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Rangers Daily: Timely painful reminder; Maple Leafs extend goalie
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- Rangers Daily: Timely painful reminder; Maple Leafs extend goalie
Danny Wild-Imagn Images Danny Wild-Imagn Images
As if the New York Rangers needed another reminder of what it's like to throw away a season full of promise and opportunity, the New York Mets just finished providing an excruciating example .
A three and a half month descent into the abyss concluded Sunday, when the Mets were shut out 4-0 by the Florida Marlins. That concluded an inconceivable nosedive of epic proportions, and resulted in the Mets failing to reach the playoffs after holding the best record in baseball in mid-June.
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No spark. Lack of fire. Inability to rally late (0-67 when trailing after eight innings). Terrible fundamentals. Finding every possible manner to lose games, instead of win them. Absolute failure to meet high expectations. Passed in the standings by a seemingly inferior team (on paper). One of the most bitterly disappointing seasons in franchise history.
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Sounds pretty darn familiar to the Rangers in 2024-25, doesn't it? Fast start after reaching conference final the previous season. Complete collapse afterward. Miss the postseason.
The parallels between the Rangers of last season and the just-concluded 2025 Mets campaign are eerily similar. Not apples to apples in comparison. But awfully close. The biggest difference likely being that the Mets didn't appear to have the organization-wide dysfunction the Rangers did. Of course, that only makes the Mets faceplant more difficult to explain.
But the point here is that the Rangers received a timely reminder before the puck drops on the 2025-26 regular season that nothing is a given in professional sports. Opportunities are fleeting and must be seized, not taken for granted.
A summer of reflection for the returning Rangers seems to have them in a better place ahead of the new season. Seeing the Mets painful collapse should help the Rangers overall resolve heading into the season, as well.
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New York Rangers news and analysis
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Coach Mike Sullivan explained why and how the Rangers coach will "manage workloads" for his top players this season .
Zac Jones isn't with the Rangers anymore, but his issues landing a regular spot in an NHL lineup continue. The defenseman was placed on waivers by the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.
The Athletic ($$): Per Peter Baugh, when he asked Mika Zibanejad if anyone from the Rangers approached the veteran forward about waiving his no-movement clause this offseason, the reply was a quick, "No."
NHL news and rumors
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NHL.com: The Toronto Maple Leafs signed goalie Anthony Stolarz to a four-year, $15 million contract extension which begins next season.
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RG: Daria Tuboltseva reports that Evgeny Kuznetsov "wants to play in the NHL" and not the KHL this season. The Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers — not that capatin Aleksander Barkov is out 7-9 months following knee surgery — reportedly are interested in signing the Stanley Cup champion.
Florida Hockey Now: With Barkov sidelined, George Richards reports that centers Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell will move up a slot in the Panthers lineup, and Evan Rodrigues will shift from top-line wing to center the third line.
Sportsnet: Vasily Podkolzin will return to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday after the forward left the team last week following his father's death.
New Jersey Hockey Now: James Nichols breaks down where the New Jersey Devils and No. 1 goalie Jacob Markstrom stand in contract extension talks, including the club's latest offer.
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Daily Faceoff: Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic sustained a lower-body injury in a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday and is day to day, though expected to be ready for the season opener next week.
Sportsnet:Eric Francis breaks down an intriguing goalie battle to be Dustin Wolf 's backup with the Calgary Flames this season.
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