NHL Rumor Roundup: More Changes Coming For The Rangers This Summer?
Chris Kreider (Brad Penner-Imagn Images)The New York Rangers were among the busiest teams in this season's trade market.
Since Dec. 6, their notable moves included shipping Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks, sending Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken for Will Borgen, acquiring J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks, dealing Ryan Lindgren to the Colorado Avalanche, returning Reilly Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights and adding Carson Soucy from the Canucks,
Forwards Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider were the subjects of trade speculation earlier this season. Some pundits believe that Rangers GM Chris Drury could revisit that issue in the off-season.
Larry Brooks of the New York Post observed that the 31-year-old Zibanejad has a full no-movement clause over the remaining five seasons of his contract. Kreider has two seasons left on his contract after this one with a 15-team no-trade list.
Brooks felt any trade discussions with those two would occur during the summer. He doesn't anticipate the issue spilling over into training camp as Trouba's did last year.
Arthur Staple of The Athletic shared Brooks' opinion regarding Zibanejad and Kreider. He speculated that the latter could become a buyout candidate if there are no takers for his contract.
The buyout period commences on June 15 or 48 hours following the final game of the Stanley Cup final, whichever is later, and ends at 5 p.m. ET on June 30. PuckPedia indicates that buying out Kreider will count as $3 million against the Rangers salary cap in 2025-26 and $4 million in 2026-27 before dropping to $1.5 million annually for the final two seasons of the buyout.
Both players will be difficult to move. Zibanejad turns 32 on April 18, and his production has declined since his career-high 91 points in 2022-23. Kreider becomes 34 on April 30 and has been plagued by various injuries this season.
Staple also wondered whether the Rangers should look into trading Artemi Panarin. The 32-year-old left winger has a year left on his deal with an average annual value of $11.6 million.
Panarin's production is down this season. However, the short term left on his contract could interest a Stanley Cup contender seeking a scoring winger. The projected rise of the salary cap to $95.5 million for 2025-26 could make it easier to move his entire salary, though interested parties would still likely request that the Rangers retain a portion.
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