The answer to whether or not the Rangers improved will matter more after the 2025 trade deadline than it does now, at the beginning of the offseason.
Though true in the grand scheme of things, it does not trivialize what has gone down since the Blueshirts bowed out in the Eastern Conference Final just over a month ago.
There’s an argument to be made about the shape the Rangers are in compared to when they ended the season.
Rangers GM Chris Drury
They freed up much-needed cap space, but also waived an alternate captain and one of their most proven playoff performers in Barclay Goodrow, who was miffed by how the Rangers got around his 15-team no-trade list.
And instead of effectively shedding Jacob Trouba’s contract like they set out to do, the Rangers had a touchy situation with their captain play out publicly.
Kaapo Kakko is also still a Ranger after signing a trade-friendly one-year deal at his qualifying offer price.
Despite adding veteran wing Reilly Smith for a discounted price in a trade with the Penguins and signing bottom-six center Sam Carrick to a three-year deal at an affordable $1 million per on Monday, the Rangers (sans Goodrow and free-agent departures Erik Gustafsson, Alex Wennberg and Jack Roslovic) don’t look much different right now.
And for a general manager who appeared to be considering so many different options and directions to go in, Chris Drury may now be looking at running it back with more of the core group than initially planned.
The hope is that the all-for-one and one-for-all mantra Trouba has spearheaded will prevail, for him more than anyone else if he is still a Ranger come opening night on Oct. 9. The culture and environment head coach Peter Laviolette helped instill and foster in his first season should help, too.
Jacob Trouba battle Ryan Lomberg for the puck during the Rangers’ Eastern Conference Final matchup vs. Panthers.
But you know what makes tough business easier to endure? Winning.
It is only just a couple of days into free agency, as well as over three months away from the first game of the season in Pittsburgh.
Previous ideas can still come to fruition, but without the cap relief a Trouba trade would provide, the Rangers are strapped financially with new contracts still due for Ryan Lindgren and Braden Schneider.
Kaapo Kakko is back with the Rangers.
That is the next order of business for the Rangers, who have approximately $10.8 million to pay three more defensemen and two forwards on a shadow roster that already features 11 forwards (not including bubble players Matt Rempe, Adam Edstrom or Jonny Brodzinski), four defensemen and two goalies.
That is not a lot of space to work with for an organization that seemed intent on retooling a bit.
Drury signed two more fringe players in defenseman Casey Fitzgerald and forward Bo Groulx on Tuesday.
Fitzgerald, the son of Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald, agreed to a two-year deal — two-way in the first year and one-way in the second — for $775,000, while Groulx signed on for a one-year, two-way deal at $775,000, as well.
As for any additional team-reshaping moves, they haven’t happened yet — and maybe they won’t this summer.
