Rangers Fill Needs in Free Agency: The Week That Was

The New York Rangers and general manager Chris Drury checked several boxes last week as NHL free agency season opened.

First pair blueliner, check.
Re-sign Will Cuylle, check.
Bolster the draft pick and prospect pool via moving on from K’Andre Miller, check.
Add a bottom-six forward, check.

All in all a very successful day in Rangersland, although one that does come with a little bit of risk.  Drury added a speedy undersized winger later in the week, who likely will open the season in Hartford.

Rangers sign Vladislav Gavrikov

Coming into yesterday’s frenzy, all signs pointed to New York and free agent defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov reaching an accord. In fact, if you wanted to use the term tampering, not sure how easy it would be to disprove. The only question was whether the recent signing of Ivan Provorov impact the contract value. It turned out that surprisingly, at least to me, that deal had no impact on the contract inked by Gavrikov, also lending some credence to the thought being tossed about that this ink was long dry on this contract.

Gavrikov should provide New York the perfect pair mate for Adam Fox. His advanced metrics, both in Columbus and especially LA, are upper tier. He certainly benefited from the defensive structure utilized by the Kings, which is why his performance with the Blue Jackets must be considered. Given the current financial landscape and desperate need for a defenseman that provides stability on the back line, the Gavrikov deal is extremely solid. 

When you consider that Provorov is making $8.5 mil a year, Gavrikov at $7 mil is almost a bargain. After factoring in the minimal wear and tear – by comparison – to Gavrikov, the contract looks even better. As the cap continues to rise, the % utilization looks even better. In addition, Fox gets his best partner, at least on paper.

Cuylle extends

Those who read me for the past several months, I was beating the drum for Cuylle to be signed, avoiding any risk of an offer sheet. Drury made sure that would not be the case, re-signing Cuylle to the largest bridge contract offered by the Rangers. Cuylle signed a two-year deal with a $3.9 million AAV.

I thought that a 4-5 year might be in the offering. Instead, the two sides reached an accord on a bridge deal. Cuylle will be an RFA when this contract ends, and with the rise in the cap, if his production continues to rise, he should be in line for a long-term deal at a decent AAV.

If the season started now, Cuylle is slated to skate on the left of JT Miller and Mika Zibanejad. In addition, he should see consistent ice time on the second power play unit. Drafted with the pick received from LA in the Lias Andersson trade, Cuylle is the one “piece” remaining from a string of high picks that has panned out far beyond expectations. 

Rangers trade Miller to Carolina

Dealing Miller came as little surprise, as he had been rumored to be on the block for weeks. Who Miller went to and for what were the pieces of the puzzle no one expected. Both sides take on a little risk with the potential for reward, which will play out in full display in the division.

Miller was dealt to the Hurricanes for a top-10 protected pick in 2026, a second round pick and Scott Morrow. As part of the sign-and-trade, he inked an eight year deal with a $7.5 million AAV. New York was not going to give Miller that kind of deal, both in terms of dollars and years, which is why he was on the block.

Gavrikov in essence replaces Miller on the blue line. Miller should improve playing in Rod Brind’Amour’s system, as did Brady Skjei. The first pick will be the better off Carolina’s or Dallas’ unless it falls in the top-ten. The sign-and-trade arose after Calgary expressed interest in dealing for Miller, prompting Carolina to threaten an offer sheet. But Carolina would have had to re-obtain its own third round pick from Utah to make an offer, so the threat was a mild paper tiger. Working with Carolina netted New York a better draft pick and Morrow.

Morrow has tremendous offensive upside but his defense is a work-in-progress. He will get a look see on the third pairing in training camp. His acquisition gives the Rangers another offensive weapon from the blue line, which had been lacking.

Drury brings Taylor Raddysh to Rangers

In full disclosure, I was hoping the Rangers would sign Nick Bjugstad as their third line center. Instead, he signed a two-year deal with a $1.75 million AAV with St. Louis. while Bjugstad is not elite, in my opinion, he would have nicely fit in coach Mike Sullivan’s system, allowing Zib to stay at right wing.

Instead. Drury signed Raddysh to a two-year deal with a $1.5 million AAV, Raddysh fell off dramatically the last two seasons from his career-best 2022-23 campaign. He posted personal bests of 20 goals and 37 points in 78 outings with Chicago in 2022-23. Raddysh notched just five goals and nine assists the following season, but rebounded slightly to notch seven goals and 27 points across 80 regular-season outings with Washington in 2024-25.

Raddysh provides additional wing depth, though could end up in the press box a lot, especially if the kids take a step forward. As of now Raddysh is the probable third line right wing. But use pencil and not ink on the depth chart. Brennan Othmann, Gabe Perreault and Brett Berard all will be in the mix for the spot.

Blueshirts ink Trey Fix-Wolansky

Fix-Wolansky signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Rangers on July 3. New York was one of the finalists for Maxim Shabanov, who signed with the Islanders. His decision was not a huge surprise, as he has a clearer path to ice time and production there.

After missing out on Shabanov. Drury signed another undersized speedy winger in Fix-Wolansky. He provides a ton of speed and plays bigger than his size, reminding some of a young Mats Zuccarello, in terms of stature and style of play. Fix-Wolansky, who last played in the NHL for Columbus in 2023-24, played exclusively for AHL Cleveland last year, racking up 26 goals, 34 assists and 73 PIM over 65 regular-season appearances.

Fix-Wolansky’s minor-league numbers are impressive plus he brings an element of speed lacking on the parent roster. That said, he is a long shot to break camp with the team. But he should play a key role in Hartford and could receive an opportunity during the season.