The New York Rangers are officially heading into a retool. That’s the term GM Chris Drury used in an open letter to fans on Friday. The letter is a belated admission of what needs to be done to rescue the club.
The letter, however, is like a bank manager telling customers to get their money out before the bank goes under. In other words, it should be no mystery when the Rangers inevitably sink to even further than they already have.
Be that as it may, the Rangers could be grasping at straws. Reports have already surfaced that the club won’t be bringing back Artemi Panarin. As such, a trade is only a matter of time now.
But beyond the evident moves to come and the not-so-flattering optics, the Rangers have a path to follow. Last season, the Boston Bruins sank to the Eastern Conference cellar, one year removed from a historic Presidents’ Trophy season. The Bruins retooled around their core, much like Drury promised. The club kept several complimentary pieces and then jettisoned the rest.
In short, that’s the model the Rangers must follow. The Bruins identified their core as David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman. Even former captain Brad Marchand became expendable in his UFA season.
That’s where the Rangers must go. Identifying two thirds or their core is easy. Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin are locks. But who becomes that top forward the team should build around? That’s a difficult question to answer, particularly as it has multiple facets to it.
Rangers Lack a Pastrnak-Type Forward
It was easy for the Bruins to retool their forward group around David Pastrnak. The Czech star is still 29 and a superstar in his own right.
Unfortunately, the Rangers don’t have a player like Pastrnak. One would like to think that player could be Alexis Lafreniere, but that’s wishful thinking. When looking at the Blueshirts’ current top forward group, all of them are on the wrong side of 30.
So, if Lafreniere isn’t the franchise forward the Rangers need, the next best thing would be to take their top young forwards and build around them. Those forwards include Will Cuylle, Gabe Perreault, Noah Laba, Brennan Othmann, Carey Terrance, and Brett Berard. While none of the aforementioned forwards sound like a future Hart Trophy winner, they could be the makings of a decent forward core to build around.
Blueshirts Can Make a Splash in Free Agency
Potential trades of veterans like J.T. Miller, Vincent Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad, and Artemi Panarin could clear up as much as $35 million in cap space. That much room would allow the Rangers to address major areas via free agency.
It’s worth pointing out that the 2026 free-agent crop lacks significant star power. But the 2027 class includes Nikita Kucherov, Alex DeBrincat, Quinn Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jordan Binnington.
Could a Jordan Binnington-Igor Shesterkin tandem take the Rangers to the next level? How about Adam Fox and Quinn Hughes sharing the spotlight? Meanwhile, Nico Hischier wouldn’t be a bad top-line center for the Rangers.
The point here is that the remainder of this season should be about clearing cap space and recouping as many assets as possible. Next season will likely be another lost season on Broadway. But the potential will be there for the 2027-28 season to be a resurgence for the Rangers.
Cap space plus the allure of Broadway could be just what the Rangers need to bring in high-profile names in an effort to turbocharge the club’s “retool.”
Rangers Retool Should Take after Bruins’ Model