There’s no better person to listen to when it comes to the New York Rangers than legendary play-by-play broadcaster Sam Rosen. 

He may have officially retired this past season, but Rosen has still been keeping tabs on the Rangers’ offseason moves, and he has some opinions. 

Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury kicked off the offseason by trading Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks. 

Rosen has gotten to know Kreider on a personal level for over a decade, as he did not understate how much the veteran forward truly means to the Rangers organization. 

“It’s sad to see him go,” Rosen said about Kreider. “He has done so much as a Ranger. He’s been a quiet off-the-ice leader. Players gravitated to him in the offseason, worked out with him, always in great shape, a hard working player, but a real good person off the ice. He was terrific to talk to. 

“He's been an excellent New York Ranger, and I hope that when his career is over, that when it all settles, the Rangers will be able to honor Chris Kreider accordingly because he was a major contributor to some outstanding years that the Rangers had.”

The 77-year-old broadcaster wasn’t necessarily surprised by the Kreider trade though, and he believed moving on from him was a good business decision given his age and contract. 

Rosen is also under the impression that Kreider’s departure gives Will Cuylle an opportunity to take on an increased workload. 

“It opens the door for Will Cuylle to be the next Chris Kreider,” Rosen said. “Cuylle has all the tools necessary to be a big star in this league. He’s physical, unafraid, battles in the corners, battles in front, goal scoring increased from first year to second year. He could be a 30-goal scorer.”

Sam Rosen May Have Retired, But He Plans To Stick Around The NHL Community In A Different Way The New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers" target="_blank">Rangers</a> have had a busy offseason, but what has Sam Rosen been up to since his grand retirement?

The Rangers also decided to move on from K’Andre Miller who signed an eight-year, $60 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. 

In Rosen’s opinion, it was the Rangers’ signing of Vladislav Gavrikov, Miller’s high asking price, and the need for more physicality that ultimately led the Blueshirts ultimately to not bring back the young defenseman. 

“I think part of it is the business side. When you see another team give him seven and a half million dollars, that is a huge contract, and I don't know that the Rangers were prepared to go that high,” Rosen said of the Miller situation. “I think he will only continue to grow as a defenseman… It’s a tough decision to make. To add Miller with a huge contract, I don’t think they could have afforded that.”

Arguably, the biggest move the Rangers made did not even involve bringing in a player. The Rangers hired Mike Sullivan to be their next head coach.

Sullivan is a two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach and his overall resume speaks for itself. 

For years, the Rangers have been seeking stability at the head coaching position, which they may finally have with Sullivan.

This new marriage between Sullivan and the Rangers is one that Rosen thinks is perfect for both parties involved. 

“I think he's an excellent coach and an excellent choice,” said Rosen. “Maybe Mike Sullivan is the right coach at this time for this group of New York Rangers… I think this will be a motivating factor for him. It'll recharge his battery. And I think he's very excited about taking over the Rangers, and certainly the five year contract is a great commitment from the organization, and certainly great security for Mike and what he wants to do as head coach.”

With all of this being said, are the Rangers bound for a bounce-back year, and will they make the playoffs?

At least according to Rosen, it’s too early to predict that, but the team certainly looks intriguing in his eyes. 

“On paper, in the preseason, I look at the Rangers without question as a playoff-contending team,” Rosen said. “How far they go if they make the playoffs will be determined by what that roster looks like, who’s healthy. Those are the unknown factors that we’ll see how the season unfolds, but as I look at the Rangers, this team has the players and the structure put together that is playoff caliber and we’ll see if they can live up to that.”

So there you have it, this is Rosen’s full analysis on the state of the Rangers and their summer moves. Do you agree with him?