2025-26 New York Rangers End-of-Season Award Winners – The Hockey Writers – New York Rangers

The 2025-26 season was a massive disappointment for the New York Rangers. A team that had hopes of getting back to the playoffs finished 30th in the NHL and will now have the third-best odds to win the first-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The Rangers like to give out certain awards to players as the season comes to an end. So, in this piece, we are going to create our own awards and give them out to certain players based on the season they had.

Best Overall Player: Mika Zibanejad

There was no doubt going into this season that the player who had the most to prove was Mika Zibanejad. He was coming off two seasons in which his offense took a decline, and his overall game looked like it was deteriorating. A majority of the fanbase wanted him gone, but he is committed to the Rangers, and he proved that this season. Throughout all the ups and downs of the season, the one player you could count on every game was Zibanejad. He played at a high level all season long, and even when the season was a lost cause, he didn’t let that ruin his play.

He scored 34 goals and registered 78 points in 81 games for his best offensive season since 2022-23 and proved all of his doubters wrong. Zibanejad showed he could still play at a high level on both sides of the puck, and someone many wanted gone less than a year ago is now someone the team should look to keep around as a veteran leader as the retool continues.

Breakout Player: Alexis Lafreniere

While many will argue that Alexis Lafreniere had his breakout season a few years ago, what he did this season might be more impressive because unlike a few seasons ago, he did not have Artemi Panarin on his line for most of the season. When Panarin was traded away, it seemed like an opportunity opened up for Lafreniere to show what he could really do, and he took the ball and ran with it. He was the Rangers’ best player since the Winter Olympic break, and he finally showed some flashes of what he did two seasons ago when many thought he finally took that next step in his career.

In a season that started off very slowly offensively, he finished with 24 goals and 57 points in 82 games to match his point total from two seasons ago when he was playing on the best line in the NHL with Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. This season, he found new linemates with whom he clicked very well in Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault. Another player whose future was up in the air showed this season that he can be part of the solution in New York if he can continue to play this way. The next step for him is to see if he can play this way when the games matter most.

Most Disappointing Player: J.T. Miller

It’s no shock that this season’s most disappointing player was first-year captain J.T. Miller. After coming over from the Vancouver Canucks late last season, he played well to end the season, scoring 13 goals and recording 35 points in 32 games . This season, he was named captain, and it seemed from that point on, the season went downhill for him and the team. He was injured in training camp, and his play looked like he never fully recovered from that injury.

Due to other injuries he sustained this season, Miller only played 68 games, scoring 17 goals and recording 53 points. That’s a far cry from the 100-plus point player he was two seasons ago in Vancouver. It also didn’t help that it looked like Miller didn’t care half the time he was on the ice. He likely has the worst body language of any player in the league, and as a captain, it’s inexcusable. Miller is going to be back next season, and everyone is hoping that he can be at least some of the player he was two years ago. If he isn’t, the next four years of his contract are going to be rough.

Best Moment of The Year: Igor Shesterkin Gets Into a Goalie Fight

The best moment of the season was one no one was expecting to happen. In the last meeting of the season between the Rangers and the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden (MSG), a Devils’ player collided with Igor Shesterkin in his crease and Shesterkin gave a punch with his blocker in return. Devils’ goalie Jacob Markstrom saw this and came all the way down the ice. He got into Shesterkin’s face and started taking off his glove and blocker; before you knew it, it was fight night at the Garden.

Shesterkin and Markstrom got into the third goalie fight of the 2025-26 season, and it was electric. It started out pretty even, but Shesterkin landed a few rights in a row and was able to bring Markstrom down to the ice. It was the most fired-up the MSG crowd has had all season, and it got players on both sides more excited. While this season was disappointing for both teams in different ways, it’s safe to say that this fight is at the top of the list for both teams when it comes to best moments of the season.

Overall, the Rangers are looking to put this season behind them and move forward with a more positive mindset for the future. While this season was mostly negative, there were some good players and moments that came out of it. Fans are hoping that the bright spots of this season continue to be bright spots going forward as the team looks to navigate their retooling period.