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What Rangers fans expect in 2025-26: player prediction poll
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- What Rangers fans expect in 2025-26: player prediction poll
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Recently, Forever Blueshirts launched a daily fan poll series on social media to get an idea about what New York Rangers fans expect from some of the organization's top players heading into the 2025-26 season.
In the dead of the offseason, where there isn't much breaking news, the polls give a fun way to gauge what Rangers fans are thinking — who they believe will bounce back, break out, or take a step back.
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Over the course of five days, Rangers fans voted on point projections for Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafreniere, Will Cuylle, and Adam fox.
Related: Former Rangers forward lands 2-year contract in Switzerland
Rangers fans set their expectations
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Despite entering last season with a loaded roster and coming off a Presidents' Trophy, the Rangers missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs entirely. Panarin followed up a career best 120-point season by failing to crack 90 for the first time in a full season with the Rangers, excluding the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. Zibanejad never found his rhythm, and Lafreniere struggled to produce consistently after what many hoped was a breakout 2023-24 season. Even Fox had a down year according to his standards.
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The front office responded by relieving Peter Laviolette of his duties , and replaced him by hiring veteran head coach Mike Sullivan . They also made a splash by signing free agent Vladislav Gavrikov to help stabilize the Rangers top defensive pair.
With all of that in mind, each player included in the voting is coming off a season he'd probably like to forget (minus Cuylle), and the fans are expecting more across the board in 2025-26.
Artemi Panarin: 80-90 Points
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After putting up a career-best 120 points in 2023-24, Panarin took a noticeable step back last season. He led the Rangers with 37 goals and 89 points, but it was a sharp dip from his elite production the season prior. His expected goals also fell from 30.6 to 25.4, per MoneyPuck.com , and his power-play production dropped as well.
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In Forever Blueshirts' fan poll , most voters expect a solid bounce back. The most popular vote was 80-90 points (43.2 percent), followed by 91-100 (33.6 percent). Just 12.7 percent of fans believe Panarin will crack the 100-point mark again, and only 10.5 percent expect him to score fewer than 80 points.
It's clear the expectations have been recalibrated. Panarin's 120-point campaign now looks like a positive outlier — not because a decline in the 33-year-old forward's game, rather the team around him hasn't maintained the same offensive firepower. Even if his individual skill stays elite, Panarin may not have the same opportunity to put up three-figure numbers.
Related: Igor Shesterkin enters 2025-26 season with $92 million worth of expectations from Rangers
Mika Zibanejad: 60-69 Points
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Zibanejad's production dipped again in 2024-25, marking his third straight season with declining point totals. After putting up an NHL career-high 91 points in 2022-23, he recorded 62 last season — his lowest output in a full 82-games season since 2017-18. The biggest concern lies in his overall impact, especially at even strength. Despite eating up similar minutes, Zibanejad scored just 20 goals, his lowest point total with the Rangers since 2016-17, his first season on Broadway.
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Fan expectations have adjusted accordingly. In Forever Blueshirts' poll , the most common projection was 60-69 points (37.2 percent), followed by 70-79 (24.8 percent). Only 14.5 percent of voters believe he'll bounce back with an 80+ point season, and 23.5 percent expect him to fall below the 60-point threshold. It's clear fans still believe in Zibanejad's ability to contribute, but not necessarily at the same level.
At 32, Zibanejad still brings value as a two-way center and power-play threat, but the elite scoring that once defined his game may be in the rearview mirror. He also has the ability to shift over to the wing, a move the Rangers very well may utilize next season after he had success there playing alongside J.T. Miller.
Alexis Lafreniere: 60+ Points
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After a breakout 2023-24 season when he posted career highs across the board, Lafreniere wasn't able to take the next step in 2024-25. Despite suiting up in all 82 games and playing on the top line alongside Panarin and Vincent Trocheck most of the season, his production dipped to 17 goals and 45 points — down from 28 goals and 57 points just one season prior.
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His expected goals fell from 26.9 to just 17, his shooting percentage dropped to a career-low 11.1 percent, and his power-play presence remained limited … all bad signs.
In our fan poll , voters expectations were fairly optimistic. So, 38.2 percent projected Lafreniere to finish with 60 or more points, and 36.1 percent expect between 50-59 points. Either way, it's clear fans believe he will produce a better showing than last season, perhaps achieving new career highs along the way.
Related: Vincent Trocheck viewed as most likely to slot in at 3C on Rangers roster: poll
Will Cuylle: 50-59 Points
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Though the Rangers collectively underwhelmed in 2024-25, Cuylle put together his best NHL season yet. The 22-year-old winger emerged as one of New York's lone bright spots, finishing with 20 goals and 45 points.
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Cuylle more than doubled his point total from the year prior and saw his expected goals spike from 13.6 to 22.9. His ice time climbed significantly — from around 11 minutes a game to just above 15. And he set a Rangers record with 301 hits, tied for third most in the League .
Fan votes seem to reflect more optimism. In Forever Blueshirts' poll , 43.5 percent of voters projected a 50-59 point season for Cuylle, while another 37 percent expected him to land in the 40-49 range. Only 10.4 percent of fans think he'll regress below 40, a sign that Cuylle's campaign didn't go unrecognized amid all the chaos of last season.
Adam Fox: 60-69 Points
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Even in what most might call a "down" season, Fox still produced like one of the best defensemen in hockey. He tallied 61 points in 74 games, ranking ninth among NHL defensemen in scoring and tied for sixth with 51 assists. It marked the fifth straight season Fox cracked the top 10 in scoring at his position, making him one of just two blueliners — along with Cale Makar — to do so in every season since 2020-21.
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He recorded 72 points in 2022-23 and followed that up with 73 in 2023-24, before seeing a dip this past season. But considering the overall struggles of the Rangers, 61 points from Fox is far from a letdown.
His defensive play remains elite, despite a poor showing at the 4 Nations Face-Off . With a full season alongside Vladislav Gavrikov, there's reason to believe Fox can climb back toward that 70-point threshold.
In the fan poll poll, 41.6 percent of voters predicted Fox will finish between 60-69 points this season. Trailing slightly behind at 39 percent is the belief he'll hit 70 or more. Just 19.5 percent project him to finish under 60 points, and a small but optimistic 19.1 percent believe Fox will break 80.
A season to prove something for Rangers
If there's one theme that connects most every player in this poll series, it's redemption. Nearly every core player on the Rangers roster is coming off a down year — whether it was a dip in production, inconsistency, or just not living up to expectations.
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With a new coach behind the bench and a reshaped blue line, 2025-26 is shaping up to be a make-or-break season. Fans aren't expecting perfection, but they are expecting major improvement. From Panarin to Zibanejad to Lafreniere, this team is loaded with talent — now it's about showing it when it matters.
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