At the conclusion of the 2025-26 NHL regular season, a poll was taken of the New York Rangers fan base on several topics, including trust in team president and general manager Chris Drury.

It should come as no surprise that fans weren’t happy with the work he has done. Their favorite team had just missed the playoffs for a second year in a row after setting franchise records with 55 victories and 114 regular season points during the 2023-24 campaign.

His teardown of the roster has not gone according to plan, and to quickly patch things up, he used a lot of future draft capital to upgrade a roster that finished in last place in the Eastern Conference this past season.

While credit should be given for some of the additions, as it was a shrewd move to acquire Pavel Dorofeyev from the cash-strapped Vegas Golden Knights, confidence in Drury and the front office is at an all-time low with training camp just a few weeks away.

Jan 2, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Rangers fans cheer after the 2026 Winter Classic ice hockey game against the Florida Panthers at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic (subscription required) shared NHL front office confidence rankings based on hockey fans, both in general and those specific to the team. The Rangers are in dead last with an overall grade of D- and an average score of 2.0 out of 5.0 across six categories: Roster Building, Cap Management, Draft and Develop, Trading, Free Agency and Vision.

Both the public and the fan base view New York in an incredibly negative light. The only category that wasn’t a D or D- was free agency, with both groups giving the Rangers a C- and 2.3 out of 5.

In change of confidence levels from last year, 72% of hockey fans are less confident in Drury and company running the show, with a lowly 5% being more confident. 54% of the fan base is less confident, while only 16% is more confident.

It is hard to blame anyone who voted for such a low level of confidence in this group. Taking a historically good team that pushed the Florida Panthers to six games in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals and turning it into the current product on the ice is hard to do.

New York should be better during the 2026-27 season and compete for a playoff spot given the current state of the Metropolitan Division. They have two bona fide stars to build around: goalie Igor Shesterkin and defenseman Adam Fox. However, there is a ton of work to do before they are contenders again, as they were two years ago.