The rangers should make plans to make an offer for Connor McDavid in the future

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Joshua Deeds
September 11, 2024 (6:27 PM)

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Connor McDavid is arguably one of the best NHL players ever to do it. All 32 teams would love to take a shot at acquiring him, and it'd be a huge coup to see McDavid in another jersey aside from the Edmonton Oilers.

McDavid is set to be a free agent in 2026 and could sign an extension in 2025, but nothing is set in stone, especially with Stan Bowman at the helm.

Even Leon Draisaitl, who signed a massive extension with the Oilers, an 8-year $112 Million dollar contract, Connor is his own person, with his own goals.

«Connor's going to do what's best for him, right? That's just the way this works and it's supposed to work that way. I did what I thought was best for me personally.»

If not Edmonton, why not Broadway? The Original-Six appeal has already drawn stars like Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier here.

New York has been a huge draw for stars like Artemi Panarin who waited for free agency in 2019 to sign a seven-year, $81.5 Million dollar contract. So it stands to reason, they would be in on someone like Connor McDavid.

The Rangers would of course need to prepare the cap space for his arrival when the time is right.

According to PuckPedia, the Rangers should have $52 Million dollars in cap space in 2026-2027. Of course, a major sum of that money will go to players like Alexis Lafreniere, K'Andre Miller, and Igor Shesterkin.

Extending Panarin with %20 of the cap, at $17.6 Million allocated to Connor McDavid if he were to sign here, might be difficult but workable.

With Jacob Trouba exiting soon, and the Rangers could decide to move on from Chris Kreider, Vinnie Troecheck, or Mika Zibanejad by then, they could clear enough cap space to sign McDavid. None of those three should have no-trade clauses by the time McDavid hits free agency, making a move easier to clear cap space.

This means the Rangers could end up with $17 million in cap space to work with, and Braden Schneider and Zac Jones could be due for raises as well.

It may be a few years away, but if McDavid is the next prime target, they should draw up the plans now.

Source: The Hockey Writers
Rangers Need to Prepare for a Run at Connor McDavid if He Reaches Free Agency