New York Rangers
| Available | Age | 17/18 | Automatically Exempt |
| F Rick Nash | 32 | $7.8M | F Pavel Buchnevich |
| F Derek Stepan | 26 | $6.5M | F Jimmy Vesey |
| F Chris Kreider | 25 | $4.625M | F Ryan Gropp |
| F Mats Zuccarello | 29 | $4.5M | F Robin Kovacs |
| F J.T. Miller | 23 | $2.75M | F Adam Tambellini |
| F Mika Zibanejad | 23 | RFA | F Adam Chapie |
| F Kevin Hayes | 24 | $2.6M | F Cristoval Nieves |
| F Michael Grabner | 29 | $1.65M | F Steven Fogarty |
| F Brandon Pirri | 25 | RFA | F Malte Stromwall |
| F Jesper Fast | 24 | RFA | |
| F Oscar Lindberg | 24 | RFA | D Brady Skjei |
| F Josh Jooris | 26 | RFA | D Sergey Zborovskiy |
| F Tanner Glass | 32 | UFA | D John Gilmour |
| F Marek Hrivik | 25 | RFA | D Troy Donnay |
| F Justin Fontaine | 28 | UFA | D Ryan Graves |
| F Chris Brown | 25 | RFA | D Michael Paliotta |
| F Nicklas Jensen | 23 | RFA | |
| G Brandon Halverson | |||
| D Marc Staal (NMC) | 29 | $5.7M | |
| D Dan Girardi (NMC) | 32 | $5.5M | |
| D Ryan McDonagh | 27 | $4.7M | |
| D Kevin Klein | 31 | $2.9M | |
| D Nick Holden | 29 | $1.65M | |
| D Dylan McIlrath | 24 | RFA | |
| D Adam Clendening | 23 | RFA | |
| D Chris Summers | 28 | UFA | |
| D Mat Bodie | 26 | UFA | |
| D Calle Andersson | 22 | RFA | |
| D Tommy Hughes | 24 | RFA | |
| G Henrik Lundqvist (NMC) | 34 | $8.5M | |
| G Antti Raanta | 27 | $1.0M | |
| G Mackenzie Skapski | 22 | RFA | |
| G Magnus Hellberg | 25 | RFA |
Protection List Plus Two Alternative List Options
| Protection List | Alternative Protection List 1 | Alternative Protection List 2 |
| 7F – 3D – 1G | 7F – 3D – 1G | 4F – 4D – 1G |
| F Derek Stepan | F Derek Stepan | F Derek Stepan |
| F Chris Kreider | F Chris Kreider | F Chris Kreider |
| F Mats Zuccarello | F Mats Zuccarello | F Mats Zuccarello |
| F Mika Zibanejad | F Mika Zibanejad | F Mika Zibanejad |
| F J.T. Miller | F J.T. Miller | D Marc Staal (NMC) |
| F Kevin Hayes | F Brandon Pirri | D Dan Girardi (NMC) |
| F Oscar Lindberg | F Oscar Lindberg | D Ryan McDonagh |
| D Marc Staal (NMC) | D Marc Staal (NMC) | D Dylan McIlrath |
| D Dan Girardi (NMC) | D Dylan McIlrath | G Henrik Lundqvist (NMC) |
| D Ryan McDonagh | D Ryan McDonagh | |
| G Henrik Lundqvist (NMC) | G Henrik Lundqvist (NMC) | |
| *Girardi asked to waive NMC |
This protection list for the Rangers seemed a lot more simple at the start of 2016-17. Now, we’ve got emerging players and a Rick Nash bounce back performance that could make things very interesting. Regardless of what type of numbers Rick Nash puts up, if NY doesn’t win the Cup, Jeff Gorton would be wise to tempt Las Vegas with Nash’s availability. I might even use his bounce back campaign to try to arrange a deal to ensure George McPhee selects him. A similar scenario played out in 2000 when Columbus GM Doug MacLean was given a pair of prospects to select Geoff Sanderson.
Protection List:
Many were asking how NY can possibly rid themselves of Dan Girardi’s NMC in time for the expansion draft. Truth be told, it doesn’t hurt them all that much if they’re forced to protect him. And they can always ask him to waive the no-move clause citing his lucrative contract as a reason why he wouldn’t be selected.
In this scenario, defense and goaltending are locked down. Among the locks to be protected up front, we have Stepan, Kreider, Zuccarello, Zibanejad, and you might even include Miller and Lindberg. We’ve also included Kevin Hayes, although who knows with the way Brandon Pirri has been playing early on. It leaves names like Pirri, Grabner, Fast, and Jooris on the outside looking in.
Alternative Protection List 1:
Here’s what the protection list might look like at season’s end if Brandon Pirri continues playing the way he has. We’ve also included Dylan McIlrath on the back end as the potential replacement if Girardi were to waive his NMC.
Alternative Protection List 2:
Call this one very unlikely, but let’s say that Girardi is unwilling to waive his NMC and Jeff Gorton feels the need to protect Dylan McIllrath given the emerging depth up front. Only problem with this: it leaves J.T. Miller and Oscar Lindberg available.