Mike Sullivan is entering a unique situation with the New York Rangers. 
In 2024, the Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final.
However, times have changed for the Bleushirts, as the team dealt with internal problems throughout the 2024-25 season, while their play faltered dramatically compared to the previous year.
The Rangers ultimately missed the playoffs and fired head coach Peter Laviolette, replacing him with Mike Sullivan.
Sullivan faces the tall task of turning the Rangers back into Stanley Cup contenders. He admitted that there are challenges moving into the 2025-26 campaign.
“I know what our challenge is and that's part of the conversation I've had with some of the players throughout the course of this offseason,” Sullivan said via Dan Rosen of NHL.com. “When you look at the roster on paper it's a very talented group. There is, I think, the makings of being a real competitive team.”
The 57-year-old coach didn’t specify what those challenges are, so what exactly did he mean?
Clearly, the Rangers have a boat load of talent, but this past season, the heart and cohesiveness as a unit was not prevalent.
It takes us back to what Sullivan said during the day of his introductory press conference with the Rangers, hinting at what the team’s biggest issues were.
“My message … is that talent alone doesn’t win. You’ve got to become a team. You can’t score your way to championships. You’ve got to be able to defend and keep it out of your net,” Sullivan after his introductory press conference. “If you’re committed and you value those things, then you give yourself a chance.”
Sullivan’s job is not only to put a good product out on the ice, but also to create a strong culture within the organization, something the Rangers were lacking last year.
Now, we’ll have to see if Sullivan is up for the challenge.
