The New York Rangers are in the midst of a second consecutive disappointing season and are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Making matters worse, they just lost star defenseman Adam Fox and star goalie Igor Shesterkin to lower-body injuries in their 3-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Jan. 5.
Given the Rangers’ struggles and injuries, they should be sellers at the trade deadline. They need general manager Chris Drury to get big returns in trades this season after getting disappointing returns in many of his past trades.
The Rangers Need to Sell
On opening night, the Rangers were shut out 3-0 by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and they have struggled to score all season. Though they have played better defensively than last season, they have not produced enough offensively to consistently win games. They have been shut out eight times and have been held to two goals or fewer in 24 of their 44 games.
The Rangers have some highly skilled players, but lack depth, and Shesterkin and Fox are both irreplaceable players. Backup goalie Jonathan Quick has played at a high level this season, but he is 39 years old and has not been a full-time starter in years, and he could wear down as the team’s starter. New York just called up Spencer Martin from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL). The 30-year-old is 24-30-8 with an .883 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.56 goals-against average (GAA) in 66 career NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks, and Colorado Avalanche.
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Earlier this season, Fox missed a month with an upper-body injury, and the Rangers struggled without him. Their power play, which looked decent when he was healthy, was dreadful without him, and they also allowed a lot of shorthanded goals when he was out. They have a lot of gritty defensive defensemen, but no one close to Fox’s level offensively. He formed an elite top defense pair alongside Vladislav Gavrikov, and New York will miss his offensive skill, intelligence, and strong defensive play while he is out.
The Rangers have not looked like a playoff team when they are healthy, and now they have lost two of their best players to injuries. They are an older team and have a lot of valuable veterans that they should look to trade to contenders.
This Will Be an Important Trade Deadline for the Rangers
Throughout his time with the Rangers, Drury has struggled to get fair value in return for key players. One of his first big moves as general manager was trading Pavel Buchnevich to the St. Louis Blues for Sammy Blais and a second-round pick. Blais never scored a goal in his two seasons with New York, while Buchnevich averaged more than a point per game in his first two seasons with St. Louis.
Drury has made a habit of trading key Rangers when their value is low. He traded Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken for Will Borgen, a third-round pick, and a sixth-round pick after he was a healthy scratch. He made it clear that he wanted to move Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider after they both played injured and struggled. He traded Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks for Urho Vaakanainen and a fourth-round pick, failing to get earlier-round picks in the deal. Trouba is in the midst of one of his best seasons and is playing on his new team’s top pair, and has seven goals and 11 assists in 43 games, while Vaakanainen is a frequently scratched seventh defenseman for New York.
This offseason, Drury traded Kreider and a fourth-round pick to the Ducks in exchange for Carey Terrance and a third-round pick. Kreider has 14 goals and nine assists in 39 games this season, while Terrance has three goals and one assist in 31 games with the Wolf Pack.
Drury needs to understand that the Rangers are an aging team well out of playoff position. They are not contenders, and they need to trade key veterans while they are still valuable. Vincent Trocheck is 32 years old and still playing at a high level. He is signed through 2028-29, and they should look to move him for early picks and prospects while his value is high this season.
Artemi Panarin is in the final season of his contract, and although he has a no-movement clause, the Rangers should absolutely try to get him to waive it to go to a contender. He is an elite playmaker who could make the difference for a playoff team.
Veteran defensive defenseman Carson Soucy is in the final year of his contract, and he has done a nice job playing in the top four for the Rangers this season. They should look to move him rather than risk losing him for nothing in the offseason.
Chris Drury Needs to Get Good Value in Return for Veterans This Trade Deadline
With the Rangers struggling and key players out, this is the perfect time to sell, and they have valuable veterans that they can trade to contenders. After getting some very disappointing returns in past trades, Drury needs to get high draft picks and good prospects in return for some of the team’s veterans at the trade deadline.
