The hockey world was put into a frenzy on Sunday by the Brady Tkachuk trade from the Ottawa Senators to the Florida Panthers. 

When it came to the Tkachuk trade rumors over the past two years, the New York Rangers were certainly linked to him, whether that speculation was true or not.

However, Tkachuk reportedly released a four-team trade list, which included the Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, and Carolina Hurricanes.  

“At the outset of discussions between Staios and the Tkachuk camp, Oster presented a list of four teams Tkachuk would consider in a potential trade: the Wild, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Vegas Golden Knights and, of course, Brady’s brother Matthew’s team, the Panthers,” NHL insider Pierre LeBrun wrote.

“At no time did Tkachuk promise to waive for all four teams. And that’s an important distinction, because as the process went and as Ottawa talked trades with the four teams, one thing became apparent: This was really just about Tkachuk wanting to be in Florida.”

The Rangers were notably not one of the teams on Tkachuk’s list. 

It shows that, despite New York being a desirable market for players to flock to, the Rangers are not ready to truly emerge as a Stanley Cup contender, which is deterring star talent from seeking a trade to The Big Apple.

Dylan Larkin reportedly requested a trade from the Detroit Red Wings and submitted a list of three teams he would like to be traded to, which includes the Panthers, Golden Knights, and Wild, with the Rangers absent from his list. 

En route to missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury issued a letter to fans in January outlining the team’s plan to “retool” the roster and focus on the future as opposed to the immediate present. 

Drury then went ahead and traded the Rangers’ to point producer, Artemi Panarin, and is rumored to be shopping Vincent Trocheck this offseason.

Withstanding some of the organization's mixed messaging about fast-tracking the retool, whether it’s from Drury or head coach Mike Sullivan, the Rangers are not a team constructed to win now, and until that changes, star players will only continue to bypass the Blueshirts as one of their preferred destinations.