Chris Drury & the New York Rangers are preparing for a massive move: Per Elliotte Friedman
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The New York Rangers are currently in a dog-fight for the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference, and fans are eagerly awaiting to see what GM Chris Drury has up his sleeve come trade deadline. That said, while the hype around the trade deadline seems to be dominating headlines, analysts around the NHL are already looking ahead to the offseason.
The New York Rangers have an incredibly busy offseason ahead of them, and Chris Drury will have his hands tied offloading some of his assets, with the biggest one being disgruntled forward Chris Kreider.
According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Rangers are planning some big moves in the summer.
Elliotte Friedman suggests massive offseason moves
Fans will remember back in November when GM Chris Drury announced a fire sale regarding ex-captain Jacob Trouba and forward Chris Kreider.
While Drury was able to move Trouba, Chris Kreider is a different story. Even though Drury hasn't been able to trade him yet, all signs point to an inevitable trade over the offseason.
With Kreider's contract being offloaded, the Rangers will have more flexibility in their budget to make key UFA signings.
The new contracts of Igor Shesterkin and Alexis Lafreniere kick in next season and there are a number of RFAs that will need to be signed, but Reilly Smith is also as good as gone this trade deadline too, opening up more space.
It is feasible the Rangers could add another major piece in the summer when the insider said there could be major moves, but that would really impact contract discussions with RFAs if deals aren't done early in the offseason.
Although the Rangers have had a less than ideal 2024-2025 campaign, the core of the team remains intact.
J.T. Miller was also an exciting addition, and Chris Drury should focus his energy on building around him.
With a solid amount of cap space to work with, look to the Rangers to make some big noise this offseason.
Previously on NYRangersInsider
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