President and general manager Chris Drury might need to make multiple tough decisions in the months leading up to next offseason for the New York Rangers.
Related: Rangers’ Projected 2024-25 Roster Is an Improvement Over Last Season’s
In 2024-25, over a dozen names are playing on expiring contracts. Of those, six are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents. Particularly, the Rangers will need to allocate a big chunk of money toward Igor Shesterkin and emerging star Alexis Lafreniere.
The reality in a hard salary cap world is you can’t keep everyone. Some fan favorites will be lost to free agency – and even some under contract could get traded. Here are a few players that could be moved or opt to hit the open market on July 1, 2025.
Jacob Trouba
In the short term, you have to think Jacob Trouba’s Rangers tenure will end. This offseason, he was in the rumor mill and it felt like a trade to the Detroit Red Wings might happen. While it feels like the front office wants to move on, he has some power to control his destination with his 15-team no-trade list, according to PuckPedia.
The captain has two seasons left at an $8 million average annual value (AAV). The question is would Trouba change his mind ahead of the 2025 Trade Deadline, or will a buyer on his approved list come in with an offer for the veteran defenseman? With all the expiring contracts coming up, it’s tough to justify Trouba at $8 million. They will need to move him ahead of free agency next year to clear cap space.
Ryan Lindgren
This offseason was the Rangers’ chance to lock up Ryan Lindgren; if not long, then medium-term. But Drury chose neither and instead settled on a one-year deal. That tells you the team might not be confident that he’s a viable long-term solution inside the top four defensive pairings.
We recently made the argument, that while Lindgren’s tenure as a Blueshirt has been respectable and steady, going short-term was the right move for the front office. His concerning 2023-24 campaign can’t be ignored. Last season, he played 76 games and was the team’s worst defenseman in terms of expected goals (xGF), among players who played double-digit games, according to Natural Stat Trick. And the postseason wasn’t great either. Only Barclay Goodrow finished with a lower xGF than the Minnesota native, amongst Rangers that played at…
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