Daily Report – 1/19/26
Rangers
New letter, who dis?
Remember the letter President and General Manager Chris Drury sent to Rangers fans on Friday? Well, recent events in Philadelphia might have changed his mind.
On Saturday, the Rangers mocked Drury’s letter by defeating the Flyers 6-3 to snap a five-game losing streak. One day prior, Drury had informed fans of an upcoming “retool.” He will not be rebuilding the Rangers, but many players, including Artemi Panarin, will not be returning next season.
“You have all kinds of feelings toward something like that coming out,” said Mika Zibanejad, who recorded his second hat trick of the season on Saturday and broke the franchise’s power play goal-scoring record (117). “It’s a lot of emotions, and, obviously, we have the early game today, so not a whole lot of time.
“I think 24 hours from it being posted to us playing. […] The way we responded today and the way we played was great.”
Zibanejad also tied the franchise record for hat tricks with his ninth as a Ranger. He now ranks second on the team in points (46) and goals (21), and he has recorded 17 points in eight straight games. He has also expressed his desire to remain with the Rangers for the foreseeable future, along with Igor Shesterkin, JT Miller, and Adam Fox.
When asked about Zibanejad’s hat trick, head coach Mike Sullivan replied, “I think he’s had a really good year for us. He’s played extremely well consistently on both sides of the puck. He’s a really good 200-foot player. The types of goals that he scores are goal scorers’ goals. […] He’s really committed to trying to play the game the right way, the way we’re trying to play. I think he’s personified that most of the year.”
I want to make two points about Zibanejad. First, especially after the mental lapses he experienced over the last two seasons, I am happy to see him regain his confidence. He has already exceeded his goal-scoring total from last season. As I have stated in previous reports, he is my favorite active New York Ranger.
Unfortunately, Zibanejad could not have picked a worse time to regain his confidence. It feels like it’s too little, too late for a player who was once deemed the Rangers’ best center since Mark Messier. If he had a season like this two years ago, when the Rangers went to the Conference Final, it could have changed the fate of that team.
Nevertheless, Zibanejad’s success sets a solid foundation for what the Rangers plan to become after retooling. He’s one of the “core players” around whom Drury plans to construct the Rangers’ future. Maybe Zibanejad believes in that future. Or maybe he just wants to stay in New York for his family. But at least he is performing.
Meanwhile, Saturday’s win marked the 500th of Mike Sullivan’s career. His presence is central to the Rangers’ retool, and he is “going to do everything in [his] power to try to help this team move forward” and be the “best coach that [he] can be for this organization.”
The third milestone moment of Saturday’s game was Brennan Othmann’s first career goal. It took him 34 games over three seasons, but on a cross-ice pass from Will Cuylle on an odd-man rush, the weight was lifted off his shoulders. Since his most recent call-up on January 11, the 2021 first-round pick has been skating more confidently and shooting the puck more frequently.
“Every day since I got my first call-up, you’re wondering when it’s going to go in,” Othmann said. “And then it doesn’t go in for 34 games, you’re wondering if you’re ever going to get that one.”
The Rangers gave up the first goal of the game to Travis Konecny, but 46 seconds later, they responded. One day after Artemi Panarin was told the Rangers wouldn’t be offering him a contract extension, he netted a three-point game. Skating in his 800th career game, his goal at 12:55 marked the equalizer. 21 seconds later, Zibanejad gave the Rangers the lead, and Othmann made it 3-1 59 seconds after that.
JT Miller, who assisted on two of Zibanejad’s goals, has had a difficult first season as the Rangers’ captain. He has been battling injuries since Opening Night, and his 28 points are the fourth-most on the team. It’s fair to imagine Miller feels some level of responsibility for being the leader of the worst team in the Eastern Conference.
“The last couple of days have been pretty emotional for the whole group,” Sullivan said. “To respond with an effort like they did tonight, for me, is just evidence that these guys are quality people, and they care a lot about each other and about the Rangers.”
Miller, Alexis Lafrenière, and Vincent Trocheck each recorded two assists on Saturday. They helped the Rangers score six straight goals between the first and second periods. With five-and-a-half minutes remaining in the second period, the Rangers were already leading 6-1. That helped Spencer Martin, in his first start of the season, earn his first win as a Ranger.
Everything seemed to go the Rangers’ way on Saturday. But to all Rangers fans who want Chris Drury fired, you can now add his useless letter to the growing list of complaints.
Knicks
You can call it a bad stretch. You can call it a rut. But I’m calling it reality.
Let’s face the facts: The 2025-26 Knicks are not good enough to win an NBA championship. Not right now, at least. On Saturday, they struggled through the third and fourth quarters at home against the Phoenix Suns, ultimately losing 106-99.
The Knicks rank 19th in defensive rating, and they have posted the NBA’s second-worst defensive rating this month. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games, tied for the worst record in the league in that span, and they have dropped three straight games.
Meanwhile, they sit in third place in the Eastern Conference with the ninth-highest win percentage in the NBA, and they are two games above the Play-In Tournament. Ahead of the Knicks in the Eastern Conference are the Jayson Tatum-lacking Boston Celtics and the up-and-coming Detroit Pistons.
That is not good enough.
The worst stat of all is that, of the 11 NBA teams with at least 25 wins, the Knicks have the third-highest defensive rating.
News flash: Eight of the last 10 championship-winning teams in the NBA have ranked in the league’s top 10 in defensive rating. All 10 have ranked within the top 15.
These Knicks rank 19th.
19th!
That doesn’t exactly scream “championship contenders.”
Last year, the Knicks received tremendous praise for their wing defense. The tandem of OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges was nicknamed “Wingstop” for its athleticism and effectiveness. Anunoby and Bridges are supposed to be the Knicks’ best defenders, and they are the team’s highest-paid players overall.
Two summers ago, the Knicks gave up five first-round picks to acquire Bridges from Brooklyn. Now, they only have one first-round pick in 2026, and potentially another from Washington if the Wizards end up picking later than eighth. Meanwhile, the Knicks are stuck with a poor fourth-quarter performer in Bridges, who is not living up to his defensive potential.
According to Stefan Bondy, despite averaging the most minutes per game and the most fourth-quarter minutes of any Knick, Bridges averages just 3.5 fourth-quarter points per game. But he shoots a team-high 55.2% in the first half of games. Also, despite ranking in the NBA’s 97th percentile in minutes per game, 80 players average fewer minutes and more free throw attempts per game than Bridges.
Those results were not worth five first-round picks.
Now, with conversations brewing in Milwaukee about trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Knicks might not have the draft capital necessary to compete. The trade deadline is on February 5. That is only two-and-a-half weeks away.
The Knicks will have to make many difficult choices. They all depend on whether Leon Rose still views his team as a championship contender.
“There’s concern there, but not to the point where we’re gonna overhaul everything,” said head coach Mike Brown. “We gotta work. We gotta look in the mirror, see how we can individually help the group, starting with me.”
In Saturday’s game against Phoenix, defense wasn’t the Knicks’ biggest issue. Scoring was one of their struggles, given that they were without Jalen Brunson or Josh Hart, but turnovers were their greatest weakness. Just like their last game against Phoenix one week prior, the Knicks lost the game because they lost the turnover battle, 17-12.
With five minutes left in the third quarter, the Knicks took a 10-point lead, their biggest of the game. It was the product of a 16-0 run. But then, Phoenix responded with a 13-0 run, and the quarter ended with an and-one buzzer-beating shot by Devin Booker with 0.3 seconds remaining. The Knicks had a foul to give, but they didn’t use it, and the Suns took a three-point lead into the final frame.
The Knicks couldn’t contain Booker all night, whose 27 points led the game. The Knicks haven’t been able to defend the league’s best scorers at all this season. That’s another trend to add to the list of concerns about this team.
“Anyone who’s been in the NBA a long time knows it goes like this,” said OG Anunoby, who scored 21 points but turned the ball over a team-high four times. “Especially in an 82-game season, there’s gonna be ups and downs. You just continue pushing.”
In the fourth quarter, the Knicks couldn’t muster enough firepower to overcome Phoenix. With just over a minute remaining, they were trailing by seven points, and Karl-Anthony Towns had a chance to cut the deficit from downtown, but he airballed his uncontested triple. He was booed for that.
“I don’t like losing any games, so of course, for me, the concern is winning the next one,” Towns said. “Just staying focused on the task at hand, winning games, and giving our fans something to cheer for.”
The boos from the Garden Faithful continued until the final buzzer. They didn’t pay to see their team shoot 7-for-20, including 1-for-11 from distance, in the fourth quarter.
“You don’t ever want to have boos, but at the end of the day, the fans here are passionate, and you respect and embrace their passion,” Brown said. “But it hurts.”
In a season filled with championship expectations, January has exposed the Knicks’ weaknesses. They are not good enough to win a championship.
Schedule
5:00 PM (4:00 PM CST): NYK vs. DAL; MSG, NBC, Gotham Sports, Peacock
7:30 PM (6:30 PM CST): 2025-26 College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship – Miami (10) vs. Indiana (1); ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESN, ESPN App
5:00 PM (4:00 PM CST): College GameDay; ESPN, ESPN App
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CST): Ram Trucks Pregame; ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESN, ESPN App
10:00 PM (9:00 PM CST): NYR at ANA; MSG, Gotham Sports
11:15 PM (10:15 PM CST): 2026 Australian Open – Men’s and Women’s First Round; ESPN2, ESPN App
