The New York Rangers could be in the hunt for a defenseman on the free agent market this summer with one specific target in mind. 

According to RG Media, the Rangers are considering Ivan Provorov as a candidate to sign during the offseason.

Provorov is set to become a free agent on July 1 and he’ll be one of the premiere defensemen available, so he should garner a lot of interest from a variety of teams.

The 28-year-old has averaged over 20 minutes per game throughout the entirety of his 9-year NHL career thus far as he provides a steady and reliable presence on the ice. 

According to Arthur Staple of The Athletic, if Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury can clear enough cap space, the team could look to go after Vladislav Gavrikov, making Provorov not the only defenseman on New York’s radar. 

These rumors about Provorov and Gavrikov come amid rumblings that the Rangers are hesitant to give K’Andre Miller a long-term contract extension and could look to trade him. 

“They don't want to give him term, they've indicated if they sign him to an extension it's not going to be a long-term extension and that's why his name is out there,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said.

During the 2024-25 season, Drury completely re-shaped the Rangers’ blueline, trading Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren while adding Urho Vaakanainen, Will Borgen, and Carson Soucy. 

Pierre LeBrun of TSN has reported that Provorov and the Columbus Blue Jackets want to get an extension done, but right now he remains without a new contract, leading to speculation about his future.