Day one of NHL free agency saw over $1 billion dollars spent, the largest sum in league history. The New York Rangers were eerily quiet, signing Sam Carrick, Casey Fitzgerald, and Bo Groulx to contracts worth $1 million or less. General Manager Chris Drury’s biggest move was acquiring Reilly Smith from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2025 conditional fifth-round selection.
The inability to offload at least a portion of Jacob Trouba’s $8 million cap hit via trade handcuffed the Rangers’ ability to add any significant upgrades to their roster. Now, the Blueshirts have just more than $8 million in cap space remaining, the bulk of which will be utilized by re-signing defensemen Ryan Lindgren and Braden Schneider.
After Drury’s proclamation the Rangers would not run this roster back and his cutthroat waiver decision with Barclay Goodrow, many believed the next logical step was finding a suitor for Trouba. But as Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported, there was no guarantee Trouba would report if dealt, and his wife’s medical residency still has one year remaining (from ‘Wife’s hospital residency among factors keeping Jacob Trouba with Rangers,’ NY Post – 7/1/24).
Now, the Rangers are likely finished adding to the roster before the 2024-25 NHL season starts. Their roster, on paper, seems good enough to get back to the postseason, but simply getting there no longer suffices. Despite the chatter surrounding the need for a first-line right winger, it seems apparent that the third-line center position is the biggest area of concern that will remain untouched.
Can Filip Chytil Stay Healthy?
Many felt that finding a first-line right winger was the Rangers’ biggest need. There is merit to that, but the emergence of Alexis Lafreniere alongside Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin made the need less of a top-line winger and more of a second-line guy.
Smith does fill that void. Although not the flashiest name out there, his solid two-way game gives the Rangers some roster construction flexibility in the top six. A larger concern in my eyes is Filip Chytil’s ongoing status. Players like Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm (to name two off the top of my head) can play both center and wing, but both were snapped up on July 1.
Related Story: Rangers’ Trouba Mess Could Have Big Impact on Season
With Chytil’s health hanging like a dark cloud, dynamic position players who can fit the role needed at any given time would have allowed for more depth down the middle and reassurance should the Czechian miss time this season. The current roster is thin down the middle, with no alternative options should Chytil miss an extended period as he did in 2023-24 when he missed 72 games.
Chytil brings a high-end blend of skill, speed, and a terrific shot when healthy. Jonny Brodzinski, Sam Carrick, and Adam Edstrom are the Rangers’ center depth at this current moment. Would one of those options be able to replicate what Chytil brings? Would they be able to plug that gap in if they need to?
Brodzinski was the choice last season and was serviceable, but the Rangers acquired Alex Wennberg at the deadline to find a true third-line center. After July 1, Drury’s group will be in the same position it was in last season: lacking a center option should Chytil get injured.
Improvements Must Come Via Trade
The Rangers’ asset cupboard is depleted. Three-consecutive seasons of adding rentals at trade deadline have erased most of their draft capital. Top prospect Gabe Perreault is all but off the table in trade talks, making future deadlines much more challenging for Drury to navigate.
Everyone would love to see Chytil return to form and have an injury-free campaign and that is the hope entering 2024-25. Even if that is the case, the Rangers would be wise to bulk up on the blue line and with a center/winger option. Kaapo Kakko could still be dealt before the regular season and, if kept, could be trade bait at the deadline should his play not progress to the level expected.
Entering his sixth season, the 2019 second-overall pick has not progressed to the level anticipated when selected. Should the Rangers need to offload a roster player, his name seems to be at the top of the list. His new one-year deal is very moveable, and the no-trade and no-movement clauses held by some of those with heftier deals make his continued employment with the Rangers tenuous.
Although head coach Peter Laviolette enters the season with flexibility regarding how he constructs his lines, ultimately, player performance will determine how the season unfolds and which direction the Rangers will go. It would be wise to add someone who could play both center and wing to balance out the roster in the case of injury.
Certain issues and solutions will illuminate themselves as the new season progresses, but at this stage of the offseason, the Rangers’ biggest weakness is the depth and consistency of the third line. Scoring depth, particularly at five-on-five, has plagued the team in recent years, and the health concerns surrounding Chytil only enhance the weakness.
Brennan Othmann and Brett Berard could be internal options that may deepen the scoring, but safeguarding against a Chytil injury remains the Rangers’ biggest need. Ideally, this offseason would have seen the defense revamped and the offense bolstered rather than simply the roster previously assembled rounded out.
Trouba’s contract will likely be offloaded next offseason, and major decisions regarding free agents will impact Drury’s maneuverability. But if the Rangers goal is to contend for a Stanley Cup in 2024-25, don’t be surprised if the need for depth down the middle comes into play as the deadline approaches.
