday, The Third Day which a lot of golfers have their worst rounds on this day. Weather always plays a factor but it is going to be a nice 65 degrees and sunny with some wind. This is ideal conditions for golfers just starting out for professional it’s a gift from the golf gods. I want Rory win not only because he is one of my favorite golfers, not because I picked him to win and not because he has a 6 stoke lead. Rory won the Grand Slam last year (winning all 4 major golf tournaments) but I want to continue to see his dominating ways. 

     Even a six-stroke lead can be cut in half after a bad day but, hopefully Rory can keep the yips and the other golfers away.

2027 NFL Mock draft 1.0 (no trades)

BY Mike Rifkin

  1. RAIDERS – FERNANDO MENDOZA- QB – INDIANA – The Heisman trophy winner going first overall has been a long gone conclusion for sometime. What Mendoza brought to the Hoosiers in 2025 is what Raider fans hope he can bring to them for a long time.
  1. JETS – DAVID BAILEY – EDGE – TEXAS TECH – The Jets were at the bottom of the league in sacks last season. While they’ve spent the better part of free agency rebuilding the defense, they need a definitive pass rusher, in comes Bailey to solve that.
  1. CARDINALS – FRANCIS MAUIGOA – OT –  MIAMI – Personally this is the perfect trade down scenario for a team that could use the picks. But the Cardinals, who will eventually need a QB wind up building the foundation for said QB, with Mauigoa at right tackle.
  1. TITANS – JEREMIYAH LOVE – RB – NOTRE DAME – The draft for the Titans needs to be how can we help Cam Ward. What better way than to give him a do it all running back. Love brings size and speed, and along with Tony Pollard the Titans could have a nice running back duo. 
  1. GIANTS – CARNELL TATE – WR – OHIO ST – Like the Titans, the Giants draft needs to be all about helping Jaxson Dart. Darnell Mooney signed a one year deal with the Giants, but drafting Tate to go across from Malik Nabers could be a deadly combo in New York. 
  1. BROWNS – SPENCER FANO – OT – UTAH – When the Browns were at there best a few seasons ago it started with the offensive line. Now they’ve revamped the line through free agency and add Fano, who was outstanding at Utah. 
  1. COMMANDERS – CALEB DOWNS – S – OHIO ST – The Commanders defense really struggled last season, finishing last in yards allowed per game. Downs is a do it all safety, he can help in both the run game and pass game. Dan Quinn might be all in on a safety similar to Earl Thomas, who he had in Seattle. 
  1. SAINTS – SONNY STYLES – LB – OHIO ST – The Saints youth movement is on full display (years too late if you ask me) but Styles can replace longtime vet Demario Davis. Styles is a great playmaking Linebacker.
  1. CHIEFS – RUEBEN BAIN JR . – EDGE – MIAMI – The Chiefs will not be picking this high again, so they need to get this right. Putting Bain opposite George Karaloftis would be a dynamic duo with Chris Jones in the middle. 
  1.  BENGALS – JERMOD MCCOY – CB – TENNESSEE – McCoy is all the way back from his torn ACL. In 2024  McCoy was All- SEC first team. His wingspan is slightly longer than Mansoor Delane, which is why he goes right before him. 
  1.  DOLPHINS – MANSOOR DELANE – CB – LSU – The Dolphins lost their entire secondary in free agency. Delane is coming off a phenomenal season at LSU and gives the Dolphins a true number one Corner. 
  1. COWBOYS –  DILLON THIENEMAN – S – OREGON – The run on defensive backs continue as the Cowboys add a versatile safety to a defense that needs help.
  1. RAMS – MAKAI LEMON – WR – USC – LA was in on Mike Evans during free agency, instead they grab a homegrown kid to pair with Davante Adams and Puka Nacua for an all in season. 
  1.  RAVENS – OLAIVAVEGA IOANE – OT – PENN ST – With Tyler Linderbaum leaving the Ravens need some work on the O-line. Ioane didn’t give up a sack his last two seasons at Penn ST.
  1.  BUCS – JORDON TYSON  – WR – ARIZONA ST. – Mike Evans departed for San Francisco. Even with Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka, Tyson will give Baker Mayfield a big target that could replace the future Hall of Famer. 
  1.  JETS – OMAR COOPER JR. – WR – INDIANA – Cooper was awesome this season for the Hoosiers with 937 yards and 13 touchdowns. He will give Geno Smith another weapon opposite Garrett Wilson.
  1. LIONS – MONROE FREELING -OT – GEORGIA – Detroit needs to revamp the line after the retirement of Taylor Decker. Well how about a 6 foot seven 315 pound Bulldog to put on the line. Freeling could play either side with Penei Sewell. 
  1. VIKINGS – EMMANUEL MCNEIL-WARREN – S – TOLEDO – In three seasons at Toledo Warren had five interceptions. He also could be the guy to replace Harrison Smith, who we don’t know will return.
  1. PANTHERS – KENYON SADIQ – TE – OREGON – What a perfect friend for Bryce Young. Sadiq had a phenomenal season with the Ducks and can give the Panthers offense another weapon for defenses to worry about.
  1. COWBOYS – AKHEEM MESIDOR – EDGE – MIAMI- One of the older players in the draft, but a guy who can make the Cowboys edge position much deeper. 
  1. STEELERS – TY SIMPSON – QB – ALABAMA – Hand up I am not a Simpson fan (well I do like the show), but the Steelers need to think about life after Aaron Rodgers. And a QB competition between Will Howard and Mason Rudolph doesn’t excite me. 
  1. CHARGERS – BLAKE MILLER – OT CLEMSON – Miller started for four years at Clemson. The Chargers offensive line had a bunch of injuries last season, so now they add some depth. 
  1. EAGLES – KADYN PROCTOR – OT – ALABAMA – Proctor had some inconsistencies at Bama. But going to Philly should be a blessing learning from future Hall of Famer Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson.
  1. BROWNS – KC CONCEPCION – WR – TEXAS A&M – A really good receiver, who can also help in the return game. Concepcion averaged 15 yards a reception last season and can add some juice to a Brown offense that has some youth on it.
  1. BEARS CALEB LOMU – OT – UTAH – The Bears continue to surround Caleb Williams with talent along the line. Lomu is still a work in progress, but there’s a ton of upside. 
  1. BILLS – DENZEL BOSTON – WR – WASHINGTON – At some point the Bills will crack through right? Well even though they added DJ Moore, Boston gives them some size and after Mr. Pegula’s comments about Keon Coleman this could be the pick.
  1. 49ERS – MAX IHENANCHOR – OT – ARIZONA ST – This is the 49er insurance policy on Trent Williams, and even if Williams is back he would be a great teacher for Ihenacnhor, who started playing at 13. 
  1. TEXANS – CJ ALLEN – LB – GEORGIA – Azeez Al – Shaair is entering the final year of his deal, and Allen could be a solid replacement. Allen would really benefit in Demeco Ryans’ system.
  1. CHIEFS COLTON HOOD – CB – TENNESSEE- Hood will go into a secondary that lost a lot of talent. But he has big experience stepping up for McCoy who went earlier in the first round. 
  1.  DOLPHINS – TJ PARKER – EDGE CLEMSON – Parker at times can be dominant. Putting him opposite Chop Robinson can give the Dolphins a dynamic duo.
  1. PATS – KEYLAN RUTLEDGE – OT – GEORGIA TECH – Did anyone watch the Super Bowl? The Pats work on the line here with Rutledge to help preserve Drake Maye.
  1. SEAHAWKS – AVIEON TERRELL – CB – CLEMSON – Riq Woolen left in free agency, so Terrell will replace him. Terrell has great instincts.

Swallowing Pride

BY Mike Rifkin

For the first time in a decade the Toronto Maple Leafs will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With the failure of a season the Leafs have had there are always consequences, and those have already begun. Monday night the Leafs fired GM Brad Treliving, who was with the team just shy of three seasons. Now I do have two questions on the timing of the dismissal of Treliving. First, why not let him just finish the season? Is there harm in doing that, it’s not like the team is going anywhere and it’s not like the fanbase didn’t see it coming. The other question is this, if you knew you were going to fire him, why did you let him run the trade deadline? Asset management over the last two trade deadlines should be a reason Treliving is gone. 

Treliving’s firing is a microcosm of what is wrong with the Maple Leafs as a whole. They have mangled what could’ve been a golden era for the franchise, who hasn’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967. After the firing of Treliving the Leafs would be going to their third GM since 2018. The Leafs have won a grand total of two playoff series over the last decade, now we can say it’s coaching or it’s roster management, but at what point is it on the players?

When Keith Pelley, CEO of MLSE spoke earlier this week he claimed that he envisions a “retool” as opposed to a rebuild because the Leafs already have “foundational pieces” in place. There are two foundational pieces the Leafs have in Auston Matthews and William Nylander, but outside of those two who else? Matthew Knies has eight less goals than he did last season (also a -23), Easton Cowan is 20, and still trying to find it, and can you really rely on John Tavares at age 36 to put up big numbers? Their blue line has also had issues, Chris Tanev is out for the season after core muscle surgery, he’s 36. Morgan Rielly is 32 and is not having a good season, Jake McCabe is also 32 and is having a decent season. Oliver Ekman-Larsson has probably been their best defenseman and he is 34. Here’s my point: how many of these guys would you classify as “foundational pieces”? 

Now, back to why Treliving was let go, his asset management over the last two trade deadlines was brutal. Last trade deadline he acquired Defenseman Brandon Carlo from the rival Boston Bruins in exchange for Fraser Minten and a conditional first round pick (top five protected this year). Minten, is 21 years old and has 17 goals and  34 points for the Bruins this season, while playing in a bottom six role, oh and if the Leafs wind up with pick 6-16 that pick goes to Boston. Then there’s the Scott Laughton deals. The Leafs acquired Laughton from the Flyers for prospect Nikita Grebenkin and a 2027 first round pick (top 10 protected). Grebenkin has four goals and 14 points in 55 games for Philly. But the Leafs then flipped Laughton at this deadline to the LA Kings for a conditional third round pick, the condition being if LA makes the playoffs it becomes a second round pick. But here’s a really bad scenario for the Leafs, if they wind up with their own first round pick this year, meaning it’s in the top five, the first round pick going to Boston is in 2027 and is unprotected, and the 2028 first round pick goes to Philly also unprotected. Toronto made other deals as well : Bobby McMann to the Kraken and Nic Roy to the Avalanche all in exchange for draft capital. Now because the Leafs have given up so much over the years they have one of the worst farm systems in the NHL, which leads to a tough decision.

This past summer the Leafs lost Mitch Marner, and because they mishandled the situation they were lucky to get Nic Roy from Vegas. Now is the time whoever becomes the GM of the Leafs goes to Auston Matthews and ask where he wants to go in a trade. Yes, that’s going to be tough for Leafs fans to swallow, but at the end of the day it’s the right call for a few reasons. You cannot let Matthews, who has two years on his current deal to do what they did with Marner. Another factor is that a lot of big names who were going to be on the Free agency market have re-signed with their clubs. Matthews would’ve had a market regardless, but now there could be a lot more teams wanting his services. Another reason to move Matthews would be the division. Keith Pelley may not have seen the Sabres or Canadiens coming, but others did. Also Boston and Tampa aren’t going anywhere, oh and the two time defending champs are going to be back next year, as they were so banged up this season. 

No matter who the President or GM are, I don’t think you can fix all of these issues in one summer. Keith Pelley is going to have to swallow his pride and allow whoever he hires to do what he thinks is best. And listen if they decide to move Matthews, and Nylander decides he didn’t sign up for it, trade him too. These guys won a grand total of two playoff series, and fell on their faces more times than not. From the core four to rock bottom. 

MORE THOUGHTS ON THE SITUATION HERE : 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxQEYpA6kuQ

THIS TIGER’S STRIPES HAVE CHANGED

BY MARK HALPERN

Tiger Woods won’t be driving any golf ball or automobiles for the time being. For the second time in a decade Eldrid “Tiger” Woods flipped his car while driving home heavily impaired by opioid pain medication that, was not only found on his person but also in his system. Woods, who was once the pinnacle of the sport, now has the sport wanting to be distanced from him. But has the sport passed him by?

     Woods the holder of 82 individual wins including Masters, U.S and British Open Championships, Ryder Cup wins and PGA Championship. Woods entered the Tour in late 1996 and winning two tournaments (One being The Las Vegas Classic). He took the sport by storm in 1997 at 21 years old, a feat that has yet to be broken. Woods, did for golf what Jordan did for Basketball and that was revive the sport. The Sport has been played since its first recorded match in 1553 (Yes over 5 centuries and I am not old enough to remember it) Golf has had many ambassadors such as Bobby Jones, Walter Hagan, Sam Snead, Jack Nickalus, Arnold Palmer (Such a great drink) and more recent Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and of Course Woods. Woods didn’t just change Golf, he changed sports as a whole. Woods, was something to watch at his young age hitting fairway after fairway and then effortless shots to put him with in his own length for a putt. Woods in his prime already was the best and if you were paired up with him it should have been an honor. Woods hasn’t won a major since the 2019 Masters, and at times has struggled to make the cut. 

    Over the past decade Woods has had several surgeries and unfortunately got hooked on the “Pain Killer” Vicodin AKA Hydrocodone. For People who suffer severe pain from everything from arthritis to bone breaks this classification of drugs has been shunned because of how easy it is to become addicted to the medicine and very hard to get away from it. Some other Major athletes have gotten hooked on this medicine. According to NHLPA, hockey is the sport that this drug is most provided for. This shocked me as I thought it would be the NFL but, you learn thing you wish you didn’t by doing some research. 

     Woods will be taking a very long “Sabbatical” from the sport to get himself clean. The area for concern is what effect is this going to do for his children, including his son who is already got heads turning at his young age of 17 (2 years shy of when his dad broke in) and with his last name he will hear the mummers. This will be hard on the Woods family (just like it is for any Family with a member with this addiction) to recover from financially and I say this “IN MY OWN OPINION.” For Tiger Woods now a days it is legacy, face and signature that was bringing in the money. There has been no news of Woods’ three biggest sponsors Nike and Upper Deck Authenticated and Rolex about them cutting ties or even have him take a break from them as no sponsor wants to see one of their top names be severely tarnished and look bad by splitting instead of helping.

     Tiger Woods needs to forget about what he has done and now needs to what he needs to do and that’s be a father to his kids. Charlie, we know will be making the tour sooner than later and it would be great to have someone like his father to be there for him for the support that his sone and family will be giving him now. Tiger Woods captivated us with his play and to watch this fall is really sad. Hopefully Tiger can get himself right, but his Golf career is probably done.

ROLL OF THE DICE

BY MIKE RIFKIN

One thing about the Vegas Golden Knights since they’ve come into the NHL, they’re not afraid of the big move. On Sunday, they made another massive move, firing head coach Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with John Tortorella. Here’s the thing there are EIGHT  games left in the season and the Golden Knights currently sit in third place in the Pacific division.

Cassidy went 178-99-43 in almost four full seasons as the Golden Knights head coach, and led the team to their first  and only Stanley Cup Championship in 2022-23. Tortorella has coached 23 seasons with the Lightning, Rangers, Canucks, Blue Jackets, and Flyers, winning the Cup with the Lightning in 2004. Tortorella most recently was an assistant coach on the United States Gold Medal winning team at the Olympics, where he coached Vegas players Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin. Tortorella’s contract with the Golden Knights is for the final eight games of the season. 

Vegas has struggled after the Olympic break, and with the roster the have it’s shocking to some. But they have a real problem in their goaltending. Just ask the Edmonton Oilers, if you can outscore mistakes. Vegas has played four goalies this season (Akira Schmid, Carter Hart, Adin Hill, Carl Lindbom) and all of them have a save percentage under .900. And only one of them has a GAA under three (Schmid 2.59). But the Golden Knights could’ve had their goaltending situation handled had they had patience. 

At the 2024 draft the Golden Knights traded Goalie Logan Thompson to the Capitals for two third round picks (2024,2025). Thompson, wanted the opportunity to start somewhere and didn’t think it’d be in Vegas. Over the span of four seasons in Vegas, Thompson was 56-32-11 with a 2.67 GAA and a .912 save percentage. Since the move to DC, Thompson has a 57-26-12 record with a 2.45 GAA and the same .912 save percentage. Thompson has become one of the best goalies in the NHL, and I am sure the Golden Knights regret that move.

Here is the other thing about a coaching change this late in the season, how will players respond? We know what John Tortorella will want from his players, how quickly can he establish a system? Vegas has always done things their own way since coming into the league, but this right here is a massive roll of the dice.

DRU IT UP : A GUIDE FOR THE 2026 RANGERS OFFSEASON

BY MIKE RIFKIN

With the Rangers 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, the Rangers will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season. We can look at a lot of reasons that the Blueshirts will miss the playoffs again, but the focus now shifts towards the 2026-27 season. 

While James Dolan can support Chris Drury on radio, but when MSG is chanting for Drury’s job something has to give. If Drury was to come back (and he will) the Rangers will need another guy in the front office. So the first thing this offseason is to hire a President of Hockey Operations. Two names I would watch for are Doug Armstrong in St. Louis and (maybe) Steve Yzerman if the Red Wings decide to move on. 

One thing that Drury and company do have going for them is that they have draft capital. The Rangers will have seven picks in the first three rounds of the 2026 draft ( two firsts, one second and four thirds). So the Rangers will have ammunition to move around the draft or add to their roster or prospect pool. 

The first thing for whoever could come in has to identify what is the core and and building blocks of this team. So here’s how I would identify the core of the New York Rangers entering the summer.

  • IGOR SHESTERKIN – Let’s get the easy one out of the way, Shesterkin is still one of the best goalies in the NHL. Shesterkin this season is 22-16-6 with a 2.59 GAA and .911 save percentage and let’s be honest the season really fell apart when he got hurt. 
  • ADAM FOX – His comments based on the letter not withstanding, Fox NEEDS to be a part of the solution. Number one defensemen don’t grow on trees and Fox is a number one defenseman. Fox is one of the best offensive defensemen in the league and based on what Cale Makar is about to make Fox at 9.5 million is kind of a bargain. Mike Sullivan and Chris Drury’s top priority this summer would be to mend this relationship.
  • MIKA ZIBANEJAD – Weird to say a 33 year old (Zibanejad turns 33 in April) as part of the future, but Zibanejad has had an excellent season with 30 goals. Zibanejad is still so important to Special Teams as well, but most important he has a no movement clause, so he has a say in whatever happens to him. But for now he is a part of the team going forward. 
  • ALEXIS LAFRENIERE – Alright let’s talk about the biggest lightning rod on the team. Has Lafreniere turned into an elite point collector? No, but his 200 foot game has improved, and consider this he’s getting top six minutes on his natural side and his line with Zibanejad and Gabe Perrault (more on him in below) the Blue shirts have a top two line going into next season. Also Lafreniers is still 25 years old, not worth giving up on in my opinion.
  • GABE PERRAULT – Another former first round pick, Perrault is showcasing his talents on broadway and now getting consistent playing time. He has generated great chemistry on his line and continues to get better game by game. 
  • WILL CUYLLE – 24 years old and the true definition of a power forward, Cuylle has 16 goals, a year after hitting the 20 goal mark. Cuylle is a really good player in your top nine. 
  • VLAD GAVRIKOV – He was brought in to be the perfect partner for Fox and he was when Fox was healthy. But what Gavrikov has given this team offensively has been a bonus, he’s a solid, steady defenseman for the Blue Shirts.

HONORABLE MENTION  : NOAH LABA – Laba has had a nice rookie season, he’s contributed 21 points and he’s played well on the PK, so maybe he fits as a third line center, but he’s still very young in his career. 

At the trade deadline this season the Rangers dangled Center Vincent Trocheck, and didn’t get what they wanted and so Trocheck stayed on for the remainder of the season. Trocheck is signed through 2029-30 at a reasonable 5.625 million dollars. Trocheck has a modified no trade clause, so it should be easier to move him over JT Miller or Mika Zibanejad, who have full no movement clauses. But if it were up to me I would explore a Miller trade over Trocheck. The problems facing Drury would be he’d be conceding a loss on what he gave up for Miller, to only give him a year and then move him would be a tough look. The other player rumored to potentially be moved at the deadline was defenseman Braden Schneider. Schneider will be 25 in September and is a restricted free agent. Schneider put up a career high in goals and points last season, but has seen his offense take a hit, which is fine because Schneider is more of a stay at home, physical defenseman. If Schneider is willing to take another bridge deal (1-2 years) then you can make the move, otherwise you may want to see how other teams view him. 

The unrestricted free agent class that was so hyped up, should not be the way of the Rangers’ focus this offseason. All of the major UFA’S have re-signed with their current teams. But the pool of Restricted free agents is deep (restricted – any offer to the player, his current team could match). There are a few players that should interest the Rangers, Jason Robertson (STARS), Cole Prefetti (JETS), Jordan Spence (SENS), Pavel Mintyukov (DUCKS) are a few players to keep an eye on.  

The other thing the Rangers could look at is the trade market and with the draft capital they have they could make a splashy trade. Some players to watch : Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou (Blues), Shane Wright (Kraken),  PIPE DREAM : AUSTON MATTHEWS (LEAFS) 

The Rangers two years ago were two wins away from appearing in the Stanley Cup Final, now they’re sitting at the bottom of the standings with nowhere to go but up. The biggest decision of the offseason isn’t adding or subtracting players, it’s determining if this is a retool or a rebuild. If they stay true to the letter, they’ll have to be aggressive. The problem is the fans can’t trust the guy making the decisions and that within itself is a bad situation to be in.