The New York Rangers are struggling right now, caught up in a tough three-game losing streak that’s exposing some of the bigger problems within the team. The skid kicked off with a 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild, losing their fourth straight home game to start the season. Then came more frustration after a chaotic 6-5 overtime loss to the previously winless San Jose Sharks. The lowest point, however, came on October 26 in a 5-1 drubbing by the bottom dwelling Calgary Flames, who entered the game on an eight-game losing streak. It’s impossible to cite a single reason, though some would argue it begins at the top.

This alarming pattern has not gone unnoticed, and criticism is flowing from all corners. On X, well-known hockey journalist Stan Fischler took aim at the team and its leadership, saying, “How does a @NYRangers team not ‘wake up’ vs. the NHL’s 2 worst teams, @Sharks @NHLFlames? Is #MikeSullivan a better coach than #Laviolette? So far, NO! Worse, perhaps. 5 goals past PiggyIggy; #FatsLafreniere still invisible. Still, alibis will flow like wine; but will taste sour.”

After a disappointing season where the Rangers failed to make the playoffs, despite winning the President’s Trophy the year before, coach Peter Laviolette had to go. But despite bringing in Mike Sullivan, their offensive and defensive problems from last year have seemingly carried over. Igor Shesterkin underperformed at Calgary, Vincent Trochek is still out injured and so is Matt Rempe, while the defense has faltered even with Sullivan’s ability to squeeze out the most from his blueliners.

Following the loss to Calgary, the coach was straightforward, saying, “We’re not at our best right now, and we’ve got to find a way to dig our way out of it. I just think it starts with effort and just attention to detail on the defensive side. I thought for a lot of this year, we had done a real good job at controlling the defensive side of the puck and limiting not only quality of chances but quantity of chances. I thought tonight, the types of mistakes we made, they’re egregious, they’re really hard to recover from, and we gave them some pretty good looks as a result.”

Captain J.T. Miller further pointed out the issue of slow starts: “They were more ready to play than we were, and I don’t want to make this bigger than it is, but in the last couple of games we were getting outplayed in the first period of the game. There’s no excuses to come out flat. It [stinks]. This is not fun right now and we need to correct the starts.”

The promise of a Sullivan-led resurgence is being tested, and the coach must now find a way to translate his system from the whiteboard to consistent, winning performances on the ice, or the scrutiny will only intensify. However, shortly after joining the Rangers, Sullivan shared some valuable advice with younger coaches based on his own experiences.

Sharing his experience before leading the New York Rangers

Many fans were caught off guard when Mike Sullivan decided to move away from the Pittsburgh Penguins. After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, along with setting a franchise record for regular-season (409) and postseason wins (44), it’s surprising how just three seasons of playoff disappointments turned him into an outcast, especially with two years still left on his contract. Right after joining the New York Rangers, Sullivan opened up about his thoughts aimed at his teammates and his younger self.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Be patient and to make sure that you have a certain resilience and a resolve about you because this game is going to challenge you. It’s not easy. There’s only one team that’s happy every year at the end of the season and the coaching profession is going to challenge you in so many ways. There are certain things that you can control. There are a lot of things you can’t,” he shared his thoughts on the entire coaching scene in the NHL.

Sullivan also mentioned, “Sometimes I think as young coaches and I did this myself, we focus a lot on the things that we can’t control and I think that’s the evolution of the coach…is you…start to gain a clearer understanding of those things and you don’t allow those things to rent space in your brain and that would probably be my advice to my younger self.”

Sullivan hit the peak of his career in Pittsburgh, but then he got let go because his performance took a nosedive. But he bounced back quickly in New York with the biggest coaching contract in the league. What he was saying is that to really make it in the challenging world of hockey, it’s all about having that mental toughness, staying disciplined, and knowing your purpose clearly. Right now, things aren’t looking too great for him with the New York Rangers, and we’ll just have to wait and see if he can turn things around performance-wise.