Pursuing Lightning Star Might Not Be Best Course of Action for NY Rangers

Should the New York Rangers pursue a potential free agent from the Tampa Bay Lightning?

Jan 21, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a Tampa Bay Lightning logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during the first period at Bell Centre. / David Kirouac-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers are heading into a pivotal summer in which they need to make some good moves in order to improve. However, choosing how to upgrade will be important. 

Coming into the offseason, the Rangers have identified some areas in which they would like to improve. This was a team that finished in last place in the Eastern Conference, falling way below their expectations. While New York might not have been a title contender, they were hopeful to make the playoffs. 

Despite the team being the worst in the East, they are rather adamant about retooling rather than rebuilding. With that being the goal this summer, the Rangers figure to be aggressive in trying to improve. 

Fortunately, New York does have some good things in place that make a quick turnaround possible, led by two first-round picks, one of which is in the Top 5. Furthermore, as they try to improve quickly, their cap space will be a major luxury. 

With a couple of needs that appear to be clear, how the Rangers will use their cap space is going to be key. One spot that New York has talked about upgrading is on defense. However, how much they want to spend will be interesting. One free agent that could be available is Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh. 

Raddysh is a Fit But at A Steep Cost 

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh / David Kirouac-Imagn Images

With a desire to add a puck-moving defenseman, Raddysh can certainly help in that area. This season with the Lightning, he totaled 70 points with 22 goals and 48 assists. In an expanded role this season, it was a breakout campaign for Raddysh. 

While that type of production would be excellent to add to the team, Raddysh’s price tag might be too high coming off a year in which he averaged almost one point per game. With the Rangers already invested in Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov on their first line of defense, adding another high-priced defenseman might not make the most sense. 

Even though Raddysh would fill a need and could be one of the top players on defense available this winter, lower price options might make more sense for the team. 

Overall, how the team looks to make their upgrades this summer is going to be critical. After missing the playoffs for the last two years, the pressure is undoubtedly on to make the playoffs. However, spending big on Raddysh might not be the best course of action.