NY Rangers Wisely Seen as Team in Position to Win Offseason

Will the New York Rangers be able to have a strong offseason?

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. / The Journal News-Imagn Images

With the final four in the Stanley Cup Playoffs set, a new champion will be crowned soon, and then the offseason will begin for the New York Rangers. 

After missing the playoffs the last two years, the Rangers are going to be seeking to turn things around this summer, and expectations for a good offseason will be high. New York has been doing some retooling for the last year and a half or so, with the goal of not completely breaking it down for a rebuild. 

That is a tough balance to find, but one that is obtainable. However, with a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference this year, there are understandably some concerns about the direction of the team. 

This summer, there will be no excuse for the team not to have a good offseason. There are a lot of good things in place to help improve in multiple areas, and they are primed to make moves.

Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report recently wrote about some of the teams best positioned to win the offseason. For the Rangers, they were wisely seen as one of them. 

New York in Position to Improve

USA; A flag commemorating the New York Rangers 100th season at Madison Square Garden. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

When looking at the Rangers heading into the offseason, there is a lot to like about the tools available to them. Firstly, in the NHL Draft, they will have two first-round picks and be on the clock at five and 26. 

With two picks in the first round, this will present them with the opportunity to either add two young players, or perhaps shop the picks to improve more quickly. Due to a little bit of a lack of talent in their prospect pool, it would be surprising to see them deal the fifth pick, as that one could add an impact young player. 

Furthermore, when free agency kicks off, the team is going to have about $26 million in cap space, and that will make them major players. While this class might not be the best, a player like Alex Tuch could be exactly what they are looking for as a scorer for the top six. 

With cap space and draft picks, they will be primed to be active in the trade market as well. While New York will be looking to buy, they do have two likely trade candidates as well in Braden Schneider and Vincent Trocheck. Moving these two players would likely be in order to continue the retool and get some more young assets. Overall, there is a lot to like about the offseason, and the Rangers are in a position to get better.