Rangers Thrown Right Back Into The Fire After Olympic Break With Big Decisions On The Horizon

The celebration of winning a gold medal won’t last very long for Mike Sullivan and Chris Drury. 

Upon returning from Milan, difficult decisions will have to be made regarding the New York Rangers’ roster with the March 6th NHL Trade Deadline looming. 

Right before the roster freeze took effect on Feb. 4, Drury completed a blockbuster trade, sending Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings, marking the first major move of the “retool” Drury outlined in his Jan. 16 letter to fans. 

The Rangers will likely be one of the NHL’s most active sellers over the next week and a half, which means more trades are likely in store for Drury and company. 

The biggest Rangers player out there in trade rumors and the most desirable on the open market is none other than Vincent Trocheck. 

Given Trocheck’s manageable $5.625 million cap hit through the 2028-29 season on top of the fact that he does not hold a full no-move clause in his contract, makes him more flexible to being traded compared to some of the team’s other veteran players. 

Trocheck is also a center who plays a strong two-way, physical brand of hockey, which is the type of player playoff-caliber teams are always seeking to add, so the Rangers should garner a lot in return for Trocheck. 

The Rangers could also explore trades for some of their young, established talent, including Braden Schneider, who’s set to become a restricted free agent this summer, and Alexis Lafrenière. 

Upcoming unrestricted free agent Jonny Brodzinski is another name floated around in trade rumors, but it’s unclear if the potential return would warrant the Rangers letting go of the scrappy veteran forward. 

It’s been a nice break for the Rangers, but now it’s back to business as the decisions made leading up to the trade deadline will lay the groundwork for the franchise’s future.