NY Rangers Need To Capitalize on Ducks New Salary Cap Issues

The New York Rangers need to seek out a trade with the Anaheim Ducks.

Dec 15, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of an Anaheim Ducks logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during the second period at Bell Centre. / USA TODAY Sports

The New York Rangers came into the offseason with one clear-cut advantage over some of their competition with the amount of salary cap space they possessed.

With nearly $30 million in cap space, they have been able to upgrade multiple spots on their roster. The biggest move they made was acquiring Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights and promptly signing him to a seven-year extension worth $11 million annually.

Defenseman Marcus Pettersson was acquired in a trade from the Vancouver Canucks, absorbing his contract into the cap space. The Rangers also took on some money by sending Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth, bringing back center prospect Cole Beaudoin and defenseman Sean Durzi.

Right now, New York has about $7-8 million in cap space remaining, which includes a projected salary for defenseman Braden Schneider, who is a restricted free agent and filed for arbitration. More cap space can be cleared with a few roster moves, but the Rangers have enough that they should be looking to take advantage of the situation brewing for the Anaheim Ducks.

Ducks salary cap woes present prime opportunity for Rangers

Apr 9, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson (91) skates with the puck against the San Jose Sharks in the second period at Honda Center. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of their foundational pieces, Leo Carlsson, received a massive offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers that runs for five years and carries an annual cap hit of a staggering $18 million per year.

There is a ton of fallout from the offer sheet being made and matched by the Ducks. Carlsson is now the highest-paid player in the NHL on an annual basis, which has thrown a wrench in Anaheim’s roster-building plans.

With less than $10 million in cap space, the Ducks now have to figure out how to fit an extension for one of their other young stars, Cutter Gauthier, onto the books as well. This is where New York comes in.

Anaheim is going to have to shed salary one way or another. Their roster has gotten incredibly expensive in a short period of time. There are a few players on the roster who could be made available in an effort to slash money from payroll.

This is a golden opportunity to use some of the remaining cap space. The Rangers should be willing to take on salary, someone such as Ryan Poehling, to help the Ducks clear cap space to sign Gauthier as well.

Rangers can acquire draft compensation taking on salary

May 8, 2025; Tarrytown, NY, USA; New York Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury speaks during a press conference to introduce new head coach Mike Sullivan at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown, New York May 8, 2025. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Draft compensation will have to be attached along with whoever is coming back to New York in a salary cap dump. In need of defensemen, someone such as Vincent Iorio or Scott Morrow, who aren’t going to break the bank salary-wise, could head back to Anaheim.

The Rangers could push for even more return assets if they make Schneider available in trade talks. He is going to make more than Iorio or Morrow, but New York could ask for an even stronger return package if they included the former first-rounder.

It is something that Chris Drury should certainly be exploring. His team has cap space, and adding draft compensation, especially after trading away three first-round picks this offseason, should still be a priority for a team that is heading in the right direction but not quite ready to contend yet.

The front offices have been in touch this offseason as well. The Rangers were deep in negotiations for Mason McTavish before he was traded to the St. Louis Blues.