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

The 2025-26 season was a huge disappointment for the New York Rangers. The team hoping to return to the playoffs finished 30th in the NHL and will now have three chances to win the first pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The Rangers like to give players some awards as the season ends. So, in this piece, we’re going to create our own rewards and give them to certain players based on the season they had.

Best Player of All: Mika Zibanejad

There was no doubt going into this season that the most proven player was Mika Zibanejad. He was coming off two seasons where his offense was down, and his overall game looked like it was going downhill. Most of the fans wanted him to leave, but he is committed to Rangers, and he has shown that this season. Through 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, and even when the season was lost, he didn’t let that ruin his performance.

He scored 34 goals and registered 78 points in 81 games in his sensational season from 2022-2023 and proved all his doubters wrong. Zibanejad has shown that he can still play at a high level on both sides of the puck, and the person they wanted before the end of the year is now the person the team needs to look for to remain there as a veteran leader as the game progresses.

Breakout Player: Alexis Lafreniere

While many would argue that Alexis Lafreniere had his breakout season a few years ago, what he did this season may be even more exciting because unlike the past few seasons, he didn’t have Artemi Panarin in his lineup for most of the season. When Panarin was traded, there seemed to be an opportunity for Lafreniere to show what he could really do, and he took the ball and ran with it. He has been the Rangers’ best player since the Winter Olympic break, and has finally shown flashes of what he did two seasons ago when many thought he had finally taken that next step in his career.

In a season that got off to a slow start offensively, he finished with 24 goals and 57 points in 82 games to match his point totals from the previous two seasons while playing on the NHL’s top line with Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. This season, he found new teammates who clicked really well in Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault. Another player whose future was up in the air has shown this season that he can be part of the solution in New York if he continues to play like this. The next step for him is to see if he can play like this when the games are so important.

Most Disappointing Player: JT Miller

It’s no surprise that the most disappointing player this season is first-year captain JT Miller. After being traded to the Vancouver Canucks late last season, he played well to finish the season, scoring 13 goals and recording 35 points in 32 games. This season, he was appointed as the captain, and it has been seen since then, the season went down 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 another injury this season, Miller played only 68 games, scoring 17 goals and recording 53 points. That’s a far cry from the 100-point player he was the past two seasons in Vancouver. It also didn’t help that it looked like Miller didn’t care about half the time on the ice. He probably has the worst physique of any player in the league, and as a captain, there’s no reason to. Miller will be back next season, and everyone hopes he can be one of the players he was two years ago. If not, the next four years of his contract will be difficult.

Best Moment of the Year: Igor Shesterkin Enters the Goaltending Battle

The best moment of the season was unexpected. In the last game 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 peak and Shesterkin punched his blocker. Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom saw this and came down the ice. He got in Shesterkin’s face and started taking off his glove and blocker; before you know it, it was battle night in the Field.

Shesterkin and Markstrom entered the third scoring battle of the 2025-26 season, and it was electric. It started well, but Shesterkin landed a few rights in a row and was able to take Markstrom down on the ice. It was the most angriest incident the MSG crowd has had all season, and it made players on both sides very happy. Although this season has been disappointing for both teams in different ways, it can be said that this battle is at the top of the list for both teams when it comes to the best moments of the season.

Overall, the Rangers are looking to put this season behind them and move forward with a positive mindset for the future. Although this season was mostly bad, there were some good players and moments that came out of it. Fans are hoping that the bright spots of this season will continue to shine going forward as the team looks to navigate its rebuilding season.