Rangers Youngsters Shine Amid Eighth Straight Home Defeat

There’s no sugarcoating it: the New York Rangers are in the thick of one of their most tumultuous stretches in recent memory. Wednesday night’s 8-4 defeat at the hands of the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden was more than just another tally in the loss column—it was a microcosm of a season spinning off its axis, yet, amidst the gloom, there were flashes of hope, especially from the team’s youngest talents.

Let’s set the scene. The Rangers, once the toast of the NHL after clinching the Presidents’ Trophy in 2024, now find themselves at the bottom of the Eastern Conference as of January 14, 2026. With only two wins in their last ten outings and a five-game losing streak, the Blueshirts have been reeling, and Wednesday’s loss to Ottawa was their 17th in the last 22 games at home. The Garden faithful made their feelings clear, booing the home side off the ice after a dismal first period that saw the Senators notch four goals—the first time Ottawa has managed such a feat at MSG in their 33-season history.

But even in defeat, there was something for Rangers fans to cling to. Gabe Perreault, the 20-year-old winger drafted 23rd overall in 2023, delivered his first multi-goal NHL game, notching the second and third goals of his young career. Playing alongside Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller—a line combination head coach Mike Sullivan turned to in hopes of sparking some offense—Perreault showed precisely the kind of skill and poise the organization envisioned when they signed him to an entry-level deal last spring.

Perreault’s first tally came courtesy of a long breakout pass from goaltender Spencer Martin. After a slick give-and-go with Miller in the Ottawa zone, Perreault tucked the puck past Senators netminder Leevi Meriläinen. His second goal, late in the third period, was a gritty effort—he took a pass from Zibanejad on a 2-on-1, veered toward the crease, and managed to score while tripping over Meriläinen. That’s the kind of determination that turns heads, even in a lopsided loss.

“A little bit,” Perreault admitted when asked if the scoring outburst from the young forwards was encouraging. “I mean, like I said, it’s obviously tough right now. Things aren’t going well. But we gotta find a way to get through this and get a win.”

It’s not just Perreault making waves. Rookie center Noah Laba, centering the third line, scored his sixth goal of the season—the first since returning from an upper-body injury sustained on December 31. Laba’s resilience, bouncing back from a hard hit by Tom Wilson and a three-game absence, was another bright spot for a team in desperate need of positives.

Coach Sullivan, who was brought in with high hopes after his two Stanley Cup wins with Pittsburgh, has been searching for answers. Before the Ottawa game, he’d been reluctant to split up the productive Artemi Panarin-Zibanejad duo, but with the Vincent Trocheck-Miller combo struggling, he shook things up. “I thought the line played well from the time we made the switch,” Sullivan said of the new Perreault line. “…I just thought given the way the start of the game was that I needed to try to effect some positive change.”

Yet, the defensive woes continued. Jonathan Quick, the veteran netminder, was left exposed by repeated breakdowns in front of him, allowing six goals on 17 shots before being relieved by Spencer Martin midway through the second period. Quick wasn’t solely to blame, as the Rangers’ defensive coverage faltered time and again, giving the Senators’ top line—led by Brady Tkachuk, who scored his 200th regular-season NHL goal and added three assists—ample room to operate. Tkachuk assisted on Drake Batherson’s power-play goal just over two minutes in and helped set up Dylan Cozens’ tally with under six seconds left in the first period. Nick Jensen and Tkachuk himself rounded out a first-period blitz that left the Garden in stunned silence.

On the other end, Meriläinen, making his ninth straight start for Ottawa, turned aside 18 shots. He allowed goals to Perreault (twice), Laba, and Alexis Lafrenière, but the outcome was never truly in doubt after the Senators’ early onslaught.

As the losses pile up, the organization has been forced to confront reality. On January 16, Rangers general manager Chris Drury issued a candid letter to fans, announcing the club’s intention to “retool” ahead of the trade deadline. “With our position in the standings and injuries to key players this season, we must be honest and realistic about our situation,” Drury wrote. “We are not going to stand pat—a shift will give us the ability to be smart and opportunistic as we retool the team. This will not be a rebuild. This will be a retool around our core players and prospects. We will target players, draft picks, and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward. That may mean saying goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years.”

The message is clear: changes are coming. The Rangers’ struggles have been compounded by injuries to star goaltender Igor Shesterkin and defenseman Adam Fox, both sidelined as the team’s playoff hopes have faded. Reports indicate that leading scorer Artemi Panarin may not be offered a contract extension, making him a potential trade chip. Meanwhile, Fox, Zibanejad, and captain J.T. Miller all have full no-move clauses, leaving Drury with limited flexibility as he seeks to reshape the roster.

Panarin, for his part, has continued to produce, extending his assist streak to eight games as of January 14, with 13 points (including two goals) during that span. Zibanejad, too, has kept his foot on the gas, running his point streak to seven games. But individual success has been overshadowed by the team’s collective struggles—and the grim reality of a season that’s gone off the rails.

It’s a far cry from the optimism that surrounded the franchise just two years ago. After capturing the Presidents’ Trophy in 2024, the Rangers became only the fourth team in NHL history to miss the playoffs the following season. The hiring of Sullivan was supposed to steady the ship, but the 2025-26 campaign has instead been marked by inconsistency, injuries, and now, a looming roster overhaul.

“No one in the organization is happy with what has transpired—from management to coaches to players,” Drury acknowledged. “Over the last few years, we’ve had some successes and moments to cherish, but ultimately it was not the end goal.”

For all the pain of this season, the emergence of players like Perreault and Laba offers a glimmer of hope. The future may be uncertain, and the present undeniably tough, but the Rangers’ youth movement is beginning to show signs of life. As the trade deadline approaches and the front office plots its next move, the spotlight will remain fixed on these young talents—each shift, each goal, a small step toward brighter days ahead at Madison Square Garden.