This upcoming offseason was potentially slated to be the time when material modifications might be made to the New York Rangers. With the cap continuing to rise, a few players on expiring contracts and a projected possible raft of superstars available, 2026-27 was expected to look a lot different on Broadway. All that changed the last week or so.
Players re-signed by their current teams:
Kiril Kaprizov – staying in Minnesota, signed an eight-year, $136 million deal
Connor McDavid – the dream is over, as he inked a vastly undermarket two-year, $25 million deal extension, keeping him in Edmonton through 27-28. The Oilers have already used those savings to re-sign
Kyle Connor – signed an eight-year, $96 million dollar extension with Winnipeg
Jack Eichel – agreed to an eight-year, $108 million extension to remain a Golden Knights
The big four are all off the board. Drury’s possible grand vision to find a savior has taken a massive hit. Remaining on the possible external free agent list, at least as of now, are Martin Necas, Adrian Kempe, Alex Tuch, Alex Ovechkin, and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
Internally, Artemi Panarin is a free agent to be and might be at the top of that list. New York made inquiries with Panarin about a short-term deal, but was basically shut down. Seeing what the market is bearing, why would Panarin take that kind of deal? McDavid, Connor, and Eichel all took lower-market deals, leaving some money on the table. Panarin seems unlikely to mirror that approach.
Necas, who also seems very unlikely to take a discount in his next deal, has an outside shot to reach free agency. Colorado, who dealt Mikko Rantanen to acquire Necas, remains interested in extending him. Kempe and the Kings are reported to be close to an extension. Tuch has long been rumored to be a Rangers’ target, at least from the fanbase, so he is a name to watch. Ovi may go back to the KHL or will stay in Washington, and Bjorkstrand is a secondary target.
As seen from the above, the ability to revamp the Rangers in free agency may be blunted. If Panarin leaves, the offense will take a massive hit. This is why the title is what it is, “Ok Chris Drury, Now What’s the Plan.”
Game 1 Recap
I will keep this somewhat brief since the game was Tuesday night. First, everyone breathes. It’s one game, clearly not an ideal performance by any way, shape or form, but just one game.
Coach Mike Sullivan’s system will take a little while to become second nature. This was evidenced by the one true goal scored by the Penguins, which proved to be the difference. The change from a man-to-man defense to a zone approach might have contributed to the blown coverage on the tally.
Following an Igor Shesterkin save and a draw in their own zone late in the first period, Evgeni Malkin, instead of winning it back to the point, went forward with the puck and around Vincent Trocheck. Malkin made a nice pass to Justin Brazeau, who had enough time to go forehand, backhand top shelf over Igor for a 1-0 lead. Why was Brazeau wide open? Alexis Lafreniere left the front of the net to go to the point, failing to realize Urho Vaakanainen went after Malkin. End result, goal Brazeau.
Lafreniere was one of the few Rangers, besides that play, to stand out positively. finishing with six shots. The New York fanbase’s favorite whipping boy, Mika Zibanejad, was by far the team’s best player. He was engaged throughout the contest, pointing a team-high seven shots, including the Blueshirts’ best chance of the evening. Noah Laba, in his first game, did not look out of place.
On the flip side, J.T. Miller certainly is not 100 percent. Sullivan’s comment yesterday indicates this, which begs two questions. If he is injured or slowed, why is he dressing? New York has had an issue for years dressing players who should have sat for a fully healthy body. If Sullivan is just covering up for Miller’s poor effort in Game 1, seen in the tweet below, then much bigger issues exist.
Miller was not the only one who struggled. Adam Fox and his near pair-mate, Vladislav Gavrikov, had a rough contest. The Blueshirts’ fourth line also was not particularly good. Adam Edstrom – Sam Carrick – Matt Rempe did not have a strong performance. Continuing the theme of not overreacting, a change is not needed immediately, but if more of the same occurs, look for a modification quickly.
Game 2 tonight against the Sabres. Look for the lineup to be the same as Tuesday.
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