There are many unanswered questions as the New York Rangers head into yet another pivotal summer. For the second time in three seasons, the Blueshirts lost in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals despite setting a franchise high with 114 points to earn the President’s Trophy.
Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury will need to get creative with a number of big contracts and Igor Shesterkin, who is due for a huge increase, if anything isn’t going to change this summer.
A few actions have already been taken, such as placing veteran forward Barclay Goodrow on waivers in an attempt to remove his $3.641 million cap hit from the books, which they succeeded in doing when the San Jose Sharks claimed the forward, and re-signing restricted free agent Kaapo Kakko to a one-year, $2.4 million contract.
However, extra actions must be taken, and the Blueshirts may trade a former youngster line member.
The Rangers could trade Filip Chytil
While playing on a line nicknamed “the kid line” with Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière during the team’s journey to the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals, Filip Chytil won over the hearts of Rangers fans.
Following after a fantastic season in which he set career highs in goals (22), assists (23), and points (45), Chytil, 24, inked a four-year contract worth $17.75 million.
That contract hasn’t held up well thus far. Chytil missed most of the regular season with a concussion, playing in just 10 games with no goals and six assists. However, he returned victorious in the playoffs, playing in six games with no points.
The 24-year-old may be traded now given his high cap hit, injury risk, and the fact that he recovered from the injury towards the conclusion of the season.
What could the Rangers get back for Chytil?
Depending on Drury’s preferences for handling his possessions, that is. It seems like the Rangers may utilize Chytil in a trade to acquire a talented winger like Nikolaj Ehlers or Patrik Laine, given his age and the fact that he will be under contract for the next three seasons. Alternatively, the Blueshirts may acquire draft picks in exchange for Chytil, then utilize the $4.4 million in cap space to make an open-market upgrade.
Perhaps dealing Chytil will be like trading Mike Gartner, a move that some fans didn’t like but ultimately helped the Rangers win the Stanley Cup. The Rangers need to do something this offseason to go over the hump.