Despite achieving their best regular season in franchise history and reaching the Eastern Conference Final, the New York Rangers face several questions as they enter the 2024 offseason. Although successful, they didn’t achieve their ultimate goal of ending their 30-year Stanley Cup drought. Moving forward, it’s no longer about just making the playoffs or reaching the conference final – with their current core players, the team is built to win a championship now.
As the Rangers look ahead to the 2024-25 season, their focus remains on winning the Stanley Cup. However, they must address certain issues this offseason. They were strong enough to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, but they couldn’t overcome the Florida Panthers once there. To win the Stanley Cup next season, the Rangers need to address these three key areas.
Rangers Must Shed a Contract to Create Cap Space
One significant issue for the Rangers is that many of their highest-paid players have trade protection, making it difficult or impossible to move them, or giving them control over their potential destinations. The team’s two highest-paid forwards, Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad, have full no-movement clauses in their contracts and are facing criticism for their underwhelming playoff performances.
Additionally, Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba, and Barclay Goodrow take up substantial cap space and have modified no-trade clauses in their contracts, allowing each to submit a 15-team no-trade list on July 1. Despite these constraints, the Rangers acted swiftly to make their first significant move to free up salary.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Rangers placed Barclay Goodrow on waivers. With three years remaining on his contract at roughly $3.6 million per season, paying that much for a fourth-line center is impractical for the team. However, it appears Goodrow may have found a new team.
According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, the San Jose Sharks are expected to claim Goodrow off waivers: “Though there is belief there is a pre-arranged deal for the Sharks to claim Goodrow, who spent the first six seasons of his NHL career in San Jose.” This move would allow the Rangers to avoid a buyout and clear significant cap space, giving them more flexibility for offseason maneuvers.
Rangers Must Add a Top Six Right-Winger
Since General Manager Chris Drury traded Pavel Buchnevich to the St. Louis Blues in the 2021 offseason, the Rangers have struggled to fill the gap in their top-six lineup alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Various players have been tried in that role, including Frank Vatrano, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Patrick Kane, but all were rental players who left during free agency and didn’t provide a permanent solution. Kaapo Kakko has also been tested in that spot, achieving some success, but never for an extended period. This offseason, the Rangers need to address this need decisively.
The Rangers must acquire a player who can unequivocally fill that top-six role. Options will be available both through trades and free agency, including potentially bringing back Kane or Tarasenko for a longer stint. They might also consider pursuing Jake Guentzel, whom they attempted to acquire at the 2024 Trade Deadline. If the Rangers can free up the necessary cap space, this could be a viable option. They also showed interest in Vatrano at the deadline but were unwilling to meet the Anaheim Ducks’ asset demands. Should they revisit those discussions? Drury needs to resolve this issue, which stems from his early decisions as GM.
Rangers Must Shake Up the Defensive Core
Against the Panthers, it was evident that the Rangers’ defensive core is inadequate for a championship run. They struggled with long shifts in their own zone, and when they gained possession, their defensemen couldn’t move the puck quickly enough, allowing Florida to reclaim it. Outside of Adam Fox, the team lacks a strong puck-moving defenseman. If they maintain their current defensive lineup, they risk repeating the same issues in next season’s playoffs. To improve, they need to shake up their defensive core, starting by moving on from Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren, and Erik Gustafsson.
The Rangers should let Gustafsson walk in free agency. His performance declined as the season progressed, and Zac Jones is ready to take over as the third-pairing defenseman and second-unit power-play quarterback. Trouba, who struggled significantly in the playoffs, especially against the Panthers, made too many mistakes for an $8 million defenseman. The team should look to trade or buy out their captain as soon as possible.
Lindgren, a restricted free agent, doesn’t need a qualifying offer. The Rangers should trade his rights, as his play style is likely to deteriorate with age, and signing him to a long-term deal given his injury history would be a mistake. The Rangers must replace these players with bigger, more mobile, puck-moving defensemen.
The Blueshirts have a strong core capable of going far, but they haven’t been able to finish the job. With their core players aging and goaltender Igor Shesterkin entering the final season of his team-friendly contract, this offseason is crucial. Next season might be the last chance for this core group to win a championship, making these defensive changes imperative.
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