Brad Penner-Imagn Images
If there is a bottom, it is safe to say that New York Rangers achieved it after their 2-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.
A day before this cruel loss, the Rangers traded Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Liam Greentree and a conditional third and fourth round draft pick.
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The loss of Panarin was inevitable, but it still weighed heavily on the Rangers players.
“He’s a generational talent on the ice and I had the chance to play with him,” Vincent Trocheck said of Panarin. “I imagine him having fun all the time, dancing in the locker room, dancing on the ice.”
This game comes about 24 hours after Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury vaguely attempted to explain his vision for roster rearrangement, but ultimately raised more concerns given his confusing and contradictory plan for the franchise.
The game couldn’t have gone worse for a Blueshirts team clearly struggling with mental demons.
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The Hurricanes outscored the Rangers 43-16, a testament to Carolina’s complete control of the contest.
“We were dominated all night,” JT Miller said. “It wasn’t good enough. I wanted to go into the break feeling good about myself, but it’s the complete opposite right now. It sucks.”
The atmosphere within the team after the match says a lot about their current situation. Mike Sullivan looked as defeated as he has throughout his tumultuous tenure with the Rangers.
Sullivan, usually patient and even-tempered, spoke in a demoralized tone, his patience seeming to be wearing thin.
The aftermath of the Artemi Panarin trade and where the Rangers go from here
The aftermath of the Artemi Panarin trade and where the Rangers go from here The consequences of a life without Artemi Panarin for New York Rangers has officially started.
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The Rangers haven’t won a home game in regulation since November 24 and have just two wins since their Winter c=Classic triumph on January 2.
“This is a unique circumstance. It’s honestly unfamiliar to all of us,” Sullivan said. “We can only control what is in our power, and that is the game in front of us. We have to take a certain approach that gives us the opportunity to grow and improve, and find some fulfillment through that process, even if we are in a difficult situation.”
Heading into the Olympic break, the Rangers sit in last place in the Eastern Conference standings, 19 points behind the second wild card spot.
The Olympic break will allow the Rangers to reset and refresh their minds, but it will only delay the inevitable, in which the Blueshirts continue to shuffle the roster and lose games to close out the 2025-26 season.
