The New York Rangers have held their fair share of contracts that wound up aging poorly – from Bobby Holík to Jacob Trouba. That’s sometimes a risk associated with a long-term commitment.
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Fortunately, analyzing the roster today, nothing yet has gotten unbearable. However, that doesn’t mean problems won’t show up in the future due to declining play.
J.T. Miller
When building the perfect hockey player, J.T. Miller fits just about all on-ice qualities. Not only does he light up the scoresheet, but the 2011 first-round pick will play an in-your-face style that involves providing a heavy forecheck, crashing the net, and not shying away from scrums if needed. Add that to the fact that he plays center and wing; it’s easy to see why the front office traded for him ahead of last year’s trade deadline.
However, sometimes it’s not about the player he is today, but what he’ll be 2-3 years from now. Miller, with his versatility, does a lot for the Rangers. You have to wonder how long his body is going to be able to hold up playing the style and at the level he does it at. While Miller hasn’t shown many signs of decline, he’ll be 33 before the next postseason begins. He is signed at an $8 million cap hit until 2030. Luckily, the East Palestine, Ohio native’s contract will turn into a 15-team no-trade clause after the 2027-28 season, so this may offer president and general manager Chris Drury a way out. However, if his play declines enough, the $8 million price tag will be tough to justify for a potential suitor.
Mika Zibanejad
Even in a bad season where just about every Ranger struggled, Mika Zibanejad still posted 62 points during the 2024-25 season. That’s fine in today’s game for a top-six center with an $8.5 million cap hit. However, unlike Miller, Zibanejad’s contract is almost unmovable for the entire tenure without the player’s consent. That is, until the last season of his deal, where he will still be able to block a move to 21 teams just seven days before the trade deadline that year, according to PuckPedia.
So the Rangers are luckily stuck with it. The hope is that Zibanejad will rebound in the short term to the 70-80 point range. If the Swede declines too much over the coming seasons, the Rangers may have no other choice but to exercise a buyout.
Vladislav Gavrikov
The Rangers badly needed a left-handed defenseman capable of playing with Adam Fox – and they did that by signing Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year, $49 million contract. When compared to other average annual values given out this free agency period, like Ivan Provorov’s ludicrous $8.5 million, the Rangers fared pretty well.
Gavrikov played top defensive minutes last season with the Los Angeles Kings, posting an impressive expected goals for percentage of 55.71 percent, according to Natural Stat Trick. In the short term, the Rangers could potentially have themselves an elite first pair. But they are running a long-term risk, as the Russian is signed until his late 30s and his no-move clause doesn’t include a limited no-trade list until year six of his deal. While the Rangers badly needed someone who plays the shut-down defensive role at the level he does, Gavrikov doesn’t offer much offensively. That could hurt his value down the line if his play declines enough. For now, the Rangers should have themselves a pretty damn good top four defenseman – but the length of the deal certainly raises some level of concern.
Will Borgen
Early after the Rangers acquired him last season in the Kaapo Kakko trade, Will Borgen looked like he was a great fit. Drury, not too long after, struck a five-year $20.5 million extension to keep the 28-year-old in a blue sweater.
On one hand, Borgen at his $4.1 million AAV may seem like a bargain for the organization with the way the salary cap has been rising over the past couple of years, in particular.
On the other hand, that’s if Borgen can continue his steady play as a second-pair defenseman, as we saw for a chunk of last season. The caveat is that the 92nd overall pick in 2015 has mostly made his living at the NHL level as a third-pairing defenseman. While the Rangers will have flexibility to move him after his full no-trade clause becomes limited after this season, it’s hard to imagine a team having any desire to acquire a $4.1 million cap hit just to be stapled to the bottom pair.
Alexis Lafrenière
It’s always better to bet on young talent long-term than the typical free agent. Already, the Rangers have seen what Alexis Lafrenière is capable of, which was highlighted during the 2023-24 season. Not only did he post 57 points in the regular season, but he was an emerging star on a big stage. The 2020 first overall pick posted 14 points in 16 games during the playoffs that season.
Lafrenière, in October 2024, signed a seven-year contract with a $7.45 million AAV. At the time, it seemed like a steal, given what he had done recently in the playoffs. However, the contract isn’t risk-free. For one, he struggled offensively last season, only recording 45 points, a 12-point dip from 2023-24. Plus, it’s important to note that the Saint-Eustache, Quebec native only plays wing, a non-premium position. So if things sour, and he turns out to be only a 40-point player, that $7.45 million AAV won’t look pretty. So there is some risk. But as of now, he remains a great long-term bet for the organization.
While there aren’t any contracts that are a major problem for the Rangers right now, that could certainly change sooner than you think. As players age, they tend to get worse over time. Zibanejad and Miller have proven to be difference makers in the recent past – but are now approaching their mid-30s. Gavrikov seems like a great bet for the short-term, but it remains unclear how he’ll perform in the longer-term. Overall, we’ll have to wait and see – but at least one of these contracts on this list is bound to sour on the Rangers at some point.
