The Rangers organization is poised to make major moves this offseason but according to one NHL reporter three players on the organization have been deemed untouchable.
Arthur Staple of the Athletic has predicted that goaltender Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin have been deemed Untouchable in the trade market as the team longs for change at a potential retooling or rebuild on the horizon.
Chris Drury ready to make several deals this offseason
Some star players including Panarin were rumoured to be on the move out of the Big Apple as the Rangers had one of their most disappointing seasons in team history after being the President's Trophy winner the year prior.
Other players including Vincent Trocheck and JT Miller have not appeared on this list however it's quite clear that those two players are likely not to leave the organization they have had strong individual seasons, and Miller had just arrived back to New York after playing for the Vancouver Canucks.
Drury had begun the process of changing the Rangers during the season as he removed players like Barclay Goodrow, Rangers captain Jacob Trouba, defenseman Ryan Lindgren, forwards Riley Smith and former 1st overall pick Kappo Kakko.
The team had also fired Peter Laviolette and all his staff and hired former Rangers assistant coach and Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan.
Cap space and no trade lists could hinder moves for Rangers
Despite all the appetite for change, Drury along with his staff will have obstacles to overcome to make the changes they'd like.
Some players including Chris Kreider have a 15 team no trade list that will lock out half of the teams in the NHL as an option. It's quite unlikely that Drury would attempt another threat decried are with placing him on waivers as he did with Trouba and with Goodrow to get around the no trade lists.
The Rangers also have only $8.4 million in cap space to work with this summer and would also like to try on several unrestricted free agents including Vladislav Gavrikov, Mitch Marner and Sam Bennett.
This offseason will be a fascinating one for the Rangers and Rangers fans as the team needs to be bold and make the right move to get them back into playoff contention.
