People either loved us, or they hated us… or they thought we were OK. The late comedian, Mitch Hedberg, said that as a joke line to describe the mixed reception he used to get when he was in a fledgling rock band. The past seven days were like that for the New York Rangers. It could have been better, could have been worse.
However, in the big picture, the week that was for the Rangers was not too shabby. Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury did not do badly by his team. At the same time, it was nothing earth-shattering in a positive direction.
The Very Good
No single move was better than somehow Chris Drury trading restricted free agent defenseman K’Andre Miller for two 2026 draft picks (first and second) and a young defenseman by the name of Scott Morrow. The way Miller had played the last two seasons, had the Rangers got back a bag of used pucks it might have been worth it.
The 2026 National Hockey League Entry Draft is already shaping up to be a particularly good one. This is a top ten protected pick but neither Carolina nor Dallas have been in the lottery for a long time.
The Rangers will wind up with a draft pick in the mid-teens to the end of the first round. But in all honesty as empty as the Rangers prospect pipeline is, they really could use this pick.
Going to include resigning Will Cuylle to a two-year contract extension at a nice salary cap of $3.9 million a year. Some of you are not happy that the deal is just for two years but it is good for both parties.
Look at the Lafreniere deal of last year and how many of you wish that Drury never did that deal? Lafreniere fell apart after signing that extension and it has the kind of cap number that makes him next to impossible to trade if he plays like he did during the second half of the season.
No by just a two year deal, then for the Rangers Cuylle will still be a restricted free agent. For Cuylle it is a chance to make even more money on his next deal but also with owning arbitration rights.
The “It is an OK move”
Adding Taylor Raddysh to the bottom six at just $1.5 million allows for several possibilities from improving the checking line and opening a door for any of the fourth line guys to move up to the third line to not being a huge obstacle salary cap-wise if either Brendan Othmann, Gabe Perreault or Brett Berard show that they are ready to be NHL regulars.
Raddysh’s salary cap number would be attractive enough to interest other NHL teams. Or if somehow Raddysh can find the form that made him a 20 goal scorer with the Chicago Blackhawks even better.
Justin Dowling was a late signee who really is there in case the Rangers decide to move Sam Carrick as at 34 and not much more than a fourth line player. It will be a minor miracle if Dowling lasts the entire season with the Rangers.
The move the Rangers might regret
Not going to lie, if there is one thing that Chris Drury must stop doing in our book is giving any kind of long term contract with a no-movement clause. No trade clause is one thing, but the no movement clause takes away the one way to get rid of a bad contract.
Giving defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov a seven year deal at $7 million a year is one thing but giving him at age 29 six years with a no movement clause is begging for trouble. Ask Drury if he would love to trade Mika or Panarin after both told him that they will not waive their no movement clause.
Think Gavrikov will be a top pair defenseman when he is age 34 and up? Odds are he will not be. And really the Rangers could have spent the money better as they had better hope Adam Fox has a bounce back year or they will be a two defensemen team (Schneider being the other).
Bad enough that Will Borgen was given a no movement clause for next season as he really did not prove himself to be a second pair defender. Carson Soucy got so poor that he was a healthy scratch on a number of occasions.
The same can be said about Urho Vaakanainen and if new coach Mike Sullivan wants to have a better defensive team, then his best friend Drury did him no favors. Scott Morrow struggled to earn a regular spot with the Carolina Hurricanes, but he should have an easier path with the Rangers and hopefully he can be a better option.
But even more frustrating is that Drury did not add a replacement scorer after trading away Chris Kreider. All that Drury has left to spend on anyone is $777,976 which will not get you anyone but one of the Hartford players.
As of July 4th, the Rangers have thirteen forwards ($52,380,357), eight defensemen ($29,291,667), and two goaltenders ($13,050,000).
Rangers Prospect News
Lost in the NHL’s free agency news cycle: the Canadian Hockey League held its annual Import Draft for the three leagues. The Ontario Hockey League’s Sudbury Wolves selected defenseman Artem Gonchar in the third round. Elsewhere. the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors chose forward Mikkel Eriksen in the fourth round.
There is no word on whether either prospect wants to come to North America to play with the CHL club that drafted him. However, I hope their two respective agents recommend they sign.
The CHL-AHL age rule does NOT apply eiter to Gonchar or Eriksen. The Rangers drafted both players before they were chosen in the CHL Import Draft. Consequently, both would be eligible to sign with the Rangers and join the American Hockey League’s Hartford Wolf Pack without having to be 20 years old. Instead, they’d count as European League transfers, for whom the AHL age rule does not apply.
As a result, both prospects can improve their NHL chances if they thrive in the CHL in their Draft-plus-one season: one year of junior hockey in Canada, a year or two in the AHL and then perhaps an NHL promotion will be in the offing.
Coincidentally, the Rangers draft Marc Staal for Sudbury. Meanwhile, once upon a time, Moose Jaw featured a forward named Theo Fleury.
