The New York Rangers are only a couple of seasons removed from being the best team in the league. How much has changed in that short amount of time? The Rangers looked out of sorts last season and even traded their captain, defenseman Jacob Trouba. They have been freefalling since then, not making the playoffs and failing this offseason. Changes to the roster were expected but also expected was added talent and a new lease on life. GM Chris Drury failed to live up to expectations this offseason.
Rangers unload talent in exchange for pennies
Drury was in the middle of a horrid season during 2024-25 and he started to panic and traded Trouba for basically nothing. That brings us to this offseason. he was at it again, trading longtime Rangers forward Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks for center Casey Terrance and draft picks. Anaheim practically stole Kreider.
However, Drury wasnt't done. He then traded defenseman Ke'Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes for defenseman Scott Morrow and draft picks. Fans began to wonder what he was thinking. Yes, moves had to be made but what he got in return is the shocking part. He did nothing to help the Rangers get better.
Drury is active during free agency
Those were the trades he made, but he was off to free agency to see if he could add any talent that way. He signed defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov , arguably the hottest defenseman on the market, to a 7-year, $49 million deal. He comes over from the Los Angeles Kings and immediately fills the void left by Miller. That was the only free agent signing. He re-singed forward Matt Rempe, Juuso Parssinen, and Adam Enstrom, and defenseman Matthew Robertson.
That is all of the moves he made after losing Trouba, MIller, and Kreider. They lost a lot of talent and replaced them with guys who will play in the bottom six and in the American Hockey League (AHL) with their affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. The moves he made will not positively impact the Rangers and he likely set them back. This team missed the playoffs last season and is looking at the same picture this season.
They fired head coach Peter Laviolette and replaced him with Mike Sullivan, which is a minor upgrade but unless he has talent to work with the Rangers are facing the same result as last season. Drury is pushing New York in the wrong direction at the wrong time as the Eastern Conference is getting better. The Rangers need a miracle to finish this upcoming season positively.