The New York Rangers were among the busiest teams in the NHL trade market during the regular season.
Jacob Trouba, Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, Reilly Smith and Ryan Lindgren were among the notables the Rangers shipped out between December and the March NHL trade deadline.
GM Chris Drury was expected to continue retooling his roster during the off-season, hoping to get his club quickly back on track as a Stanley Cup contender.
The Hockey News’ Remy Mastey cited The Athletic’s Arthur Staple, saying goaltender Igor Shesterkin, defenseman Adam Fox and left winger Artemi Panarin are the Rangers’ only untouchables. Staple also indicated that the talk around the recent NHL draft combine in Buffalo had the Rangers, Sabres, Utah Mammoth and Seattle Kraken among the teams planning to shake up their rosters in the coming weeks.
Defenseman K’Andre Miller and left winger Alexis Lafreniere could become trade candidates. Rumors were swirling about the two young Rangers last month. Miller is an RFA with arbitration rights coming off a disappointing season, while Lafreniere signed a seven-year contract extension last fall.
Larry Brooks of the New York Post believes it seems inevitable that Miller will be traded. He cited several sources claiming the blueliner could become an offer-sheet target if he’s not moved before July 1.
PuckPedia indicates the Rangers have $8.44 million of cap space with 19 active roster players under contract for 2025-26. Re-signing RFA left winger Will Cuylle is a priority, making Miller an enticing offer-sheet target if he and the Blueshirts reach an impasse in contract talks.
Trading Miller would leave the Rangers without a skilled left-shot defenseman to skate alongside Fox on their top defense pairing. Unless Drury gets a blueliner to address that need, Brooks thinks they might have to overpay for someone like Vladislav Gavrikov if the Los Angeles Kings rearguard becomes a UFA on July 1.
Brooks also claimed that Lafreniere was “surely available” this summer. He said the 23-year-old was the topic of several conversations during the draft combine but didn’t know if those inquiries were “incoming or outgoing.”
The first pick in the 2020 draft, Lafreniere has teased a breakout performance but has yet to burst through as a star. His $7.45-million cap hit could become an obstacle for Drury’s trade plans this summer.
Miller or Lafreniere could be part of a package offer for a young scorer. Mastey cited USA Today’s Vince Mercogliano claiming the Rangers are among the teams interested in Dallas Stars left winger Jason Robertson. However, a recent report claimed the Stars aren’t keen to move the 25-year-old Robertson and have had no trade talks with other teams.
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