New York Rangers Have Five Off-Season Trade Candidates To Watch

The New York Rangers have had a very disappointing 2025-26 season.

After entering the season with the hope of bouncing back, the Rangers instead took another major step in the wrong direction.

The Rangers have a 33-37-9 record and are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They were eliminated from playoff contention back in late March.

Due to their struggles this season, Rangers GM Chris Drury wrote a letter to fans confirming that the team was retooling. Drury stayed true to his words, as he traded Artemi Panarin (Los Angeles Kings), Carson Soucy (New York Islanders), Sam Carrick (Buffalo Sabres) and Brennan Othmann (Calgary Flames) this season.

While the Rangers made multiple trades this season, it is clear that Drury should be making more moves this summer. The Rangers' goal this summer should be to strengthen their prospect pool and draft capital, and they have multiple players they could dangle because of it.

Let's look at a few Rangers who could be moved this summer as the Metropolitan Division club continues its retooling.

While the Rangers are having a bad season, Mika Zibanejad has had a nice bounce-back campaign. In 78 games with the Rangers, the 6-foot-2 center has 33 goals, 43 assists and 76 points. Since the trade deadline, he has eight goals and 20 points in 18 games.

Could the Rangers look to sell high on the 2011 first-round pick this summer? It certainly should not be ruled out. 

With Zibanejad being 32, he does not stand out as a long-term fit for the Rangers as they retool. As a result, he could be a player that contenders target during the summer to boost their top six. However, he has a full no-movement clause, so he will have the final say on whether he gets dealt or not.

Vincent Trocheck is an obvious player the Rangers could move this summer. The Rangers have already reportedly shopped the center.

Trocheck also has the potential to get the Rangers a significant return in the move. This is because he is a top-six center with an affordable $5.625-million cap hit until the end of the 2028-29 season. This should lead to several teams pursuing him this off-season.

He has four goals and 14 assists since the trade deadline.

If Vladislav Gavrikov is willing to waive his no-movement clause, the 30-year-old would be another good trade chip for the Rangers this summer.

Teams looking for a top-pairing defenseman with size certainly would target Gavrikov if he is made available. The Rangers could get a serious return for him if they shop him, perhaps including a younger defensive defenseman.

Gavrikov also brings some decent offensive production. He has 10 points since the trade deadline.

Alexis Lafreniere has been a trade candidate for multiple years, and it is fair to wonder if this could be the summer where the Rangers finally move him.

He has heated up since the trade deadline, with 10 goals and 18 points in 18 games. That could help raise his value during the summer.

If the Rangers do not view Lafreniere as a part of their long-term core as they retool, this off-season may be the right time for them to move him. If New York shops him, multiple teams would likely pursue the 2020 first overall pick.

Braden Schneider was a popular name in the rumor mill ahead of the trade deadline, and that could carry over to the summer. While Schneider is only 24 and could be a fit for the Rangers' retool, he also has the potential to get the Rangers a good return in a trade.

Teams are always on the hunt for hard-nosed right-shot defenseman with size, so that could lead to teams calling the Rangers about Schneider.

Schneider has six assists since the deadline.

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