The Olympic break will serve as a reset of sort for the New York Rangers as they look to make the most of the final stretch of the season. While there are plenty of changes they need to make on the ice, there’s also plenty of moves the Rangers need to make off the ice to help the retool. Whether we like it or not, Chris Drury is still in charge of the Rangers. That means Drury has to get to work turning the sinking ship into a luxurious cruise. Here are the moves the Rangers need to make and the script he needs to follow.
Trade Vincent Trocheck
Trading Vincent Trocheck will sting because it makes the whole retool feel a lot more like a rebuild. Don’t worry though, it’s going to get worse. Trocheck is a solid player on a very reasonable contract. That makes him super valuable to a team with plans to contend for the Stanley Cup during that contract. Unfortunately, the Rangers can’t depend on themselves to be that team, so moving him is one of several moves the Rangers need to make.
It’s nice to think about the Rangers getting back soon with Trocheck, but the best way for the Rangers to get back would be to get the assets they could fetch in trading Trocheck. The center is far and away their best realistic trade asset, as he brings everything that contending teams love and pay premiums for at the deadline.
If Brock Nelson’s trade to the Colorado Avalanche is any comparison, the Rangers should bring back a legitimate prospect and a first round pick. Given Trocheck is signed for two more years, the package should be more and truly highlights why trading him is one of the moves the Rangers need to make.
Trade Braden Schneider
I told you it would get worse!
Braden Schneider has been a fine Ranger. Fine is the key word, however, as he was expected to be a lot better than he has been. Still, Schneider has plenty of admirers throughout the NHL and is due a new contract and a hefty raise this offseason. Should the Rangers give Schneider that shiny new contract? Absolutely not. His play has not warranted such a deal, and sinking back into the habit of providing bad contracts to depth players would just further the rebuild.
Instead, the Rangers should trade the young defenseman, likely bringing back a strong package. Young, cost-controlled, playoff-experienced defensemen will bring back quite the assets.
Take On a Bad Contract
Bring on the bad contract! I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it would be a brilliant maneuver for the Rangers to talk to a cap-strapped team like the Vegas Golden Knights or Tampa Bay Lightning, and take on a bad contract along with a high pick. It’s about time the Rangers flipped the script and leveraged their cap space to do the same thing they were forced to do with Marc Staal and Patrik Nemeth.
Assuming the Rangers trade Trocheck (and honestly, even if they don’t), the Rangers will have plenty of cap space for the foreseeable future. Letting it just sit there would be foolish compared to weaponizing it and getting a valuable asset for doing so.